The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 35

Bearden sat by himself in the interrogation room for over an hour. He became impatient while waiting for someone to come in and talk to him. After several minutes, he got up and paced the room. When no one came in, he leaned against the rear wall of the small room. Longing for something to distract him in the featureless room, he sang to himself. When Taylor and Barnes finally entered the room, it relieved him. He sat down as the two detectives took their seats across from him.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Mr. Bearden," Taylor began as he made himself comfortable. "Did they offer you anything to eat or drink while you waited?" he asked in his most unintimidating voice.

Bearden said, "No, I missed my lunch break today and feel a little hungry."

"You missed lunch? Man, that's tough. Hey Barnes, why don't you get him something from the breakroom? What would you like?"

"A bag of sour cream and onion chips would be nice. With bottled water, too, if it's not any trouble."

"Sure, no trouble at all."

Barnes left the room, leaving Taylor alone with Bearden. "You know it's so easy to forget that someone is in here. You know how it is. This person needs to talk to you, and then the phone rings, so many distractions." Taylor relaxed and smiled, never really taking his eyes off the man before him. "So, how did you end up at Daniels, Morgan, and Steers?"

"Just lucky, I guess," he began. "I applied through a job site, got an interview, and the next thing I know, I got hired. It's not glamorous work, but it pays well enough."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It must suck watching those rich guys come in and out all day. I bet they wouldn't last a day doing some real work between you and me."

He laughed as he responded, "You're probably right." About that time, Barnes returned with his snack food. She sat back down and glared at him, showing no emotion. The look from Barnes unnerved him.

"So, tell me, Barry, how do you like being a security guard?"

"You know it's not a bad gig, really. You get to stay in the..." he paused suddenly when the realization of what he did finally hit him. His head dropped, and he cursed to himself under his breath.

"See, Barnes, I told you that would work. So, let's stop playing games, Barry. That is your real name, isn't it?"

"Yes, but look, I can explain...."

"You can? Well, that's great because I'm ready to listen. Please explain how you're using the name Bret Bearden instead of Barry Sherman. Let's hear it."

"Look, it all has to do with some family issues I have...."

"Nope," said Barnes harshly, "try again."

"Okay, my wife...."

"Barry, my man," Taylor said, cutting him off, "I thought we were done with the games. I mean, this is fun, and all listening to you make up things, but let's try the truth for once."

"Fine, okay, what do you want to hear?" he said as the frustration at his situation began to show.

"Well, let's start with the reason why you're using a dead kid's identity. That's a crime in and of itself, you know."

"Listen, I didn't..."

"You're lying again. We know you were arrested a few years ago on fraud charges," Barnes said.

"Hey, I was cleared on those."

"That's right," she continued, "so why the masquerade? Why not just go back to doing what you did best?"