This story is by Evan-X van V and was part of our 2018 Fall Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
“Hey Timmons, you think this is our guy?”
Timmons was staring through the one-way mirror into the interrogation room. He was tensely standing up against the mirror looking in with an expression on his gave screaming with anger.
He put his fist up against the mirror then acknowledged his partner, “This is the guy. I just know it. Look at him with those piercing eyes, stiff posture, and that repulsive smirk,” he turns to face his partner, “I’ve been here for nearly twenty years and just when you believe you’ve seen it all it there’s always that one who comes out of nowhere to just disgust you. Leaving your stomach sunken as this person’s lack of empathy for others just isn’t tolerable. As if we were all just pieces of a game to them. Life means nothing to them and this is the evil that I swore to defend my family from.”
Silence filled the room as the serious tone coming from Timmons was rare to see to his partner.
“Well, we got the okay to talk to him and get some answers, if you wanna give it a shot.”
Timmons looked back at the man sitting in the interrogation room as the man looked peaceful being isolated like this.
This man will tell us everything we want to know and I’m sure he’s one of those who would enjoy telling it too.”
He went through the door as his partner stayed behind to monitor. Upon entry into the room, the man didn’t waste a moment to speak.
“Ahh, company arrives.”
The man kept his eyes on the empty chair on the other side of the table.
“Through the years I’ve heard; enjoy the little things in life. Back then I took it as a buffer through life, so you wouldn’t have to dwell on life’s depressing meaning as much. I was never one to listen and then apply, no. So I ignored the advice and spent time isolating myself from the world as it gave me time to think, analyze, and eventually accept what life truly was. Which leads me to this question –“
Abruptly, Timmons slams his hand down in the table to the right of the man’s hand and in an enraged tone, “You will not be the one asking questions here!”
Unfazed by his sudden action he spoke calmly, “No need for hostility Detective. We are what I presume are two civilized adults capable of having a conversation.” He turns towards Timmons to see that he is taking in deep breaths to collect himself, “Now that you are calming down, take a seat and we can talk.”
Timmons takes a seat without breaking eye contact with the man, staring at him with his blank expression, masking all emotion.
“Now we can talk in a proper manner Detective,” he glanced down at his name tag and looks back up at him with a smile, “Detective Jeremy Timmons.”
In a stern voice, “I want to make this quick, so let’s get to the point of all this and be done.”
“There is no reason to rush? I certainly have nowhere else to be and I’m sure if the whispers are true your family –“
“Don’t speak of my family! You know nothing about them. Shut up and tell me what you know about Joshua Allen.”
“So this is about the boy?” the man leans back on his chair, getting himself comfortable as he looked up at the ceiling reliving something in his head, “Yes, I believe he was a young boy, maybe seven or eight. I remember seeing posters around town spreading the awareness of his disappearance. Tell me, why am I being asked about this?”
“I have reason to believe you have information regarding the whereabouts of Joshua Allen.”
The man gave Timmons a look of confusion, “How would I know anything about this child?”
“Well considering we have reports of his last appearance being outside your house and when my fellow officers searched around your house we found clothes that would belong to a young child,” Timmons leaned forward and in a soft yet imitating tone, “and before you try to lie to me, I’ve done an in-depth background check on you. I know you have no relatives young enough to claim the clothes we found.”
He sat back up straight in his seat and remained silent as he stared back at Timmons. Moments pass before he starts breaking out into a chuckle.
“What do you find funny at a time like this?”
The man calmed himself and started to clap, “Well done Detective. Truly, you’ve spent many hours collecting a big enough lead to bring me in and look where we are now. I’m put in a position where I can’t win, brilliant!”
“You see that you have no way out of this, so tell me the whereabouts of Joshua Allen.”
“Detective, Joshua isn’t in a place where I can explain in mere words. He’s currently at a lot of places.”
Timmons is getting annoyed with him beating around the bush, “Then tell me what happened to the boy on July 10th.”
The smirk reappeared on the man’s face, “On July 10th a young boy was last seen by his family, but he was over my house,” the man’s eyes widened, “In fact, he has been in my basement for the past couple of weeks Detective. He came by the house selling whatever my permission. Being the young child he was, he went in without any care of my privacy and stumbled onto something not mean for his eyes. At this time I was given no other choice than take matters into my own hands.”
“Wait, what did the kid see?”
In his voice the man could sense a hint of fear and curiosity.
“I’m pretty sure if you don’t have the slightest clue of what it could be by now, you’ll never know. Besides this isn’t that persons story, this is the story of how I killed little Joshua. That’s what you came here to hear, right?”
Timmons was shook to hear that come out of his mouth with such ease, as if it meant nothing to confess that.
“Are you telling me you killed Joshua Allen?”
“Don’t act surprised Detective. See it through my perspective, he needed to disappear and besides, he has been missing for almost two months now. I’m sure by this time his own family accepted the idea of his demise.”
He didn’t know what to say to the man, so he let him continue talking.
“Once he stumbled in I had to get him unconscious. I grabbed the nearest object and struck him in the back of the head. He fell like a pile of bricks. He woke later strapped to a table in my basement which has been sealed off to be a soundproof from the inside. You know, so no one could hear the screams. I have some decency Detective.”
As he would go on Timmons couldn’t control his anger building up. His fists started to clench and his breathing begun to go frantic
“Detective I’ll be blunt with you, I made it quick. Not as quick as he would of wanted, but for what I had in mind, it was quick. His poor heart gave out prematurely to ruin our experience. I for one thought I would at least get the limbs off before he gave out. I can still hear the echoes of his screams sketched in my mind. I can hear the sounds of tearing into his flesh, the grinding of his bones against my saw, and the look on his face through it all. Still brings me a smile to my face.”
Timmons snapped, “That’s enough!! That young boy was so innocent and pure! Have you no soul? He was my nephew!” Timmons stood up and threw the table to the side, “He was my family and you tortured him!!”
“At least you have the closure you asked for Detective.”
“You’re a monster for killing that child!”
Tears started to form as he lost himself in his rage.
“Monster? Maybe that’s fitting for me.”
Timmons took a step closer to get in the man’s face, but his partner came storming in before he could touch him. The man stood still through it all, believing no danger can come to him.
“Detective, you should be grateful you get see the face of the “Monster” who hurt you. Not many get that.”
His partner was dragging him towards the door as Timmons was restraining.
The partner was talking right into his ear, “Leave him be. He got what he wanted and we have all we need to make sure he gets the death penalty.”
Timmons gave him one last look through the one-way mirror and the man stared right back at him with an unsettling smile mouthing the word “monster.”
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