The Scottsville Vampire Invasion

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

          Glen sits across from me in the interview room.  He's staring at the table.   

          "You enjoying yourself?" I say.

          "You mean enjoying being stuck in here with you?"

          "No, I mean having the town hang on your every word and breaking one big story after another."

          "I'm just reporting what is happening.  If you weren't so incompetent, I'd have a lot less to write about."

          "You love it don't you?  You love sticking it to me.  You'd do anything to get a chance to attack me."

          "Is this what this is about?  You dragged me in here to shut me up?  To get me to stop printing the truth?"

          I slam my hand on the table and raise my voice.  "Enough hiding behind your newspaper.  You tried to run this town into the ground just like the one up the road, but you screwed up, Glen.  You overplayed your hand.  Now it's gotten out of control and people are dead, and you did it all so people would finally listen to you and so you could pile shit on me."        

"I'm just reporting the facts.  You don't like, it then solve the cases.  You're the Sheriff not me."

"You don't want these cases to be solved.  The longer this goes on the better it is for you."

"Back off, Clark.  Pete was my friend, and he's dead.  That's your fault not mine."

"He and all the other people are dead because of you."

"He's dead because I write a paper?  Clark, have you lost your mind?  What the fuck are you even talking about?"

 "For God's sake, Glen, act like a man and confess to what you've been doing.  You dragged Jenn Hunter out to the Scottsville Farm and handcuffed her to a post so those monsters from Sharpsburg would kill her and tear this town apart.  You spent years planning this so you could break a big story and launch your career."

          First his face is confused, and then it breaks into a wide smile.  "Seriously?"

          "Yes, Glen, seriously, and now you've seriously screwed up by letting this get out of control.  You think I'm just going to stand by and let you do all of this because you have some dirt on me?  You can forget that Glen.  Once I bust your ass, no one will listen to you.  It will be your worst nightmare.  You'll be marginalized.  The most important thing in your life is that paper, and I'm going to be the one to take it from you."

          Glen starts laughing.  He doubles over and drops his head so that it's just barely hanging over the table.  After this goes on for almost a minute, I finally break in. "You should be crying, Glen, not laughing."

          He stops himself.  "Clark, you really are a dumb shit.  You know that?  You really are."

          "You can call me names all you want Glenn.  It won't save your ass."

          "Clark, if you had any fucking brains, you wouldn't end up embarrassing yourself like this."

          "Keep at it Glen.  Keep insulting me.  It's not going to stop me."

          "Clark, did you even consider actually investigating where and what I was doing when Jenn was murdered?"

          "Everyone knows what you do every night.  You sit in your basement, take uppers and listen to the police radio while you prepare the morning paper."

          "And that's what you think I was doing that night?"

          "Of course."

          "Of course?  I wasn't even in town.  I was in Andersonville at a conference.  I just filed the expenses for it with my accountant.  I have receipts and eyewitnesses."

          I feel my face turn red.  Screw him.  He's bluffing.  "Then how the hell did you end up back here?"

          "Pete tipped me off.  I was drinking beers with a bunch of other reporters.  I left and drove like mad to get here.  Are you telling me you dragged me in here, and you didn't even consider that possibility?"

           "I saw you that morning.  You were in the diner like you are every day."

          "I didn't want to waste the money staying at a hotel since it's only an hour and half away, so I woke up early, ate breakfast at the diner and drove over to the seminar.  I was there all day.  A bunch of us decided to hit a bar afterward.  I was hanging out when Pete called me.  That's why I showed up late.  You can take me to my house, and I'll show you the receipts.  Hell, you could even pull my cell phone records."

          I'm frozen.  There must be some other kind of explanation. 

          "What's wrong Clark?  Stuck not doing your homework again?  See, this isn't high school.  You can't just bully your way around the world and make things turn out the way you want them to.   This is the grown-up world, and in the grown-up world, people have to do their jobs and do them the right way.  Otherwise there are consequences.  You think you can come to my house and push me and my mother around and nothing will happen?  Take these handcuffs off and drive me back to my place, so I can publish that story I have on you."

          My head is swimming.  How the hell could this be?  I was sure he had been in town that day.  How could I have screwed this up?

          "Give me a second here," I say, getting up and opening the door to the hallway.     

          As I'm walking out of the room, Glen yells to me, "What about these handcuffs?  Can you at least take these off?"

          I ignore him, stumble out into the hallway and wander into the small room that observes interrogations.  Josh is standing in there.  He must have slipped in here while we were talking.

          "Clark, what the hell are you doing with Glen?"

          I have my palms up to my forehead and am rubbing it.  "Just give me a second here."

          "What was he talking about when he said that he has a story about you?"

          "Not now Josh.  I need to think."

          "This guy is our main suspect, and you didn't even make sure he was around to commit the crime?"

          "Josh, shut the fuck up for five seconds, okay?  Just shut the fuck up," I yell.

          He starts to say something but restrains himself.  I pace.  I need to get a handle on this.  Glenn has to be the person responsible for this.  He has to be.  He's lying.  He counterfeited the receipts and had them ready for me.  That's what he did.  He knew I was onto him so he got them ready to throw me off balance.  I need to get back in control here.  I can't let him throw me off because of the dirt he has on me.  If I let that stop me, I'll never nail him with these crimes.

          "He's full of shit.  He's just saying that because he knows that I have him cornered.  I'm going to book his ass.  Those receipts don't exist and those witnesses are bullshit," I say.

          "Clark, if you're wrong about this we're done.  Glen will never let us hear the end of it.  He'll kill us in the paper and sue the department."

          "I'm ready for it.  I'm all in.  I'm taking his ass down.  He's the guy.  He's responsible for this, and I'll do whatever I must close this out."