The Sinner

70

"What's the point in questioning my client if she was asleep?"

I've been here for four hours. Yes you read that right. Four god damn hours of sitting in this dark, cold, miserable interrogation room.

It's practically night fall at this point. My lawyer had kindly given me his jacket, because Shoupe and the big man refused to do anything about the frigid amount of air coming out of the vents. Even after I asked them maybe twenty times now.

"Because I don't think she's telling the truth," Shoupe says. "You had to have known what happened Corrine. There's someone who said you were at the scene."

I wonder who snitched.

Kiara probably. She'd be the first to snitch on me even if she wasn't there.

"I was at the scene but I was just sleeping in the car at first. I told you that already but you refuse to listen to my words," I tell him. "It's like you don't trust me because you already have a preexisting thought in your head."

Shoupe sighs, "Corrine, I've known your family for a very long time. I went to school with your parents, I trust you and your father. I do. Things just aren't adding up."

"Then I'll tell you my story again," I say, after four times of hearing the same story, you'd think the repetition would stick. "I had spent the night at Rafe's. It was early, just as the sun came up around 7:30. I was still exhausted from staying up late, and the fact that I never wake up that early. Rafe helped me out to the car, and we drove to the tarmac-"

"-Who drove?" Shoupe interrupts. That was a new question.

"Rafe," I tell him.

He nods. I feel my heart start to race as I don't give him anymore time to ask who's car was at the scene.

"I fell asleep in the passenger seat, I was out cold. I don't remember Rafe getting out or hearing any shouting. The only thing I woke up to was a gun shot."

"And who was holding the gun when you woke up?" Shoupe asks.

"Rafe," I say hesitantly.

"But that doesn't necessarily mean that he shot Peterkin," My lawyer says. "Someone else could've handed him the gun after the fact."

Shoupe doesn't say anything, he stares at me like he's still trying to decide if I'm telling the truth or not.

"You do know that lying to cops is still illegal, right?" Shoupe continues.

"Yes I am aware of that. But that would only mean something to me if I actually was lying."

"I don't know, kid," Shoupe says with his arms across his chest.

"Do you have any proof that shes lying?" My lawyer asks.

"...No."

"Do you have anything against my client?" My lawyer asks again.

"No."

"Then we're done here Shoupe." My lawyer stands first, and then suddenly the door opens quickly. It hits the wall with a loud slam.

"Shoupe, we need you," It was the girl officer, the one I've seen around too. I forget her name though. She eyes me, "It's urgent."

"Okay," He says and stands. He looks back at me and my lawyer. "Don't think I won't call you right back in here if I find out you're lying."

"I'm not lying." Even if I was there would be no proof in finding out whether I was asleep or not. There aren't any cameras out there.

He rushes out of the room, and so do we. I hand the jacket back to my lawyer, and send him a friendly closed mouth smile. He was easily as old as my father, if not older. He was another family friend, and he's represented my dad for years.