She stood up quickly, fueled by adrenaline, but the long day and lack of sleep from the previous night made her dizzy. “Let me grab a coffee first, though. I need one,” Kate said.
“Of course.”
A few minutes later, her computer packed, a small coffee and the completed reports in hand, she followed Rosebud to the interrogation room. As they passed Detective Fuller’s office, she slid the paperwork underneath his door.
“Let’s hope you won’t have to redo those,” he said, grinning wide.
Rosebud filled Kate in about Robertson, his note, Beethoven, and Dr. Dobbins before they reached the door to the observation room, so she was caught up to speed.
“Let’s drop your stuff here and meet the doc,” he said, letting her into the room before him. “This is Officer Kate Murphy,” Rosebud said. “Patrol cop undergoing detective training.” He nodded toward the thin, gray-haired man wearing tortoiseshell glasses. “This is Dr. Dobbins, with the FBI.”
Kate couldn’t believe what was happening right now. Did Rosebud think she was undergoing detective training for real? Nah. Maybe it was just the simplest way to explain why she was involved with the case. Whatever. She was playing in the big leagues, about to interview a clone! Now, that was something.
“Pleased to meet you, Officer Murphy. Thanks for joining us on such short notice. I’ll be going in with you. I think he may trust women more than men.” Dr. Dobbins paused, examining her. “Would you mind letting your hair down?”
“Why?” Kate asked, taken by surprise by his request.
“You look a little stern with the way it’s coiffed right now. Don’t get me wrong. Perfectly suitable for work, but I’d like him to bond with you, not be intimidated by you. Maybe we can let go of the professional police officer image and go with a more feminine, nurturing look? In fact, we don’t even have to mention you’re a police officer unless he asks.”
Kate nodded in agreement, anxious to help in any way she could. “Fine by me.”
She took out her bobby pins and the elastic band of her ponytail. She ruffled her hair to style it the best she could, considering it’d been up all day.
“Splendid,” Dr. Dobbins said before pointing toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Kate followed him into the interrogation room, butterflies in her stomach.
“Robbie, I’d like you to meet Kate.”
“Hi, Robbie,” she said with a bright smile.
“Hi, Kate.”
“Kate, please sit down. Why don’t the two of you chitchat and get to know each other? I’ll be back later,” Dr. Dobbins said before leaving her alone with the brown-haired man. Although he was dressed in a tuxedo, he had a boyish charm to him. Maybe it was the wave of his hair or the sadness in his bright blue eyes.
My first official detective interview alone!
But Kate knew she wasn’t really alone. A small crowd was observing her at this very instant.
I have to show them I can bond with a suspect.
She listened to the music for a moment, and then said, “I like Beethoven, especially this piece. It’s so... majestic, don’t you agree?”
Robbie stared at her silently, but his expression wasn’t angry or annoyed. His traits were soft and he had a certain light in his eyes, as though he was reminiscing about his life.
Kate pressed on. “Beethoven must remind you of someone or something in your past, right?”
“JJ. We listened to this song all the time when we were together.”
Past wife or girlfriend?
“Tell me about JJ.”
“You look a little like her,” he said. He reached out and touched her hair. Although startled, Kate did her best not to let it show.
Play along, if anything starts going wrong, one of the observers will surely step in.
Robbie smiled. “Your hair is silky and blonde like hers.”
Softly, Kate led him on. “Tell me more about her.”
“She read to me and made Lego castles with me.”
“Ah,” Kate said, realizing Juliet wasn’t a girlfriend, but probably his mother, sister, or babysitter. “That must have been a long time ago?”
He shook his head. “No, not really.”
Kate lifted a brow at him. “What do you mean?”
“It was at the beginning of the Colony training, so maybe eight years ago,” Robbie said, so matter-of-fact.
Kate did some mental math. He appeared to be in his thirties.
What kind of man plays with Legos in his twenties?
“Tell me more,” she said.
“About JJ?”
Although more intrigued by the Colony training, Kate didn’t want to risk losing the trust they were establishing. “Sure, I’d love to learn more about her.”
“She was so beautiful. So kind. She used to rock me to sleep. She took me away from the others when I was sick. She cared about me. I miss her.”
Something doesn’t add up. He must have problems remembering things or dates.
“Do you know where JJ is now?”
“No, not really.” He stared down at the table, his right hand doodling imaginary graffiti on the stainless steel table.
“Robbie, is JJ still alive?”
He looked right back up, an anxious flame in his eyes. “I hope she’s still alive! I don’t want her to be dead.”
Kate continued her line of questioning while trying to keep him at ease. “Robbie, do you know where she is?”
He appeared calmer now. “Probably at the Colony.”
She was intrigued. “And what is that?”
“What?”
“The Colony. What’s that?”
His eyes widened. “Oh. I’m not supposed to tell anyone about it.”
“Who says you’re not supposed to?”
“Mr. C.”
“Who’s he?” she asked.
A vertical line formed between his brows. He tightened his jaw. “Mr. C is evil.”
Kate kept silent, hoping Robbie would expand on the mysterious Mr. C.
“Violent. Dangerous. That’s what he is.”
“Is Mr. C at the Colony, as well?”
“Probably. He has to train new people.”
“What new people?”
“The new generation.”
What the heck is he talking about? A new generation of clones? How many are there?
“Where do they come from, these new people?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do they arrive by bus? Where were those people before showing up at the Colony?”
Robbie seemed confused. “Nowhere. We appear there.”
“Appear? Like magic?” Kate asked with a slight laugh.
“No, like children.”
“You mean the new people were born there?”
“Yes.”
Before continuing, Kate let his reply sink in, trying to understand how that was even feasible. “How many children are born there?”
“A lot.”
The door opened behind her. Kate turned around and saw Agent Lack come in and point her toward the door. “I’ll take over,” he said.
Although annoyed, Kate knew she wasn’t a detective and understood her place. She smiled and nodded at Robbie before leaving the room. “I enjoyed talking with you, Robbie.”
“Me too, Kate,” he said, a faint smile on his lips.
She returned to the observation room, curious to see how Agent Lack would carry on, so she could improve her interviewing skills. She thought she had done pretty well.
Dr. Dobbins nodded at her. “Good work in there, dear.” Then, he returned his attention to the window.
Agent Lack spoke up, his voice authoritative and loud. “Tell me more about the Colony.”
Robbie seemed angry and upset. His face reddened.
Lack pushed on, though. “Robert, I want to help you, but you need to tell me more about the Colony.”
Robbie shook his head, staring at the table.
“How about J
uliet? JJ? Can you tell me more about her?” Lack asked, softening his voice a little.
Robbie looked up and crossed his arms over his chest like a kid about to throw a temper tantrum. “No.”
Agent Lack stood up, his index and middle finger waving toward the one-sided mirror.
Kate felt a nudge on her side and turned to the doctor.
“Kate, go back in. See if you can regain his trust,” Dr. Dobbins ordered.
“Yes, of course,” Kate said before doing just that, smiling broadly.
“Sorry about that, Robbie,” she started after taking a seat in front of him again. Lack left the room.
“I don’t want to talk to other people,” he said firmly.
“Why is that?”
“I don’t trust them.”
“Who?”
“Men.”
“You prefer women?” she asked.
“Nah... not really.”
She was confused. “Why do you talk to me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. You look like JJ.”
That had to work to her advantage. “So, Robbie, you came here tonight to talk to a detective about a murder. Can you tell me more about the note you gave them?”
“Yeah... that. It’s complicated. I’m not sure I understand it all.”
“Go ahead, give it a try. Maybe I’ll help you make sense of it.”
“Okay. So...” Robbie let out a long sigh. “I don’t know where to start.”
Kate spoke clearly and slowly. “Start with tonight. Where were you just before you got here?”
“I was in a woman’s house.”
She nodded. “Okay, who was she?”
“Don’t know.”
“How did you get there?”
“I think I followed the address in my GPS.”
Kate repeated what she’d heard. “So, you don’t know the woman’s name, but you know her address?”
“That’s right.”
“Where did you get her address?”
“I’m not sure about that. It’s fuzzy.”
“What were you doing in the woman’s house?” Kate asked.
Robbie thought for a moment and then said, “I don’t think I was there for the woman. Maybe just for the man who came to visit her.”
“So she had a guest in her house, a man, and you were there, as well.”
“Yes, but they didn’t know I was there.”
“Who was the man? Do you know?”
“Senator Russell.”
Kate looked in the mirror even though she knew she couldn’t see people’s reaction. She asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’ve seen him on TV before. I’m certain it was him,” Robbie said confidently.
“Could you tell me what the senator and the woman were doing at her house?”
Robbie giggled. “Making strange noises,” he said.
“What?”
He blushed and then lowered his voice to a whisper as though he had the world’s biggest secret to share. “They were having sex.”
Kate tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. Why was this grown man unable to talk about sex openly?
“Why were you in the woman’s house?”
Robbie shook his head again. “When I came to, I had a knife in my right hand, and I was about to kill him.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I froze for a second. The naked woman screamed, and the senator turned around, so I ran out the door.”
“Then what?” Kate asked.
“I walked around the neighborhood for a while, then found a car that worked with the keys I had, just down the road. I came here right away and wrote the note before I could tune out again.”
She wasn’t sure what he was talking about. “What do you mean by ‘tune out’?”
“I don’t know.”
Kate paused, giving him a chance to figure things out.
“It’s like... Sometimes I don’t know where I am or how I got there. It’s like, I get dressed and appear someplace without remembering how it happened. Sometimes I recall a few things right after, but most times, I don’t remember anything.”
Kate pointed up, indicating to the music. “And Beethoven? Why did you ask us to play it?”
“That’s what I heard on the stereo at the woman’s house. I don’t know. I just thought if it worked once, maybe it would again.”
“So, you came here because...?”
Robbie’s lips quivered. “I didn’t want to kill anyone. I figured it would be much safer for everyone, including the senator, if I got myself locked up in here.”
“Fair enough,” Kate said, and a knock on the mirror interrupted her. “Excuse me, Robbie, I’ll be right back.”
Kate stood up and walked into the observation room.
“Let’s wrap this up for tonight,” Agent Lack said. “We’re going to follow up with the senator and see if he can corroborate Robertson’s story. We’ll check his car’s GPS to get the woman’s address. We’ll see what we get. Tomorrow morning, we hope he’ll be his ‘other self’ since we won’t play Beethoven in his jail cell.”
Kate nodded firmly but was not sure if she was supposed to await further instructions.
“Wrap this up, Murphy,” he continued. “Tell him he’s got his wish, he’ll spend the night in jail, but you’ll talk to him again tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.” Kate returned to the interrogation room, sat with Robbie for a few more minutes, and then relayed what would happen to him.
“So things will be good?” Robbie asked.
“At least the senator will be safe tonight,” she said. “Thanks to you.”
“What will happen to me?” he asked, a hint of fear illuminating his bright blue eyes.
“Hard to say. We can talk more tomorrow. You can tell me more about JJ, Mr. C, and the Colony, and we’ll see what we can do, all right?”
“Good.” He reached for her hands across the table and clutched them. “Thank you, Kate.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Robbie. Get some rest.”
The door opened, and two uniforms came in to escort him away.
Rosebud and Dr. Dobbins came in right after.
“Good work, dear,” the doctor said. “We’ve got a lot to cover tomorrow. Why don’t we meet first, discuss the points I’d like you to interrogate him on, and then you’ll keep building that trust with him.”
She nodded, knowing how exhausted she’d be in the morning but she was charged up for being so involved. “Sure, 8 a.m.?”
Rosebud looked at his watch. “Shit, man. It’s 1:15 a.m. now. Hope you catch some Zs. I’ll talk to Fuller to fill him in.”
Kate walked out and turned around. “Did they find the real Robert Robertson?” she asked Rosebud.
“Yeah. The FBI agents said he looked identical to this guy, and he doesn’t have a twin. We’re going back with a warrant to request a blood sample, and we’ll compare both tomorrow.”
“Good,” Kate said.
She grabbed her things from the observation room then headed out to the elevator.
What a day!
Chapter Twenty-Eight
July 31, 2015
Kate Murphy
Roxbury Police Station, Boston
At eight o’clock sharp, Agent Lack began his brief in conference room three.
“Okay, guys. We’ve got a live one, and it’s looking like he’s got a split personality. Murphy will continue interrogating him until further notice. I’ve requested a female agent join our team. She’s on her way as we speak. Braidy and Lewin, you’ll be observing and recording the interview, so go and get comfortable in there.”
He turned toward Dr. Dobbins and Kate. “Doc, any thoughts or recommendations for Murphy on how to approach this morning’s session?”
“I reckon we’ll see the other side of his persona. Beethoven triggered his latent personality, but I don’t know how long it takes for him
to return to his more violent side, who had no issue stalking and killing a man. I don’t know if the other persona will respond to Officer Murphy or not.”
“So, what are you suggesting?”
“We should see if he expresses any recollection about who she is and what happened yesterday. That would be interesting to note. Make sure we’re recording his facial expression. Perhaps the dominant personality has new information that could be useful to us, details that the latent side wouldn’t know about.”
Lack took the lead again. “We’re starting off without Beethoven, and see what we’ll get.” Turning to Kate, he continued, “The overall goal of this interview will be to determine the identity of Juliet and Mr. C, as well as finding the location of this Colony.”
“Sounds good,” Kate said.
They headed down the hall to the observation room. As they entered, Braidy announced that their recording equipment was all set up and ready to go. Beethoven’s Fifth was queued, but they would wait until they got Lack’s signal to play it.
“We’re good to go,” Lack said to Kate.
She let herself out and joined Robbie on the other side of the mirror. She tried to make eye contact with him, but he was staring down at the table.
Odd. Maybe he didn’t see me come in.
“Good morning, Robbie.”
Nothing.
She sat in front of him, tilting her head to try to see his face. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?” she asked.
He lifted his head, looked toward the door for a second, then looked at her straight in the face.
“LET MEEE OOUUT,” he yelled, steel in his eyes.
A shiver sprinted down her spine.
This wasn’t the same man—or at least the same persona—as yesterday. His body was hunched over the table, his elbows parallel to the edge, his fists pressed against each other. Ligaments and muscles twitched in his arms.
“Robbie, it’s me, Kate,” she said, reaching her hand out and placing it on his forearm.
Before she could blink, he grabbed her wrist and pushed it back away from him, his fingers so tightly wrapped that she thought he was going to break her arm.
The Last Hope Page 18