[10 minutes later. In Interrogation Room 5. Dantrella is sitting at the table when Det.
Borden walks in and closes the door]
Dantrella: 'Bout time one of y'all came in here. I been waiting for like four hours.
Det. Borden: [walks over to the table but doesn't sit down] Waiting to confess?
Dantrella: What I got to confess to?
Det. Borden: Murdering a man.
Dantrella: Who did I murder?
Det. Borden: David Lee Rhoden.
Dantrella: I never even heard his name before today.
Det. Borden: Doesn't mean you didn't kill him.
Dantrella: Why would I kill a random person?
Det. Borden: That's what we're trying to figure out. If you six didn't know him, like you claim,
why would you kill him?
Dantrella: I didn't.
Det. Borden: It was one of your friends?
Dantrella: No, it wasn't them either. None of us killed David Lee Rhoden.
Det. Borden: We've got witnesses who can place you at the scene of the crime.
Dantrella: They can't place me at the scene of the crime, 'cause I wasn't there.
Det. Borden: I think you were. I think you and your little gang went out and killed a man.
Did it just to see what it felt like.
Dantrella: I ain't in a gang and I keep telling you, we didn't kill anybody.
Det. Borden: How did it feel to kill him? Did you like it? Did you participate in the beating or
did you just shoot him?
Dantrella: I never killed him so I don't know what it feels like to kill somebody.
Det. Borden: I bet you enjoyed it. How do you think his wife and kids felt when they found his
body? Did you even think about that?
Dantrella: Nope, because [slowly] I did not kill David Lee Rhoden.
Det. Borden: You don't feel anything for his family?
Dantrella: Should I? I don't know them.
Det. Borden: No, you just took a husband and father from them.
Dantrella: No, I didn't.
Det. Borden: How did you guys pick him? Did you just see him on the street on day and say
"That's the one."?
Dantrella: I'm getting tired of repeating myself. I never seen or heard of this man before today.
Det. Borden: You don't have to lie.
Dantrella: I'm not.
Det. Borden: You're only hurting yourself by not confessing..
Dantrella: I don't have anything to confess to.
Det. Borden: We give you this time to confess so it looks like you cooperated and less time for
you in jail.
Dantrella: Then you wasting your time and mines, because I didn't kill anybody.
Det. Borden: Nobody else was seen leaving the crime scene, only you six. Who else could
have killed him?
Dantrella: Why you asking me? You the police, you go out and find him, her, or whoever.
Det. Borden: We've found them. Six of them, we brought them in today.
Dantrella: Y'all brought in the wrong six then. You don't even have a motive for why you think
we killed this man.
Det. Borden: That's why you're here. Why did you kill David Lee Rhoden?
Dantrella: I didn't.
Det. Borden: Did he do something to disrespect your little gang and he had to be dealt with?
Dantrella: I'm not in a gang. You need to be asking that question to the people who killed him.
Det. Borden: I just did.
Dantrella: [sighs heavily]
Det. Borden: Okay, fine. You want to do it the hard way, fine. I'll breathe heavily and easily
when you six are convicted and sentenced to death.
Dantrella: You say that but your "case" is weak. All you got is eyewitness statements. You don't
have a motive—
Det. Borden: And you don't have an alibi.
Dantrella: Yes, I do. I was –
Det. Borden: Watching T.V. with your co-defendants, right? Now whose case is weak? Your
friends can't alibi you, they're charged with the same crime as you.
Dantrella: You don't have a motive or a murder weapon.
Det. Borden: But I have positive ID's on all of you.
Dantrella: By who? Where this man stayed at?
Det. Borden: Greenland Acres.
Dantrella: They ain't see me, 'cause I've never been there.
Det. Borden: Just like you never seen Mr. Rhoden?
Dantrella: Just like it.
Det. Borden: If you never been there, how did our witnesses see you leaving?
Dantrella: You gotta ask them that.
Det. Borden: Since you don't want to help me with this case, maybe you can help me with
another one.
Dantrella: Why not? What case?
Det. Borden: This case involves the six of you also, but it happened 11 years ago.
Dantrella: [sucks her teeth] What that got to do with anything?
Det. Borden: That's what I'm trying to figure out and you can help us.
Dantrella: No, I can't.
Det. Borden: Just tell me what the case involves—
Dantrella: Why? You can't find out for yourself?
Det. Borden: It's that cooperation thing again. You help me and I help you.
Dantrella: I can't help you.
Det. Borden: You don't remember everything that happened, that fine. Just tell me what you
do remember.
Dantrella: I ain't forgot nothing. In fact, I remember more than I want to.
Det. Borden: Tell me then.
Dantrella: No.
Det. Borden: Was it a family thing?
Dantrella: [shrugs her shoulders]
Det. Borden: I'll tell you what I know.
Dantrella: You can't know much if you asking me and the records are sealed.
Det. Borden: I know that around that same time Jamal started living with his aunt.
Dantrella: [sarcastically] You really know a lot.
Det. Borden: I think it's because of what's in those records that he stays with her.
Dantrella: And?
Det. Borden: Does the case have to do with Jamal?
Dantrella: Has to do with all of us, that's why all six of our names are involved.
Det. Borden: Involved in what?
Dantrella: The case.
Det. Borden: What's the case about?
Dantrella: [shrugs her shoulders]
Det. Borden: Don't shrug your shoulders because you do know!
Dantrella: That don't mean I want you to know.
Det. Borden: I'll find out if you tell me or not.
Dantrella: If you go find out later, why you keep asking me?
Det. Borden: It's always nice to hear the suspect's point of view. We get to hear and see their
mindset, their way of thinking.
Dantrella: Then ask me something about the murder case and not that old shit.
Det. Borden: So, you do know something about the murder of Mr. Rhoden?
Dantrella: I know what you tell me.
Det. Borden: Then why should I question you about it?
Dantrella: Because I want to change the subject.
Det. Borden: Why?
Dantrella: Because I don't want talk about it.
Det. Borden: So, I should give you what you want?
Dantrella: [smirks] Yeah, it's the whole cooperation thing.
Det. Borden: You didn't want give me what I wanted.
Dantrella: I can't give you something I don't have.
Det. Borden: For some reason, I still don't believe you. Now I have to get back to my job and
solve this case.
Dantrella: You do that and I'll help you the best way I can. By telling you that you got the wrong
people in custody.
Det. Borden: From the five of you we've interviewed, including you, it seems you all know a lot
of police jargon, why?
Dantrella: Because we watch "Law and Order".
Det. Borden: Did you kill Mr. Rhoden to live out what you see on T.V.?
Dantrella: Uh—No. We not crazy, but you know what? There was an episode like that.
Det. Borden: Oh, because I thought maybe you knew a lot of police talk because you've been
around a lot of cops.
Dantrella: No, I don't talk to cops too funny.
Det. Borden: What's that mean?
Dantrella: It means I don't talk to cops unless I have to, like right now.
Det. Borden: You don't have to talk to me.
Dantrella: Yes, I do, because if I don't talk to you, you would think I have something to hide.
Which I don't.
Det. Borden: Your own little version of cooperation.
Dantrella: If you want to call it that. I call it self-preservation.
Det. Borden: Self- preservation? To me self- preservation would be telling me that you had no
idea that your friends were going to kill that man. Telling me that you just stood
by and watched.
Dantrella: No, that would be lying. My friends didn't kill anybody and even if they did—
Det. Borden: You wouldn't tell me?
Dantrella: Right.
Det. Borden: What do you call that? Do you call it loyalty? I don't. I call it taking a man away
from his family and not owning up to it. Give them peace of mind and justice. Can
you do that?
Dantrella: No.
Det. Borden: Give them justice—
Dantrella: [yelling] Why should I? Y'all never gave us justice. We don't have peace of mind. Like
I said earlier, how can I give something that I don't have?!
Det. Borden: What?
Dantrella: Look at the fucking records.
Det. Borden: I will. [walks to the door, opens it, and walks out]
YOU ARE READING
Death Before Dishonor
General FictionWords to live and die by. Now it seems like it's being put to the test. Who will break? Who will who will fold? Who believes in the words with their entire soul? Find out if death before dishonor is more than just a tattoo. (I wrote this when I w...
