The Genesis Chamber

by Beighton Devlin

  The interviewers closed the door and silently walked around the table to sit opposite him. Maria placed a file on the desk, sat back, and crossed her legs in an apparent relaxed state while she studied her subject for a few moments.

  Andy leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk, and began to twirl his thumbs around each other behind his interlaced fingers. The silence in the room fuelled the growing tension, which made the suspect fidget more as his eyes flicked from one interrogator to the other. Even though the air conditioning was turned to full, beads of sweat began to appear across his brow.

  The situation stayed the same for what seemed like an eternity until the psychological pressure the detectives applied forced the antagonist to break the silence.

  “Let me save you a lot of time here. I have nothing at all to say,” he said nonchalantly, and returned his gaze to the floor.

  “We can sit here all night.” Maria sighed and leaned forward. “But let me tell you this, the longer you keep quiet, the worse it’s going to be for you.”

  She noted the threat seemed to have no effect on the unperturbed suspect, who continued his mute-like state. She flipped open the file and was about to continue when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  The door opened enough for Palmer to pop his head around and wave a piece of paper in their direction. “Sorry to interrupt. Detective Hernandez, can I have a word outside please?”

  The female detective was vexed by the sudden interruption, but nonetheless relished the thought of having some evidence that might bring this investigation to a conclusion. She closed the file and stood up without taking her gaze off the suspect.

  “I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Detective Cooper,” she said, as she moved towards the door. “Feel free to make a statement when it suits you.”

  Palmer held the door ajar for Maria to pass, then closed it and led her into the observation room so they could watch the perpetrator and Andy through the two-way mirror. She folded her arms and stared at the suspect through the glass.

  “Okay, what have you got for me?” she asked, as Palmer closed the door and stood next to her.

  “Nothing. We’ve run his prints through our local database, but there’s no match,” he replied.

  She unfolded her arms and snatched the paper out of his hand to take a quick look at it. “Have you run them through the national database?” The anger in her voice was apparent.

  “Yes. Again, nothing. We’re reaching out to Interpol, but that’s going to take some time,” he informed her. “Is he talking?”

  “No. He reckons he has nothing to say.” Maria was trying to stay calm. “What about the phone?”

  “There’s no calls in the log but, there is one message. It’s on a social media app and was sent from someone called Genesis. It appears to be in some kind of code. I’m running that through code-breaking software now.” Palmer shook his head as he took the paper back from her. “If he doesn’t start talking, this is going to drag on.”

  “Okay, I’m going back in. Let me know if anything turns up.” She took one last look into the interview room before leaving Palmer to get back to his side of the investigation.

  When she returned to the room, she noticed Andy had stopped twirling his thumbs. He sat motionless and stared menacingly at the suspect who, in Maria’s opinion, looked terrified. His whole demeanor had changed. He no longer stared at the floor. The color had drained from his face, and his wild eyes glared back at his interrogator. Sweat ran down his face and neck and stained the collar of his shirt. More sweat stains on his back and armpits led her to believe her partner had threatened him with something. Rather than question what had happened, she decided it was the right time to get the interrogation under way properly. Armed with a new piece of information, she sat on the corner of the table next to the suspect.

  “Who, or what, is Genesis?” she quizzed.

  The perpetrator snapped his gaze away from Andy and fixed it on Maria. His mouth gaped at the mention of Genesis.

  “Oh, touched a nerve, have we?” She stood and moved around the table to sit opposite from him again. “Are you ready to start talking now?”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong,” he protested.

  “You were in the process of kidnapping a minor.” She pointed her index finger at him. “You were caught with a cosh in your hand about to crack his head open.”

  He shook his head. “No, he attacked me. He came at me from behind and I managed to get the weapon off him.”

  “Our witness tells a different story.” She picked the file up and opened it.

  Maria gave the impression she was reading a document. The suspect stared at her with his mouth open.

  “Our witness says you made contact with the boy on the bus with your phone. Then you arranged to lure him away from public view before you attacked him when he tried to get away from you—”

  He closed his mouth and gulped. “I would like my lawyer now.”

  “Of course you would, you piece of shit.” She closed the file and threw it on the desk. “We’ve checked your phone. You deleted the messages to cover your tracks, didn’t you?”

  “I want my lawyer now.” He stared at the floor, dismissing the detectives.

  “Well.” She swung her arm up to look at her watch. “They’re busy, so if that’s the way you want it, you’ll have to go into holding for the night. I would advise you to get some sleep. Maybe when you wake up you’ll feel a little more cooperative.”

  She picked up the file and signaled to Andy. They left the room without further communication and went straight to the booking area.

  ***

  “That fucker wants to lawyer up, Sergeant. Can you put him in a cell overnight?” Maria asked Percival as she approached the desk, with Andy a few paces behind.

  He hadn’t noticed the detectives entering the booking area as he was sat hunched over a pile of paperwork, which had landed on his usually orderly booking station. ‘A tidy desk is a sign of a tidy mind’ was his regular citing when asked by numerous colleagues why he spent most of his day shifting things around to exactly the right position, sometimes by mere millimeters, before sitting back with a satisfied look that everything was in its place.

  “Best put him in isolation for his own safety,” added Andy.

  “Still not talking?” he asked, as he picked up the forms he had been studying and tapped on the desk between his hands to straighten them up before depositing them into a folder. “Let me see what suites we have available.”

  He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger and peered at the computer screen, then started tapping away on the keyboard.

  “We’ll leave it with you, Sarge.” Andy nodded to his partner to follow him. “Call Maria on her cell if and when he decides to start talking.”

  “I take it there’s no rush for the lawyer,” the sergeant asked sarcastically.

  “None whatsoever!” Maria called over her shoulder, and continued to follow Andy out of the station.

  Before they reached the parking lot, Maria suddenly stopped. She had suddenly realized she didn’t have her vehicle with her.

  “Andy, I need a favor,” she said in a pleading voice.

  “After what you’ve done today, just name it, partner.” He gave her a wink.

  “Thanks. Can you drop me at Coop’s? I need to thank him personally for ratting me out, and he’s got my car,” she said, only half-joking.

  “Sure, come on.” He waved at her to follow him. “But, take it easy on the old man. He probably saved your ass in there tonight. Going solo on an unauthorized investigation can lose you your badge. If he hadn’t called a favor in from Regan you wouldn’t be coming to work tomorrow.”

  “I know.” She smiled and quickened her pace to catch up with her partner. “But I’m still going to kick his ass for being a snitch.”

  “Yeah, right.” He laughed as he opened the car door and looked across the roof at her. “Don’t let the
old timer fool you. He could probably take me and you on without breaking into a sweat.”

  “Now that you mention it, he is kind of ruggedly fit for his age.” She winked and got into the car before Andy could make any comment. He just smiled and got in.

  The Genesis Chamber

  Chapter 19

  It was busier than normal in the diner. Numerous cops filled the place, getting their caffeine fix. Some chatted about the game on TV the night before, some recited mildly humorous stories of their careers, which always ended with their colleagues forcing out a laugh in mock appreciation. The detectives had been forced to occupy a booth, as their regular seats were taken. Maria had managed to get halfway through a stack of pancakes while Andy devoured his usual omelet when Coop approached them.

  “Sorry I missed you last night, Maria,” Coop apologized. “It had been a long day so I just left your keys with Beth.”

  “That’s okay, Judas,” she fired back. “I figured you just wanted to get out of my way. Lucky for you I have been calmed by these pancakes.” She waved her fork in his direction. “So, I have decided to forgive you.”

  “I was just making sure you got the backup you deserved,” he replied sheepishly. “By the way, I’ve shredded those files.”

  “Files?” Andy looked up from his breakfast with a mouthful of half-chewed food.

  “Just a bit of research, son.” He gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  Andy sat back and shifted a suspicious look between the two of them, then swallowed his food and continued.

  “You really are a pair of mavericks, aren’t you?” he said as he sat forward, taking his turn to wave a fork at his father. “If Mum finds out that you have been working a case she will be at the divorce court faster than you can say no prenuptial.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He laughed and leaned on the table to deliver a menacing look. “Lucky for me she won’t find out. Will she?”

  Andy averted the glare and returned to his food. “Not this time. But make sure there isn’t a next time, please, Dad. I don’t like lying to Mum.” He lifted his head and made direct eye contact with his father. “Especially when I agree with her.”

  “I can’t promise, son,” he said, as he pushed himself up off the table. “You know what it’s like when you’ve been in the job.” Then, not taking his eyes off him, he held his hands up in his familiar mock surrender pose. “Hey, I’m just saying.” He winked at Maria.

  “You’re unbelievable, Dad,” he said, shaking his head and returning to his breakfast.

  Maria and Coop laughed at Andy’s disbelieving attitude to their antics. The laughter was cut short when the sound of Hootie and the Blowfish singing “I Only Want To Be With You” filled the air. The female detective jumped out of her seat and struggled to retrieve her cell from the pocket of her figure-hugging trousers.

  “My bad. Keep meaning to change this ringtone,” she apologized. The flustered expression on her face altered to adopt a more serious manner as she checked to see who was calling her. “It’s the station.”

  She flipped the phone open. “Hernandez…”

  The instant look of concern on her face grabbed her breakfast companion’s attention.

  “What?” she said, exasperated. “When?”

  Coop and Andy looked at each other and shrugged before returning their attention to Maria.

  “Okay, we’re on our way.” Maria disconnected the call and stuffed her cell back into her pocket. “We have to go. Now!”

  “What’s happened?” her partner asked with a worried look.

  “Our suspect is dead.” She threw a twenty dollar bill on the table.

  “Holy shit!” The retired cop fumed. “Are you serious? How?”

  “Apparent suicide in his cell.” She tapped Andy on the arm. “We have to roll.”

  “How can this happen?” Coop seethed. His rage was becoming more visible as the seconds passed.

  “No idea,” she replied, as she started towards the exit. “CSI are on scene. I’ll let you know as soon as we have some answers.”

  “See you later, Dad.” Andy waved over his shoulder as he pursued his partner out of the diner.

  ***

  As they entered the short corridor that led to the holding cells, the detectives were momentarily halted by the coroner slowly pushing a gurney bearing their suspect in a zipped-up body bag. They stood against the wall and watched as the corpse passed by. Andy tapped Maria on the arm and pointed to the cell.

  “Come on. Let’s see what happened.” He peeled away from the wall and entered the cell, followed by his partner a few paces behind.

  The scene took her breath away. “What the fuck?” she gasped.

  Sergeant Percival was leaning against the wall just inside the door with his thumbs tucked over his belt. He acknowledged his colleagues with a silent nod as they passed. CSI Palmer was busy taking photos of the scene. The usually pristine white corner of the cell furthest away from the door had been turned red. Blood spatter could be seen covering a large area of the adjoining walls and ceiling. A hefty pool of congealed blood seeped towards the center of the room, letting them know where the perpetrator had been found.

  “Careful where you stand. I’m not quite done here,” Palmer instructed, while he kept shooting the scene.

  The detectives scanned the floor and moved near Palmer’s equipment case.

  “Is here good?” Andy inquired.

  The CSI glanced over and nodded, then continued snapping away.

  “What happened?” Maria asked.

  “Looks like suicide,” Palmer said nonchalantly. “The tearing of the skin on the neck around the jugular suggests a self-inflicted frenzied attack.”

  “What with? I thought all sharp objects were taken from prisoners?” she remarked.

  “They are.” The forensics expert ceased photographing the area, switched his camera off, and checked where he could place his feet before carefully stepping backwards until he was next to them.

  He replaced the lens cap on his camera and put it in its case, then retrieved a zipped-up evidence bag that contained a blood-sodden screw.

  “I found this on the floor. Preliminary checks match the scarring and puncture wounds on the suspect’s neck.” He nodded in the direction of the bed. “It matches the type used in the bed frame. There’s one missing from under the right-hand corner nearest to us.”

  “Wow. That’s a smart design.” Maria’s anger materialized in the form of sarcasm.

  “These are old frames,” Palmer informed them. “The new ones are completely different. It’s like space-age technology. They’re a solid structure with zero removable elements which eliminate—” His enthusiastic reciting was brought to an abrupt halt when he looked at the detectives and found them staring blankly at him. “Anyway, I’m done here. Like I said, preliminary findings are that he used this screw.”

  He bent down to put the evidence bag in his equipment case and closed it up. As he stood up, he pointed to the pool of blood. “I have to say, to pierce his jugular in this manner, he must have really hated the room service here,” he said with a wry smile

  Andy and Maria stared at him, motionless. The momentary silence added to the somber atmosphere in the room

  “Anyway.” Palmer shattered the hush. “I will confirm everything when I get back to the lab and have concluded my tests.”

  “Wasn’t anybody watching him?” Maria turned to the desk sergeant.

  “We did a complete search on him before putting him in here, plus, he wasn’t down as a possible suicide risk,” Percival said in defense, and removed his cap to scratch his head. “I’ve never had anything like this on my watch. I just can’t believe it.”

  “You couldn’t have known.” Andy put his hand on the sergeant’s shoulder to offer some comfort.

  “What about CCTV? I’m curious how he managed to do this without drawing attention to himself,” commented the female detectiv
e.

  “There’s no CCTV in the cells. Human rights took care of that,” Percival replied cynically.

  “Fucking do-gooders!” She made no attempt to contain her anger. “I wanted this bastard to pay for what he’s done. Justice for those poor kids. This coward piece of shit took the easy option.”

  “I hear what you’re saying.” Her partner turned to her. “But let’s keep our heads clear on this. There’s probably going to be an internal investigation—”

  Andy was cut short by the lieutenant appearing at the cell door, who stopped to survey the scene before entering.

  “Holy fuck, it looks like a battle scene,” he said with a sigh. “What have we got here?”

  “Palmer is writing it up as suicide, sir. But he’s still got tests to do before giving us full confirmation,” the senior detective answered.

  Regan scanned the scene again for a few seconds. “Well, I guess we can draw a line under this investigation.” His line of vision followed the blood spatter up the walls till he was straining his neck to check the ‘damage’ on the ceiling. “It looks like he took his own life rather than face life in prison as a child molester. That’s admission of guilt enough for me.”

  “He took the easy way out, Lieutenant,” Maria said in an irritated tone. “There’s no justice here.”

  Her superior drew his gaze away from the ceiling. “Don’t beat yourself up, Hernandez. You got him off the streets, and let’s face it, this way we know he won’t be re-offending anytime soon.” The lieutenant returned to looking around the cell. “Well, clear up the paperwork on this and get it on my desk before IA starts chewing my ass.”

  “Just one thing, sir. We’ve still got no ID on him,” stated Maria.

  “Hmm. Leave it as John Doe for now, and see what crops up. Maybe somebody will report him missing at some point.” Regan turned and exited the cell with some haste. “Reports on my desk as soon as possible, Hernandez,” he barked, as his footsteps could be heard travelling down the corridor.

  “Come on, let’s get back to Homicide. I’ll help you with the paperwork, then lunch is on me,” Andy offered.