CHARISMA - Strange Companion |Sequel| {PLL}

SUSPECT

Alisha had been guided into a small and musty interrogation room at the police department. And there she had been sitting for about 40 minutes now, waiting impatiently. A billion theories were running through her head, as to why she was brought here so urgently. Her first thought, obviously, was something had happened to her family. Maybe John had come out with the truth about his European adventure and Tereza had lost her senses. Or Violet, who didn't show up to school not for being sick, but because she was seriously injured. Alisha even considered there was a tiny chance that Anya had actually stepped out and reveal herself to the police, admitting everything she had done. But then again it was even more realistic for her previous situation with Wilden to be leaked. The police for sure was looking into why he was gone and where he had gone for such a long time. At least they must know that his little cover up story about the FBI was absolute bullshit. Whatever it was, though, Alisha just couldn't wrap her head around it. And she hated it how they made her sit in this room without telling her a single thing. Her senses where so heightened, she heard every single tick of the clock on the wall, which made her even more nervous. To drown the ticking she began tapping her fingers on the table even faster and louder. Therefore she didn't hear the footsteps coming closer and winced, when all of a sudden the door swung open and Detective Newton entered the room. Alisha sat up straight and rolled her eyes. "Why the hurry, Detective Newton? What's so urgent it could wait 45 whole minutes?"
Newton appeared unimpressed by Alisha's rebellious mood and took a seat at the table, opposite her. The file he had carried with him, he put down in front of him and he reached for the voice recorder. After pressing the record button, he said: "This interrogation is being led by Detective Carlos Newton. The questioned suspect is Miss Alisha Blake Lichtenstein, born on July, 4th 2000 in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Resident in Baker Street 209, Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Please confirm the veracity of the information, Miss Lichtenstein."
For a second Alisha was genuinely uncertain if she should or should not confirm the details. If this was about Anya or even her dad she might get in trouble, but then again, why would Newton start off by stating things he knew were incorrect? All she knew for sure was, it wasn't a good idea to give away her confusion and let him see through her, before the interrogation even started. So she replied shortly: "Confirmed."
Newton nodded slightly and continued with the usual instruction about Alisha being required to speak truthfully or to remain silent. She felt like, for her age, she had heard this sentence too often in her life already. But Newton got to the exciting part now, finally telling her what this was about: "Miss Lichtenstein, so far you've been questioned twice about your friend Colin Mathews. Mathews has been found dead in the early morning  of June 29th last year."
He made a pause and Alisha took the chance to sort her thoughts. From the second Newton showed up at school she could sense that something was different from her previous encounters with him. That's why she hadn't even considered this being about Colin's case again. Nevertheless, she wasn't very relieved to find out it was, and she wondered what Newton might want from her this time.
"You've been close with the victim, is that right?" Newton was doing his job well. Serious, with composure, as if he was talking about his phone bill or a movie he saw the other night.
Alisha knew she had to step up her confidence game. "Define close." she requested calmly.
"Well, how would you describe the relationship between you and Colin?" Newton passed the question back to her.
Alisha thought for a moment. At least she made it look like that's what she did, but really she was just playing pretend. "Non-existent, I guess."
Newton raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Last time you stated you were ex-lovers?"
"We used to date", Alisha knew he was trying to lay out her statement in whatever way he needed it, but she saw through his tactic, "in freshmen year. So lovers in the most innocent way, yes."
"Innocent, huh." he repeated and acted as though he didn't believe the message Alisha was sending between the lines. "Colin allegedly asked you out for prom because he was being blackmailed to do so. If you're saying that you had a non-existent relationship with him, how did you feel about Colin's proposal?"
That was an easy question, and she was actually able to answer this truthfully and straightforwardly. "Surprised might be the best word to describe how I felt. His proposal came unexpected, especially since I didn't even plan on attending prom."
"Why not?" He sounded so genuinely interested, it was almost too convincing. But of course he had a ulterior motive behind every single one of his questions.
Alisha shrugged. "I just wasn't in the mood."
"Was Colin the only guy who asked you out?"
"Excuse me." Alisha felt slightly offended but she couldn't resist replying to that question. "I don't see how my popularity among the guys at school is a part of your investigation, Detective."
"I'm just trying to paint the bigger picture." Newton remained so unbearably friendly, it was nerve-racking to just look at the relaxed expression on his face. "I'm assuming that's a yes to my question then."
Alisha decided to stay silent and simply crossed her arms in front of her chest. She had been willing to cooperate with Newton as much as possible in the past. What he was doing now made her feel like she had given him reasons to get back at her for something she did. Which first of all wasn't fair, and secondly made Alisha too suspicious to still trust his good intentions towards her.
"Just to give you an insight as to why this information is important for the bigger picture, I'm going to elucidate my hypothesis for you." Newton cleared his throat and made it appear as if he was about to perform a powerpoint presentation for everyone in the room. "Colin approached you and asked you out for prom. The fact that you are his ex-girlfriend immediately built, or better said re-built a connection between the two of you. Maybe old feelings were coming back up and you realised that the reasons for your break up back then were null and void by now. Colin's popularity at school was undeniable, and I also happen to know that you have quite a persona yourself. These days it's important for teenager's to perform well socially. And Colin, just like you, was only lacking the perfect partner to your portfolio."
Alisha listened to his little fantasy with her ears cocked. If she wasn't still upset about his indecent question, she'd probably find this entertaining. Newton apparently had been so unsuccessful solving Colin's case he had had the time to make up this unrealistic and offensive story. And he wasn't at all finished, yet.
"Sadly, I never got to meet Colin. But as I said, this is only a hypothesis of mine. So, let's say Colin's proposal raised hope that your relationship might have a second chance. One thing quickly leads to another these days, which leaves teenagers even more heartbroken when they come to realise they've given themselves away too soon. According to various people, including you, Colin didn't behave very gentlemanly at prom. If I remember correctly, you even said he had ruined the night by getting way too drunk. That must have been a bitter disappointment, am I right?"
Alisha knew he waited for her reaction, and he was probably expecting her to be too confused to see through his hypothesis. But thanks to the experience she had made with the police in the past, she understood very well what he was implying. "If you wanted to know whether I was hooking up with Colin, you could have just asked instead of telling me this imaginative fantasy of yours."
This made Newton flinch for the first time. Not much, of course, but he did seem a bit taken aback at first. "So, did you?"
Alisha raised her eyebrows, enjoying the tension she had built. "Certainly not."
"What was holding you back?" Newton asked incidentally, as if that was a totally normal thing to ask.
Alisha snorted. "What kind of question is that? What is holding anyone back from hooking up with random people?"
"Colin wasn't just a random guy, though. Right?" Newton leaned in and stared right into Alisha's eyes. "Was it an old grudge you still held against him? Why would you go to prom with someone you don't even find attractive? Or were you seeing someone else?"
Alisha almost laughed out loud at the thought that ran through her mind. Yes, I was sleeping with your fellow detective, therefore I didn't feel like getting cozy with my ex boyfriend. Alisha would have loved to say that out loud, but she chose a more classy move. "I'm getting a feeling you are trying to sexualise me here, Detective. I might be young and verdant, but that doesn't mean I'll jump right into a guy's bed just because he asked me to accompany him to a public event with a bunch of other people."
Newton nodded slowly and sighed. His expression changed from his usual stoic attitude to a softer, more sympathetic appearance. "I admit, I might have used the wrong approach. I was trying to pave the way for you to tell me everything that happened between you and Colin, starting with his proposal and ending with that night when you left prom early because of him."
Now Alisha was truly confused. "I already told you everything. I don't expect you to believe every word I say, but-"
"Please, Miss Lichtenstein, do not worry about anyone not believing you." He said this in such a sympathetic way, Alisha immediately sensed something behind it. She just couldn't quite tell what it was. "It might be hard saying something negative about the victim in a case, especially if they are dead. But as I said, it's about the bigger picture. And no matter what it is you might be holding back, you will receive any support and help you might want and need."
It was starting to dawn on Alisha and she narrowed her eyes in disbelief. "What are you implying?"
Newton put his hands on the table to seem more honest and trustworthy. "I never meant to sexualise you, Miss Lichtenstein. What I was implying, though, is that maybe something did happen between you and Colin Mathews. Something, that happened without your own free will."
Alisha found it hard to believe what she was hearing. Naturally, she couldn't stop the upsetting feeling that spread inside of her to make her raise her voice. "You're not honestly talking about rape, are you?" She shook her head and laughed disbelievingly. "Are you even trying to find Colin's murderer still, or is this just a hobby of yours?"
Newton gave her a serious, almost judgemental look. "Sometimes it helps to find out why someone had to die, first, before you can figure out who killed them."
"Your point being?" Alisha asked sharply.
Newton straightened his back. "I didn't ask you here to have a chat with you, Miss Lichtenstein. Throughout my investigation I have gathered a few facts, and I've connected many dots. Yet, some things are still unclear and they leave me only assuming. I have reason to believe that you can give me answers to quite a few of my questions, since you seem to be a key player in Colin's last days."
Alisha decided to ignore his hint about her being a key player. The only player in this room was him, and she wondered why he chose to lead this interrogation so unprofessionally. "Then start asking those questions, in case you want to get an answer from me. I'm not jumping on your hypothesis story time move, just to be clear."
He held in his breath and looked at her for a moment, his expression blank and meaningless. He was struggling with this case, trying too hard to solve it. He didn't like the fact that Alisha was the one telling him how to lead this interrogation. But she had been very clear about her conditions, and Newton wasn't yet ready to reveal his final ace. "Alright. Colin Mathews got wasted while you were at prom. Last time I asked you, you said this was the reason for the argument you had with him later that night."
Alisha blinked. "What's your question?"
"Anything you want to add to that?" he asked.
"No."
"How exactly did the argument go down?" He tilted his head and began chewing on his lower lip. "I mean, was it verbal, or even physical?"
Alisha hesitated. She found herself at a fork, leaving her with two options - she could either stick with her blackmailing story and admit what happened outside on the street, or she could say nothing happened and drop the blackmailing story for good. Neither of those options made her look really good, and she needed more time to decide. "I didn't get into a fist fight with him, if that's what you meant."
A smile flashed across his face, barely noticeable. "That's not what I meant. I'm just wondering what happened and in what state it left Colin."
Alisha shrugged. "I guess he felt rejected."
Newton raised his eyebrows. "Because you left him standing in the rain?"
There was no way she could explain why she would have made up the blackmailing. She had to stick with it, and sell it as realistic as possible. Alisha took a deep breath to show how hard it was for her to say this next thing: "Colin was drunk, and he wasn't in a good mood at all. I sensed it right when we met to go inside together. He seemed nervous, almost aggressively absentminded, if that makes any sense. I didn't feel comfortable with him at all, and I was rather glad that he chose to spend more time with his mates than with me. But obviously I felt stupid all by myself. Everyone was able to see how my date was abandoning me. So I went outside to catch a breath of fresh air."
"When was that?" he interrupted her and almost put her off her stride.
"Around half past 10, I think." Alisha tried to get back to her story without losing the thread. "So I was wandering through the streets around school, and suddenly I noticed that Colin had followed me. I told him to leave me alone, and how disgustingly wasted he was."
"And then?" Newton asked, finally finding room for all his sympathetic moves he had planned out.
Alisha closed her eyes for a second before she continued to talk. "He came closer, even though I told him to back off, and then he tried to kiss me."
Newton nodded understandingly. "Did he try to do anything else?"
"I'm not sure." Alisha felt bad for putting Colin in such a bad light, but after all that's what happened. "I mean, he came pretty close, but he didn't hurt me."
"So, he tried to kiss you but he never got to it?" Newton sounded more suspicious now, almost like he was tiptoeing around an answer he had been dying to get. When Alisha shook her head, he asked: "How did the situation dissolve then?"
Here's where Alisha had to change the story. Regardless of what happened between her and Wilden, she had promised him to keep him out of this. He came to her rescue that night and probably saved her from experiencing a horrible nightmare. Too bad it didn't end as well for Colin, but that couldn't be changed anymore. "I managed to run away."
"Were you harmed in the process?"
"No." Alisha replied steadily. As unrealistic as it seemed for her to be able to escape a guy with Colin's built on her own, without getting a single scratch, this is what she had to serve Newton as the truth.
"And that was the last time you saw Colin Mathews alive?" What a weird question, Alisha thought, and she frowned.
"No, it wasn't." She wasn't sure if he was just playing dumb or if he really didn't know this part. "Colin came to school on Monday, I'm sure you know about this."
"Uhmhm." Newton made and gave her the chance to continue.
"I had a conversation with him and Detective Wilden that morning. That's when he told us he had been blackmailed. And he also apologised for his behaviour."
"Right." Newton nodded, but he didn't seem to agree. "Tell me again, what did he say exactly about that?"
Alisha couldn't help but feel like she was running into a trap. "Why don't you read through that file again." she suggested and pointed at the pile of documents on the desk. "I'm sure it's all been reported and written down correctly."
"Actually, it hasn't." He gave her a questioning look. Apart from the fact that he seemed unhappy that she still stuck to that story, he apparently enjoyed being able to prove her wrong. "You say Detective Wilden was there when Colin admitted he had been blackmailed. But why hasn't he reported any of it in his protocol?"
Alisha's body tensed and she almost rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ask Detective Wilden? I hear he's back from his vacation."
"Sounds like bad blood." Newton narrowed his eyes and Alisha realised she had dropped a few too many comments about Wilden around him.
"Sounds like the police is not working accurately enough." She leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a sassy attitude. "Principal Garner should be able to confirm that there has been a conversation between Colin Mathews, Detective Wilden and I on that very Monday. It took place in his office, I'm sure he remembers."
"Oh, I don't have a doubt about a conversation taking place." Newton smiled almost spitefully. "Blackmailing was just never a topic, wasn't it?"
Alisha was getting annoyed. "Enlighten me, please."
"Colin Mathews had a black eye and a fractured cheekbone. Although he didn't remember how he got those injuries, he told Detective Wilden, who was called by your school's social worker, that the argument he had with you was the last thing he remembered. And therefore you were called into the principal's office."
If Alisha hadn't been in control of herself due to her self-awareness, her jaw would have dropped after hearing this. Ridiculously, it all made sense and she had nothing to prove that it wasn't the truth. Slowly but surely she felt her mask fall.
Newton must have noticed that, too. "Would you like to say anything to that, Miss Lichtenstein?"
"Even if that was true, which it isn't, it wouldn't mean anything." Alisha knew how desperate she sounded. But there had to be a way out for her. "If Colin doesn't remember how he got injured, it also means he doesn't remember that I did it. You're claiming this, but there's no evidence."
"Speaking of evidence", he completely ignored her protestations of innocence and just went on, "we have come to new findings trying to recreate the night Colin died. I have a few more questions for you about that, too."
Alisha's mouth was dry and she felt dizzy from the thin and muggy air in the room. She had been given a glass of water, but she was too proud to drink it. This interrogation was weakening her more than she had expected, and she considered making use of her right to remain silent from now on.
"Please, stop me if I'm telling you things you already know, but here's what we found out." Newton placed his hidden accusation well but still obvious enough for Alisha to understand. "At first we thought Colin died by falling down the steeple. It was unsure if he had committed suicide or if he had been pushed. That's the clever, yet suspicious thing about making it happen like that. Since no suicide note or any other indications were found, we were almost sure he had been pushed. Especially with all those obvious injuries he's had. The cause of death seemed to be clear, though: a broken neck. What was weird was the fact that Colin's body had been found at around four in the morning. The autopsy set his time of death to be about 9 hours before he was found. Which means he died around 8 o'clock on Monday evening. If he had fallen of the steeple at that time of the day, I'm pretty sure someone must have seen it happen. We searched the entire steeple for fingerprints or DNA, but we didn't even find a single trace of Colin himself. And we both know why, don't we?"
Alisha used all her strength to stay as calm as possible, while she sat opposite Newton and listened to every word he said. Sweat was pearling off her forehead, and she knew he enjoyed all the obvious little signs of her nervousness. He probably thought this was some sort of prove that he was right about her, when it really was her attempt of keeping in all the things she wanted to say but couldn't. She sat there silently, biting the bullet for Wilden and Anya who both have let her down. But she was nothing like them, she didn't betray people for her own good. And after all, she knew she was innocent, so what could possibly happen to her?
"Colin didn't die because he broke his neck falling off the steeple. It must have happened somewhere else." Newton paused and opened the file. He pulled out a photo of an old barn, and another one that showed the inside of the barn. "Does this place look familiar to you?"
Alisha looked up from the pictures and their eyes met. She still didn't say a word, biting her teeth together as tightly as she could.
"During Colin's autopsy we found DNA underneath his fingernails, but we didn't find a match in our system." Newton eventually continued, while he left the pictures open on the table between them. "A loose end, I thought, and almost forgot about it. A week ago we got a call from a citizen. He said he found trails of blood in his barn and he thinks it's a crime scene. I didn't expect much, to be honest. Drug addicts are known for breaking into lost places and leaving them in a complete mess. My excitement was even bigger when the test results showed that the blood that was found in the barn was Colin Mathews blood. And there I had my crime scene with lots of traces, as you can imagine. Most of them were from Mathews himself, but we also found hair. Hair that matched the skin particles underneath Colin's fingernails."
Tears filled Alisha's eyes at the thought that this was what happened to Colin. That he had died in a shabby old barn, far away from the people who loved him. But she had to keep her composure.
Newton leaned back on his chair and sighed. "Now, I have to admit I did something a little unorthodox. When I called you in last December, I already had a feeling about you, Miss Lichtenstein. And my feeling is what makes me so good at my job, so I usually trust it. After you left I noticed the stain of your lipstick on the glass you were drinking from. And I took a sample of it and gave it to the laboratory."
Alisha held in her breath and waited for what was next. She knew that whatever he was saying had no legal justification, but he felt pretty comfortable telling her anyways.
"I don't know what went wrong there, maybe your results got lost or the lab assistant simply forgot. But I didn't. I remembered right away when we found that long black hair in the barn. And I compared your DNA with the one we found on Colin. Need I say more?"
Alisha's heart sunk to the floor and she wanted to immediately leave the room. She had stopped paying attention to Newton a few sentences ago, but the key message still reached her.
"It's not nice to jump to conclusions. I'm not that kind of guy. So I gave you the chance to deliver me a good excuse, Miss Lichtenstein." He leaned forward and suddenly he was so close Alisha could feel his breath on her skin. "Unfortunately, you said you never hooked up with Colin Mathews, which could be the reason why your hair was on his clothes and so it got transferred to that barn. You also stated that he didn't harass you, and you never got harmed by him physically, which could have explained why particles of your skin are under his fingernails."
You didn't do it, Alisha kept saying to herself over and over again. It was the only way she managed to stay sane and remotely calm. For the start, Newton had nothing in hand against her because his evidence was invalid. If he wanted a DNA sample from her, he'd have to ask her first. "Is that everything you have?" she asked eventually, after Newton hadn't said anything else for a while. Even Alisha was surprised by how composed her voice sounded.
Newton grinned triumphantly. "Do I need more?"
"Uhm, yes. A court order to test my DNA, for example." Alisha gathered all the strength she had to stand up from her seat without falling off of her shaking knees. "Also you're forgetting I have an alibi. I guess that basically leaves you with next to nothing but another one of your crazy hypothesises."
Newton reached for the recorder and pressed stopp. He walked around the table so he was standing right in front of Alisha now. "I'm going to get everything that is necessary to prove that you were at least a part of Colin Mathews murder. If you're still hoping for mercy, you better talk now."
"I'm not hoping for mercy." Alisha barked and pushed her way past him. "I believe in justice."