My Counterattack System After Reborn

Chapter 35: The Interrogation

There was a police station not far from Todd's school. The first policeman sat in the driver's seat, his partner sat beside him. Todd sat behind them, behind an inch thick plexiglass barrier, and by the time they arrived, his heart was racing. He looked at the station’s logo. It had been hung on the gate of the police station, and it sent a shiver down his spine. He had caused a lot of trouble in his previous life, but he had never been arrested. Thus, it had never occurred to him that he might be arrested in this life.

There was an irony to this business that did not escape him. In his previous life, his father had wound up in jail. Now it was his turn, and if the evil Asian monk had his way, he would not last the night…

Todd looked around as he was led into the station. The layout of the place was simple. The front door opened into a hall. There was a row of wooden pews on the left side for people to rest while they waited. On the right side, there was an inch thick plexiglass window that led to the Alarm Centre. A dozen holes had been drilled into the glass to facilitate communication, and there was a small opening at the bottom to share paperwork back and forth. Next to the window, there was a steel door with a code lock attached to it. This door led to the offices on the second floor. Beside that door, there was a second iron door. This one contained the Case Office and the Temporary Detention Centre.  

The last door led to the interrogation room. This was the door that Todd was led through, and as the first officer typed in the code, one of the other officers said, "Hey, I have put all of the videos in the computer folder. If you want to file a case, you can sign it."

"Don't worry.” The first officer smiled and said, “I am very familiar with the process."

The other officer nodded wordlessly and continued about his business.

The inside of the Interrogation Room was exactly as one would expect it to look if they had ever seen any courtroom dramas on television. It was empty except for a table and three chairs; two chairs on one side, and one on the other, and there was a giant mirror on the wall adjacent to the door.

Once they were all seated inside, Todd was shown a short video. In it, he could be seen driving. The video had been taken that morning, and it had captured all of the damage that he had done to public and private property. The evidence was very incriminating.

"As you can see,” the second officer began. “We can clearly see your license plate number in the video. You drove your car on the sidewalk, knocked over a fire hydrant, and crashed into a public facility. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Todd’s face turned white. “Where is the rest of the footage?” He had feared that he was being set up, but now that he knew it, it terrified him. “I was being chased by four cars and a bulldozer!” he exclaimed.

“Were you being chased or were you all out joyriding together?” the first officer asked. “You punk kids make me sick. You think that you can do whatever you want and get away with it. Well… You can’t! But maybe if you plead guilty and give up the names of your friends, you could get a lighter sentence… What do you say?”

“Uhhhh…” Todd was utterly speechless, but only for a moment. A second passed and then he smiled and send, “Caleb Stone was driving one of the other cars.” 

The officers looked at each other and smiled. A moment later Caleb walked in. He had been watching them through a two-way mirror, and he had heard everything. He smirked at Todd and said, “You won’t set me up that easily. I have an alibi. But look at what you have just done: You have confessed to the crime. What a fool you have turned out to be!”

Caleb thanked the officers for their hard work, and then he asked his cousin, “Can I take you to dinner?”

“I just need to finish up here first,” his cousin replied. “But yeah. Sure. That would be great.”

Todd knew that Caleb was to blame for what was happening, but he saw no way to get out of the trap that had been set for him. That being said, he was not going to give Caleb the satisfaction of seeing how desperate he felt. He maintained a casual demeanor, and when his rights were read to him for a second time, he nodded and smiled as the officers cuffed him.

Todd's irritational response was making Caleb angry. He had hoped to see him break down and beg for mercy, but he had not, and he did not understand why. Because of this, he was robbed of the joy he felt he deserved. He glared at Todd and said, "Tut, tut. You are so pitiful. Once you are in prison, your home and all of your other property will be confiscated. Then, when you get out – many years from now – you won’t have a pot to piss in. How do you like them apples.”

Todd smirked and said, “I like them just fine.” As Caleb was speaking, he had realized that Caleb was making a much bigger deal out of this than he ought to. Todd would not go to prison for years. At most, he would serve fifteen days. He would get out on bail. Then he would have to pay a fee, and maybe do some community service. His biggest worry was that, if he was away for fifteen days, his Yellow Rosewood transaction would fall through. If that happened, he would not be able to pay the fine and his home really would be auctioned off. If that happened, he could see Caleb purchasing it, and the thought of him living in his home made him want to puke.