Death Before Dishonor

Brandon

[Five minutes later. In Interrogation Room 2. Brandon is sitting at the table
Looking bored, when Det. Borden walks in.]
Det. Borden: [close door] You want that food and drink now?
Brandon: Uh—no.
Det. Borden: [walks over to the table and sits in the chair across from Brandon] Just trying to be
Polite.
Brandon: Or you just want my fingerprints and DNA. I know how it works.
Det. Borden: We already have your fingerprints.
Brandon: Then you want my DNA.
Det. Borden: No, what I want is a reason.
Brandon: A reason for what?
Det. Borden: A reason for why a man is dead and the reason you were seen at the scene of the
crime.
Brandon: If you arrested us for murder, then the reason the man is dead is because somebody
killed him. And I ain't got a reason for somebody seeing me at the scene; 'cause—
where Dude stay at?
Det. Borden: Greenland Acres, don't you remember?

Brandon: I never been there, so I wouldn't remember. So, I guess the person just got me mixed
up with somebody else.
Det. Borden: Someone with the exact same tattoo as you? I don't think so.
Brandon: Maybe they just thought it was my tat.
Det. Borden: There is no maybe. It was you they seen.
Brandon: No, it wasn't.
Det. Borden: Why don't you just tell the truth? You and your friends killed a man.
Brandon: Since you want to get to the point; I'll tell you. I didn't kill anybody, and my friends
didn't either.
Det. Borden: That's not what Renee told us.
Brandon: Yes, she did. 'Cause it's the truth.
Det. Borden: She told us what happened in her words. She said it was all your idea. She said she
was just there—
Brandon: [yawns]
Det. Borden: Am I boring you?
Brandon: Stories tend to do that to me. Plus I can tell you right now, Renee ain't say nothing,
'cause she don't know nothing.
Det. Borden: You have that much faith that she didn't say anything?
Brandon: Yeah, and I know she ain't say nothing—
Det. Borden: Because she doesn't know anything, right?
Brandon: You're finally catching on.
Det. Borden: Too bad you're not. Renee put it all on you. Just accept it.
Brandon: You need to accept that we don't know anything about a murder.
Det. Borden: Because you know everything about the murder of David Lee Rhoden.
Brandon: I never even heard dude name before today.
Det. Borden: So, you just randomly picked a man for you and your friends to murder?
Brandon: We didn't kill anybody.
Det. Borden: That's not what Renee says.
Brandon: Naw, that's what you say.
Det. Borden: Can you tell me where you were on the night of the murder?
Brandon: As soon as you tell me the night of the murder, I will.
Det. Borden: You don't remember when you killed a man?
Brandon: Not possible to remember something that never happened.
Det. Borden: March 15th.
Brandon: [sighs] What day was that?
Det. Borden: Tuesday.
Brandon: Let me use my police talk. At what time was the victim's body discovered? And what's
the time of death?
Det. Borden: You think you're funny don't you?
Brandon: Naw, I don't do that funny shit. You go answer my questions?
Det. Borden: The victim, David Lee Rhoden, was discovered dead by his wife and two young
children on the night of March 15th, at 9:06 p.m. Estimated time of death is
8 'o clock and 8:15 p.m.
Brandon: And you said the 15th was a Tuesday? I was watching T.V.
Det. Borden: Where?
Brandon: In the living room.
Det. Borden: Can anyone vouch for you?
Brandon: [opens his mouth to speak, but Det. Borden interrupts him]
Det. Borden: Anyone other than Renee, Ramon, Jamal, Liya, and Dantrella?
Brandon: Nope. 'Cause that's who I'm with all the time. So, what they say doesn't
count?
Det. Borden: No, it doesn't. So, you're with them all the time?
Brandon: Pretty much.
Det. Borden: So, all six of you were together and killed Mr. Rhoden together on March 15th?
Brandon: No. We didn't kill nobody. We was all together watching T.V. though.
Det. Borden: Sure.
Brandon: I know "sure".
Det. Borden: You have no sympathy for the man's family? The family that found his body?
Brandon: I feel sorry for whoever find a dead body.
Det. Borden: I asked if you felt sorry for his family.
Brandon: I told you how I felt.
Det. Borden: But do you feel sorry for his family?
Brandon: [sighs] If they found the body then I feel sorry for them.
Det. Borden: For some reason I don't believe you.
Brandon: I don't care what you believe.
Det. Borden: You should. I'm the only one standing between you and a death sentence.
Brandon: Whatever. I ain't worried 'bout no death sentence.
Det. Borden: Tell me why you killed him.
Brandon: I ain't kill nobody? But you tell me why you think I killed somebody? What's my
motive?
Det. Borden: Maybe he did something to upset your little gang or—
Brandon: I ain't in no gang.
Det. Borden: Then what is "DBD"?
Brandon: "DBD" is a saying.
Det. Borden: A saying that you got on your skin; that'll last forever.
Brandon: Our friendship is forever.
Det. Borden: And the man y'all killed is gone forever.
Brandon: We ain't kill nobody, and you still ain't gave me a motive yet.
Det. Borden: Y'all just killed a man for fun. No motive, no logical reason, it was just for fun.
Brandon: How you became a detective? You suck at this. Y'all done brought in six innocent kids
because y'all think we killed somebody.
Det. Borden: We know y'all killed him. We're just here trying to find a reason why.
Brandon: You asking the wrong people if you trying to find a reason. 'Cause we ain't kill
nobody.
Det. Borden: You didn't just kill him. You beat him first and then shot him to death.
Brandon: I ain't do none of that.
Det. Borden: Then who did?
Brandon: You the detective. You tell me.
Det. Borden: I'm trying to help you out. If it wasn't your idea and the others made you go along
with it, just tell me now.
Brandon: I ain't go along with nothing. 'Cause we ain't kill nobody.
Det. Borden: Okay, tell me what you did that day.
Brandon: I got up, walked to get Ramon and them, we walked to school, attended school,
walked home, and later on I walked to get Liya and Dantrella, so we could watch T.V.
at Ramon house.
Det. Borden: You had to go to someone else's house to watch T.V. ?
Brandon: Yeah.
Det. Borden: You don't have a T.V. at your house?
Brandon: Yeah, I got a T.V. We just go over there. It's a little thing we do. Watch T.V. at their
house, then the three of us go home.
Det. Borden: And how long did the six of you "watch T.V."?
Brandon: Until everything we watched went off.
Det. Borden: And what time was that?
Brandon: Around 10 or 10:15.
Det. Borden: Hmm.
Brandon: [mockingly] Hmm.
Det. Borden: Can you tell me who Anna Rae Kanel is?
Brandon: [sighs] That's Jamal's mama.
Det. Borden: Do you know where she is?
Brandon: She ain't in my pocket.
Det. Borden: I'll take that as a no.
Brandon: Take it how you want to.
Det. Borden: Why does Jamal stay with his aunt instead of his father's family?
Brandon: [shrugs shoulders]
Det. Borden: You don't know?
Brandon: [shrugs shoulders]
Det. Borden: I think you know why. What is it? How hard is it for you to give me a decent
answer?
Brandon: A decent answer about what?
Det. Borden: About why Jamal stays with his aunt.
Brandon: You the police not social services. And that really ain't got nothing to do with your
little "investigation".
Det. Borden: Okay. How about this one? How long have the six of you been friends?
Brandon: Since we were little.
Det. Borden: Renee said kindergarten.
Brandon: That sounds about right.
Det. Borden: And when did the saying "Death Before Dishonor" come into play?
Brandon: I don't know.
Det. Borden: Sure. Why are you making this so difficult for yourself?
Brandon: I ain't making anything difficult. This whole "questioning" thing is going nowhere,
because we ain't the ones you looking for.
Det. Borden: No, you're just the ones who were seen at the scene of the crime.
Brandon: That wasn't us either.
Det. Borden: Why are you changing the subject?
Brandon: I'm not.
Det. Borden: Yes, you are. Every time I ask you about "DBD" you lock down and change the
subject.
Brandon: I don't even know what the subject is.
Det. Borden: The subject is the man you and your friends killed.
Brandon: Then why you asking me about Jamal? Seem to me, you changing the subject.
Det. Borden: Then let's get back on track. Why did you kill David Lee Rhoden?
Brandon: I didn't.
Det. Borden: [stands up] Then why were you seen the scene of the crime?

Brandon: I don't even know how to get to Greenland Acres. So, I wouldn't know how to leave
there either.
Det. Borden: That's not what Renee said.
Brandon: Again with this. Renee didn't say anything about the murder 'cause she don't know
nothing. So, your little plan or whatever ain't go work.
Det. Borden: Hmm, okay.
Brandon: Don't be mad at me because you can't do your job right. Bringing six innocent kids in
here for no reason.
Det. Borden: [yelling] Don't insult me. You're nothing but a little lying murdering son of a bitch!!
Brandon: No, I'm not. You just a cop who can't do his job right. You're in here questioning me;
why don't you go out there and find whoever murdered that man?
Det. Borden: I've already found the people who murdered him. I'm talking to one of 'em right
now.
Brandon: See, at the start of this interrogation, you said I killed him. Now all six of us did? You
can't even get your story straight.
Det. Borden: See that's the thing. The police don't tell stories, we just deal with the facts.
Brandon: Whatever.
Det. Borden: You and your friends are going to jail for a very long time, okay? So, even if you
don't confess the case is closed.
Brandon: Then what was the point of bringing us here?
Det. Borden: We wanted to hear your side of the story.
Brandon: Why, if the case is already "closed"?
Det. Borden: We need to give the family some closure. If you had any kind of decency left, you
would help me give them that.
Brandon: Can't do it.
Det. Borden: [walks to the door and opens it] Just doing my job.
Brandon: [sucks his teeth] It'll be the first time.
Det. Borden: [walks out and closes the door]