VAGUE

CHAPTER 7 (PART 2)

CHAPTER 7

-PART TWO-

-INTERROGATION 2: KELLEY REED-

"I am not going to fool around, do you have anything to do with Copper Richardson's death?" as the brave Pendelton interrogate the second man.

Dimly lit laboratory nothing but the machines meet his first gaze. There is no movement and no odor of any kind. There are lights, but like the stars in a night sky they do little to lift the blackness, showing only the activity of the hardware sort of plasma screens of gigantic proportions with text that's too far away to make sense of. Though the feeling is more of being in a high tech cave the size of a stadium, black metallic roof above, black marbled floor below. Every footfall echoes around, not loudly, but enough to give away position to anyone who happens to be concealed in here. What had thought to be a movie theatre sized screen is nothing of the sort. In that suspended moment, a fraction of a second drawn out to infinity, his brain offers an explanation and yet rejects it simultaneously. This is the stuff of science fiction, sort of movies either horror. Sucking in sharp breath of the dust-less air, suddenly seeming so thick and step forwards for a better look of the place. As quiet and cold as a morgue. Even the great machines lay silent.

The door flew open and harsh light flooded the Laboratory room. Kelley squinted, attempting to defend himself from the accursed light and struggling to make out who, or what, had assaulted his senses. Five amorphous masses lingered in the brightly-lit threshold for a second, then entered the room and locked the door behind them. Fear and uncertainty gripped Kelley Reed. As the shapes drew closer, he realized that he was not going to enjoy what was coming. He attempted to stand up, to meet the black shapes head-on, but the closer of the five forms shoved him violently back into his chair.

Now Kelley got a good look at the first intruder. The dark blob materialized into a tall, bulky man, his thick-rim glasses clinging to his head like moss to a Cliffside. His angry grey eyes bored holes into the timid office worker's skull. Stomping around the desk towards him. The man stared at him over the table, leaning on his elbows with his hands linked. Kelley stared him down. He wouldn't back down to him. He hated the whole lot of them.

They brought nothing but trouble.

She had an innocent role to play so she couldn't flee the scene of the crime but he wished that they had bought his little act. But this guy was too smart and saw past it in an instant. Stomping around the desk towards him, he spoke, his voice imbued with the bass of an rock slide and the pride of a lion.

"Mr. Reed, what were you doing when the murder took place? Apart from wailing over the dead body, of course." Pendelton utter as he was calculating Kelley's reactions

Kelley made sure to look the man straight in the eyes and not break eye contact. Any shying away would taint his name and he couldn't have that. Not after everything he'd been through. Most people would have been traumatized by what had happened to him just a few hours ago but Kelley was different. It almost excited him. The blood flowing from the head. The man's passed out body. It had taken place in a dingy alleyway so there were no witnesses as far as he knew. He had checked several times if anyone was looking out of the windows. Maybe someone saw at the last minute but he hoped against hope that hadn't happened.

"What is the problem?" Lock ask as he observes the movement of the man he beaten.

He realized he had been staring at Pendelton for some time. Long enough that he was making him uncomfortable.

Almost scared.

He knew it was suspicious but he enjoyed it all the same. He had to suppress a smile.