The Cop and the Criminal's Silent Kisses

The Cop and the Criminal’s Silent Kisses

I thought about what my dad had said at dinner that other night – “people in jail are going mental.”  I wasn’t even in jail yet and I was already going mad just thinking about it.  I could just picture my parent’s faces when they opened the door to find a police officer standing on the doorstep.  “You’re daughter has stolen from a shop, punched a police officer and has attempted to run away from both crimes.  We have taken her to the police station to answer a few questions which will determine her stay in prison.”   He would tell them.  I tried to think of what my parents would say to that, but I just couldn’t picture how worried, disappointed, confused, and upset they would be.  Again, I cried even harder. 

The car suddenly took a sudden turn onto another street, and I sat up and looked through the driver’s window.  We were at the police station.  The car stopped and the police officer sitting next to me opened the door and climbed out, holding my wrist to make sure I followed.  We walked into the police station, and I was taken into a small room with a table, and a chair on either side.  It was just like I had seen on TV, the question room.  This was where a police officer would ask you all the questions about the crime you committed, and decide if you were innocent or guilty.

“Take a seat, miss...?” he told me as I sat down.

“Cartwright.”  I said wiping the tears from my face which had been rolling down continuously for half an hour.  I thought it was time I stopped crying, although I knew it would be hard.

“I am going to ask you a few questions for a few minutes.  It is best if you answer all of them truthfully, and-“

“I didn’t do it.”  I said not letting him finish his sentence, looking down at my feet.  He sighed.

“Listen Miss Cartwright, I understand how this is scary for you, especially because you are only a little child at 15.” He said, trying and failing to comfort me.

“I’m not a little kid okay?  And I’m not scared, I just don’t want to listen to all the rubbish that you are telling me when I have not even committed any crimes.”  I yelled at him rudely.  He looked a bit surprised.

“Miss Cartwright, you have to understand that you were seen stealing from a shop, abusing a police officer and attempting to escape from both crimes.” He said trying to keep his voice calm, unlike mine.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t steal?!” I yelled forcefully standing up from my chair.

“Please sit down-“

“No!  I’m not going to bloody sit down!  I was framed!  By those stupid girls who were following me in the shop!  Obviously you and your stupid police team didn’t happen to see the real criminal’s did you! “ I yelled once again.

“Please Miss Cartwright, just relax and we can talk about exactly what happened.” He said calmly.

I calmed myself down and explained to him what had happened that night.  How those girls must have put an item from the shop into my bag as I walked out, and how I only ran and punched the officer because I was scared and I wasn’t thinking straight.  Before I knew it, I was crying again.  He said he will tell some officers to try and track the girls down, and bring them to this same room, to get their side of the story.  But as far as he knew, running away from crime and hitting a police officer was a crime of its own.  So I definitely wasn’t sleeping in my house tonight. 

Later that same night, after taking my details, asking me more questions and getting more information out of me, I was led to my prison cell.

“Miss Cartwright, we have contacted your parents and we are doing our best to get those girls who you say framed you.  But it is quite hard as we do not have their names or any evidence.”  That same police officer told me as he led me into the prison cell.  “After we put all of the information together, we will tell you how long you’re stay here will be.  But you should not be expecting to get out of here within a month.”  A tear rolled down my cheek.  There was no escaping now, was there?