A Hiker's Dream [COMPLETED]

Chapter 8 - Confessions

“Okay, Nicolas.” Sergeant Reg. said in a professional tone as we sat down on two wooden chairs, a plain old table in between us that looked as if it had gone through hell and back. I wondered whether many prisoners or suspects had sat in the same seat I was sitting in now. It didn’t help my nerves. It felt as if I’d done something wrong, though I knew for a fact that I hadn’t.

            We were in a plain white room which was sealed in all corners. I expected to be taken to a jail cell straight away by the way they were acting because people were whispering and sneaking about as if they were scared I was going to try to run away. I wondered whether, if I refused, would they hold me there and lock me to the chair? Would they refuse my freedom?

There was a mirror on the right which I knew would be one sided. They were watching me now. All those films I watched when I had nothing else to do, which wasn’t often, really did pay off. I knew exactly what they were doing. The only thing that didn’t really make sense was that there was no voice recorder sitting on the table. I suspected that the walls had little microphone things in it and they had the voice recorder behind the window. It would make sense if there was a crazy being interviewed. Then they couldn’t throw it or attack the police officers with it to try and get away. Yes, it was probably a safety precaution. I knew all of this but I still felt very uncomfortable.

The way Sergeant Reg. looked at me said that it was business. This was very important. I had to be careful what I said. I put my hands in my lap and looked up at the guy, trying not to blink, unable to tear my eyes away from the mirror. Sergeant Reg. was pacing backwards and forwards in front of me, his hands behind his back, chewing on the inside of his mouth.

“Nicolas, what was it like in the forest? We heard about the three men doing something they shouldn’t be doing. Do you have any idea what they were doing?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew they were leading to something, but to what, I wasn’t sure. He looked down at me expectantly and I went hot around the collar of the shirt that my dad had brought with him to give to me.  “Well, when me and Gabriella saw them, they were digging a huge hole with a digger machine…” I sounded so pathetic. I cleared my throat, embarrassed that I couldn’t be any more technical. “…One was called Colin, the big one, Drake was the French one, I think, and Dale also…”

“You know these men?” He began to scribble on his notepad and my heart raced in a panic. Did he think I was connected in the whole plan? Was that what he thought? Was I not supposed to know people’s names unless I knew them? I wished that I had watched more criminal programmes.

“No! No I don’t. I just sort of caught on because they were using each other’s names when they were talking.”

“Carry on.”

I hesitated and stammered before getting a hold on myself. I had to convince myself that I was telling them things that would help them. I wasn’t the guilty one here. Why, then, did I feel like I was guilty? “I think they were trying to rob somewhere, Robin Banks maybe.”

“I see. You came into contact with them too, yes?” He peered down at me as he stopped pacing.

I swallowed, blushing. “Um, yes. See, Gabriella ran off to see what they were doing and they caught her and tied her to a tree then began to kick her and stuff. I don’t think they actually realised I was there. I released her and I think they heard us because there were lots of shouting and we had to run.”

“You’ll be glad to know, we have them in custody. We caught them moments after we found you. However, you will have to identify them at some point to confirm them.” Sergeant Reg. smiled grimly and I smiled nervously back, my eyes darting to the mirror. I was so paranoid even though I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. Were the people behind the mirror judging me? Were they doubting my responses? I wasn’t lying! I was telling the truth! There was nothing to hide from these people. I’d tell them anything! I just wanted the whole experience to be over already.