Who, Me?

Chapter 2: The Allegation

Alex sat in the dimly lit interrogation room, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on her forehead as the weight of the accusations settled over her. She could still hear the detective's words echoing in her mind: "You're a prime suspect." The phrase had dropped like a bomb, scattering any sense of security she'd carried with her since walking out her door that morning. All she could think was: How? How could this be happening to me?

Detective Caldwell, who had introduced himself only moments earlier, sat across from her with a face carved in stone. His partner, Detective Willis Grant, the female detective from earlier, leaned against the wall with arms folded, her eyes narrow and critical as if she could see right through Alex's bewilderment. Both officers carried an air of grim authority, each word they spoke weighted with importance.

"I need you to listen closely, Ms. Montgomery," Caldwell said, his voice calm but unyielding. He flipped open a manila folder on the table, revealing a stack of documents and photos. "A crime was committed late last night, a robbery that left two people injured and significant damage to property. Surveillance footage from the scene matches your description perfectly. There's no question—you were there."

Alex felt her stomach drop as she absorbed his words. "But... I wasn't there," she managed, her voice shaking despite her efforts to keep calm. "I don't even know where 'there' is. I was home last night. Alone."

Willis, the detective against the wall, raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Caldwell, a silent message passing between them. Caldwell turned back to Alex and tapped on the photographs laid out in front of him.

"You're saying that you don't recognize any of this? No connection to the scene, to the people involved?" He pointed to a grainy image of a figure with Alex's build, clad in a dark jacket, mid-stride in what looked like an abandoned warehouse.

Alex looked down, studying the images more closely. The figure had her height, her general build, even her unmistakable messy hair, visible from under a hood. But something was off. As much as she could see herself in the photo, she knew, deep down, that it wasn't her.

Or was it? 

Her mind raced, questioning even her own memories of last night.

"I swear, I've never seen this place before," Alex said, her voice barely a whisper. "This... this can't be me."

Caldwell leaned forward, clasping his hands in front of him. His eyes were searching, almost as though he wanted to believe her, but was trained not to. "We don't usually bring in suspects on a whim, Ms. Montgomery. The footage from multiple cameras around the area shows you entering and leaving the building. We found fingerprints on the scene that match yours, and there are witnesses who remember seeing someone with your description nearby."

The words "witnesses" and "fingerprints" felt like a punch to the gut. Alex's mind reeled. Fingerprints? Witnesses? How could this be? She was almost afraid to open her mouth, terrified of what she might say that would incriminate her further, even though she knew she was innocent.

"But... how could that be?" Alex stammered, feeling her throat tighten. "I mean, I don't... I didn't do anything like that." She glanced back and forth between the detectives, desperately hoping one of them would see her confusion and take pity.