Genius

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Guilty until proven innocent

    "Why were you there?" Officer Glaus slams her hands on the metal investigation room table, her slicked back ponytail swinging angrily.

    "I want my lawyer."

    "What is the name of the person you found?"

    "I want my lawyer."

    "Why were these women targeted?" She spreads out pictures of victims, including some of Alice's kills and a few complete strangers, she's probably trying to trick me. The victim's identities haven't been released. I level my gaze at her,

    "Where is my lawyer?" She slams her hand on the table again, blue eyes flashing, before leaning down and whispering in my ear,

"I'm going to prove you're guilty if it's the last thing I do."

"I'm going to need a lawyer for you to do that." I reply, picking at my nails. They provided me with clothing (mine were confiscated as evidence) but I can still smell the blood matted into my hair and the see the dried flecks on my arm and it makes me sick. When the lawyer finally walks in he slams his briefcase down on the table (this poor table gets abused so much, I might have to call furniture protection services) and clicks it open before handing a document to the officer.

"I am attorney John Carlton of the Criminal Defense Firm downtown, I need to have a few words with my defendant." Glaus snarls at me before exiting the room and shutting the door with a bang.

"Okay Miss Mary Thompson, in light of your circumstances I have acquired a deal. All you have to do is plead guilty and confess officially and, in light of your confession, you shall be institutionalized and provided with the best care possible until you have been rehabilitated and can return to society." I give him an unimpressed look, he's supposed to defend me, not push me into a corner with a plea.

"Look Miss Thompson, the evidence is against you, your family history and lack of alibis on multiple occasions paired with your presence at a crime scene, of which the location has never been publicly released, has bumped you up from a person of interest to a prime suspect. You may be a minor now, but in a month, when the trial starts, you won't be. You could be put to death, these are very serious accusations."

"Well, that would be worrying if I was guilty. I notice how, along with plenty of important details, the police have also neglected the fact that Alice and Tom Helnick, the original serial killers, are currently missing and have plenty of motive to frame me. They were imprisoned because of me, after all. So I personally believe you should get off of your lazy lawyer ass and go find the evidence that I'm innocent. That's what you're paid for, don't expect other people to do your job for you."

"Miss Thompson. If you don't accept this plea by your birthday then you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

"Mr. Carlton, if you don't start doing your job and defending me by our next meeting then you will be replaced with a new lawyer and I shall send a scathing review to your firm, I happen to know your bosses. Susan and Hal Thompson, you have heard of them, correct?" He pales briefly before regaining his composure,

"Yes, Miss Thompson."

"Good. Send that officer back in, she probably wants to yell at me some more." I nod to the reflective glass, knowing she's on the other side of the one way window. Mr. Carlton leaves and is replaced by the currently fuming Officer Glaus.

"Your guardians posted bail, you can leave." That explains her attitude.

"There there, Officer Glaus, I'm sure you can wrongfully convict me again some other time. Maybe you'll even be allowed to book me next time too." The moment I exit the interrogation room, all of the faux confidence the voice provided fades and I am left, sick, covered in blood, and weak. I run to the bathroom, barely making it in time to dry hurl into a toilet. I haven't been eating.