'Black and White' - The White Bridge Crime Series 2 - LGBT, manXman

28

Twenty minutes later, Dom and Rex were on their way to the hospital.

"Now you stay... objective." Dom told Rex firmly. "Don't walk in there and punch his lights out."

"Aww, spoilsport," Rex said in a whiney voice. "Just a little punch? Perhaps break his nose? And his back?"

"No," Dom said firmly. "Maybe you'd better wait outside."

Rex nodded reluctantly.

Dom parked in the hospital car park and locked the car, before they made their way inside.

"Where is he?" Rex asked, looking at the wall chart beside the receptionist's desk.

"Tyler Dougherty's room, please," Dom said to the receptionist, showing her his badge.

"Floor seven, in the Marcus Greenburg Wing. Room twenty nine."

"Thank you."

They went up to the seventh floor, and Dom firmly insisted Rex stayed outside the hospital room.

Tyler Dougherty was asleep in the bed when Dom went in. His wrists were handcuffed to the sides of the bed. His leg was heavily bandaged above the knee, and surrounded by a thick plaster cast below.

A nurse quickly told Dom what had happened in the surgery, before leaving him alone.

Dom shook Tyler awake, and settled himself in the armchair with his notepad.

"Good. You're awake," Dom said dryly when Tyler woke fully.

"Who're you?"

"Detective Dom Marafioti. I'm here to ask you some questions, and place you under arrest based upon evidence obtained throughout the course of my investigation, for the murders of Alan Patterson, James Hancock, Henry McCoy, Bill Garrison, Harry McTavish and Max Smith, and the rape and attempted murder of Eli Shan."

"Why are you asking me questions if you already know I did it?"

"Perhaps you'd like to explain why you did it. Your sister gave her explanation, but I wondered if there was something more."

"I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that damned cat."

"We got your DNA from her."

"I know. Otherwise, you'd never have caught me."

"Yeah, we would. DNA makes us completely certain, but even without it we would have found you because of other people's help."

Tyler sighed.

"So Francis told you about my mother."

"Yes."

"That's why I did it... Because of him. He... butchered her."

"So you took your anger out on innocent men," Dom said mildly.

"I don't expect you to understand."

"Good. I don't." Dom closed his notepad and got to his feet.

"Do you think I'll get a lesser sentence if I plead guilty?"

"Talk to your lawyer," Dom said bluntly. "I'm not one."

He Mirandized Tyler and left the room.

Rex stood up as he came out, and slid his thick file of paperwork back into his bag.

"Alright?" He asked, noticing Dom's frown.

"Yeah, just..."

They started walking down the corridor together.

"He doesn't seem like a serial killer."

"What're they supposed to seem like? Hannibal Lecter?"

Dom smiled.

"It's just... Jamie King looked like a criminal. You could imagine him killing people and enjoying it. But him in there... he doesn't look like a killer. I felt like I should be booking him for drunk driving, not murder."