Detective Kelly realized Viper was the weakest link, so he interrogated the nose-ringed one first. Kelly absentmindedly left his I-phone on his desk, unaware that someone was trying desperately to reach him.
“Well, you finally made it to the big-time—murder,” Kelly said registering zero emotion in his voice. Without appearing to show interest, he carefully watched Viper’s reaction.
“Whatta ya mean?” snapped Viper. “I didn’t kill no one.”
Viper twisted to face Detective Kelly. The serpent on his exposed chest rippled as if it were alive. Beads of sweat rolled off the nose ring, gliding down the craggy jaw and onto the slick gray table.
“Yeah?” added Kelly. “Well, anyone involved in a crime, whether they actually did the thing or not, is just as guilty. He’s called an accomplice.”
Kelly deliberately turned his back on Viper. He could no longer hide the smile that threatened to give him away. This thug is playing right into my hands, Kelly observed with satisfaction.
“Uh, I swear. I didn’t do nothing.” Viper fidgeted in his chair like a kid with a bad case of “ants in his pants.” The serpent on his chest danced out of control.
Kelly spun to face his subject. “You guys were stupid enough to leave your fingerprints smeared all over the crime scene, and your blood matches a sample from Thomas’ carpet.” Kelly waited for a second. “Besides, we’ve got an eye witness.”
Kelly waited for all this to sink in, but Viper’s colorless eyes were like blank mirrors. Viper didn’t seem to comprehend a word he’d said. Boy, this moron has no brain cells left after all the drugs he’s done, Kelly thought. Pleased with the way things were going, he placed his toothpick back in his pocket for more chewing later.
Now Kelly played his most important card. “I see you’re not wearing your gang jacket—the black leather one with purple letters you wore the night you killed Thomas. We have an eyewitness, Viper. The victim’s girlfriend was in the bathroom. She saw the whole thing.” Kelly congratulated himself on his inventiveness. Of course, there really was no girlfriend.
Viper shot into the air like he was on fire. A red flame burned in the very center of those vacant, pale eyes. The crazy man charged at Kelly like a bull gone berserk, but Kelly acted quickly. With the grace of a matador, he neatly stepped aside.
All two hundred and twenty pounds of Viper’s potato-chips-and-beer belly thudded into the brick wall. The impact shook every window in the room. Kelly managed a little bow to the cheers of his imaginary audience.
Dropping the game, Kelly addressed the accused. “We have the electronics and TV that you stole from Thomas, Viper, plus all the other stuff you two stashed in the garage.”
Detective Kelly took a few steps closer. “But I’ll make you a deal that could save your life.”
Kelly expected some sort of reaction, but the slack-jawed figure before him cowered against the wall, a mere shadow.
“Confess and you may get off with 20 or 30 years. You might even see freedom again. Play dumb and I guarantee you’ll go down with Weed. Is that what you want? Sleep on it.” Kelly quietly closed the door behind him.
Weed received exactly the same treatment. Kelly chuckled to himself, rubbing his hands with glee. “I won’t have to do a thing. These two losers will incriminate themselves.”
Kelly arranged for Viper and Weed to exchange information in the interrogation room for a few minutes. Placing the two together was contrary to normal police procedure but a crucial part of Kelly’s plan.
Sure enough. The minute Weed heard the door click shut, his bony hands wrapped around Viper’s throat. “You dumb jerk! Why didn’t you check out the bathroom?”
“How was I supposed to know there was someone in the bathroom?" moaned Viper. "Besides, who’d think that goofball, Thomas, had a girlfriend?”
Detective Kelly hummed an off-key rendition of “Jailhouse Rock.” He twirled a new toothpick around in his mouth, reading the confessions signed by Weed and Viper for the umpteenth time. Satisfied, he reviewed the footage he shot on the hidden video camera with its powerful audio. He stopped the action where Weed and Viper accused each other and played it back. The dialogue came through crisp and clear. Detective Kelly didn’t need to use the footage. The pair had confessed without it.
“Ahhh. So much for a sensational court battle.” Kelly pushed the stop button on the camera. He plucked the toothpick from between his teeth, studied it carefully then tossed it over his shoulder, realizing he no longer had a taste for toothpicks.
Back in his office, Kelly answered the annoying ring of his I- phone.