Not All Heroes Wear Capes

4: Exposing the Truth

"Two down, six to go. Come on, Cece. You just need some more coffee or something."

She lightly tapped her cheeks to snap out of her stupor and then sluggishly trudged over to fix herself an extra-large cup of coffee. With a generous amount of cream and sugar added, Cecelia stirred the warm brew on her way back over to the table.

This next individual had been slightly harder to find than the other two people. Even when she had cornered the woman in a public park, the man with her had turned and walked straight through the brick wall enclosing the wooded area. He intended to take her with him, but her shoe caught on a raised tree root. Stumbling into the nearby oak, this woman only had a moment to look after the man who left her behind before the guards with Cecelia had their hands on her.

Sounds of a scuffle enter the room. One of the lab's security team walks in behind a woman in cuffs. Cecelia instantly recognizes her as the same one from the park. Ever since reading Dianne Finnigan's file, her curiosity had been piqued.

What was her story? Why was she trying so hard to stay hidden?

Clearing his throat, the guard nodded at the two women, then walked out, closing the door behind him. Silence fell until finally Dianne broke it.

"Are these really necessary? I'm not dangerous."

"How do I know that?"

"You don't, but I'm telling the truth."

"Ah, the truth. That's your thing, isn't it? Able to tell if someone is lying. Not sure how much of the rumors I've heard, I believe, but I'm willing to hear your side of things."

"Tell me a lie."

"What?"

"You heard me. Go ahead. Test it out."

This is ridiculous. Cecelia searches for something to lie about and comes up short. She opts for a statement that is obvious in the end, pointing to the pen on the table, which is plainly blue.

"This pen is red."

Clap.

"Lie."

"Very good, Mrs. Finnigan. Now, if you could just..."

"No. Say something that I wouldn't know about. Surely you can think of a better one."

Digging deep, Cecelia recalls something that happened to her as a child. She was only seven. Her parents were both out in the garden watering their many plants and pulling weeds. A package had arrived earlier in the morning addressed to her, but she wasn't allowed to open it at the time. While she was unsupervised—she saw the opportunity to sneak into her father's den to get a better peek at it. Not being able to help herself, she tore the corner of it to reveal the box of the fancy typewriter she had always wanted. Her birthday was in a week. They must've ordered it for her. Overjoyed, she hopped in place up and down—that is, until her father walked in. As punishment, he had given her more chores to earn what was intended as a gift. She was also sat down for a nice, long talk about doing what she was told and not snooping.

Biting back a grin, Cecelia tells the story...except with a twist.

"And I was so excited to see the box of my favorite doll I squealed in excitement. Too bad I also got caught."

Her eyes squint as her hands raise of their own choosing and a clap rings out.

"Lie."

The smile that spreads on Dianne's face is smug. It says, "I told you so". Cecelia shifts to press record on her phone and get this show on the road. There are still more interviews after this one.