Present time, London...
Simon, blindfolded, in the interrogation room
After Simon finished recouting the day Alstromeria Johnson died, Djimon Thompson looked on to other questions, still amazed at how compliant Simon had been. It was mighty suspicious that the memory thief had given himself in after all, two months after Bernard Johnson's death.
After Ariana has revealed herself as the serial killer who's been haunting UK for the past two years behind the scenes, the London and Big Bucharest police had to scour and find evidence in order to be able to indict her. She helped them and brought in all the evidence she had against herself, and described every scene and every crime.
But about three weeks ago, while being held in a county prison in solitary she had had an episode where she had forgotten her memories, again. They've brought in a few investigators to check wheter she was lying, but she actually suffered or amnesia. She had returned actually to the Ariana they all had known before, the detective Ariana Johnson.
Joseph had told the police that Simon Taylor had been implied in every single crime and that Ariana had helped him get away as she took all the blame upon herself, and after havinf forgotten her memories of Simon and of her real self, she had given away his location. And they found him.
But nobody really knew Simon wanted to be here. He had come to reveal all the truth and shoulder the blame with Ariana and thus help her, and then escape.
"Now, onto the day Bernard Johnson was murdered in his Cluj-Napoca retreat," the investigator said through gritted teeth, drumming his fingers on the table. "Could you tell me how it all happened? We want all the details and we particularly care about Ariana Johnson's sudden turn-around."
Simon smiled as he leaned back in his chair. He loved that story, it was so dramatic.
He loved, especially, that nobody could ever know who really killed Bernard Johnson. Now the game was in his hand. As always.
"So, Ariana came inside as I've told her, but at that time she didn't have her memories of her criminal life. I took her memories and given them back to her regularly," Simon smiled as he spoke and he looked so charming. To Djimon it was fascinating watching such an ethereal guy like him. A guy who could do anything and take anyone's memories. It was... powerful and fascinating.
"And when she arrived, I've given her back all of her memories. Definitively. We had planned that we'd finish our series of crimes with Bernard Johnson's death, and she had always wanted to give herself in after that."
"According to autopsies and forensic evidence, mister Bernard Johnson was shot once in the head and died instantly. He suffered hence an essier death than most other victims related to him." Djimon leaned back on the chiar and breathed in.
"Miss Ariana Johnson claims strongly she had killed him, her reason being her mother's death from a gun wound inflicted by him years ago. She wanted revenge, we get that. That's the reason you son of a guns went out there with a hitlist, ain't it?" Djimon's palm hit the table suddenly, dramatically.
"Then why did mister Joseph Samuels originally claim that he shot mister Bernard Johnson?"
"The thing is, I was the one who shot Bernard Johnson," Simon said with the most evil grin that Djimon had ever seen on a criminal's face, and a very calm aura. No regret. "Ariana, she loves me a lot and took the blame for me. And Joseph... Oh, that foolish sweet guy who still loves her so much despite everything, he just wanted to take the blame."
"What a tangled, tragic story indeed, I've never thought I'd get to investigate people like you." Simon listened to Djimon say almost pleasantly.
"So now three persons claim to have killed mister Bernard Johnson. How can we even tell the truth?"
Bernard Johnson must've died thrice, at least.
Simon didn't add anything, didn't speak out of turn. He just sat there silently. He had a plan anyway so nothing worried him anymore.
"Just about how many times did you take away Ariana's memories? Could you please describe the approximate times?" Djimon leaned forward and interlaced his hands together.
"What a question... I've never counted. About more than one-hundred times? I don't know. But a lot."
"About three weeks ago miss Ariana suffered an episode of amnesia. Though she was very cooperative at first, now she claims she doesn't remember anything and she's the detective Ariana we all knew, and that she's being framed. We tend to think she's not lying. What do you think about that?"
"She might have become unstable from... the interrupted continuous amnesia she's been suffering from mostly in the past two years. Or she might never be stable ever again." Simon smiled.
Djimon had never doubted that the guy was evil and had actually manipulated Ariana the entire time. He didn't even regret it.
"Ok, one last thing. Do you remember Virgo Styles?" the interrogator asked.
Simon's smile dissappeared as he pondered. Virgo Styles was the son of the head scientist who ran experiment on Simon when he was a prisoner. Mr Styles had been a kind man and he had been kind to Simon while he was in Bernard's custody as a kid, but he died before Simon could get to him.
Hence, Simon had initially wanted to kill his son, Virgo, as revenge. But when he got the boy he saw that he was sick, epileptic and lifeless even alive. That's why he spared him.
"Yes."
"Virgo vanished, ran away from Big Bucharest last summer, and despite our efforts he couldn't be located. Since he suffered from epilepsy everyone worried about him and most doubted that he was still alive. He returned though, to Big Bucharest shortly after Ariana lost her memories in prison. He claimed you tried to brainswash him as well but for some reason he was the only victim whom remembered every single detail from the time he had been kidnapped and holed up in your and Ariana's apartment."
Simon smiled. He was surprised. Virgo was the first person who had been immune to him.
"His brain had been tested and we came to the conclusion that his epilepy might've made him immune to you. A very good thing. He had located both you and Ariana Johnson as the kidnappers and murderers in the Big Bucharest murders."
Djimon Thompson packed up his stuff and before leaving, he turned back around to Simon and said:
"Detective Archie Carolan must be rolling in his grave at having such a brother as you. He was my friend," Djimon couldn't help as he spoke with anger and hate. He barely kept himself from beating up Simon as he was there tied up and vulnerable, but he wasn't allowed to do it. Not yet.
"It is why you killed him, huh? He'd learned the truth about you? Why couldn't you just take his memory of the truth away?"
Simon thought of his dead half-brother but said nothing.
"Scum. I hope they'll kill you but probably they won't because you have those powers." And with that said, Djimon was gone.
Simon was left all alone, tied up and blindfolded.
*
Present time, Ariana...
"I, miss Ariana Johnson here, have woken up today after I've been framed for a crime I have never commited, and today, I saw my photo posted on the murder suspects' panel-" She couldn't continue as there was something covering her mouth, with brutal strength, someone tying her mouth up.
He was either doing the tying up or watching, she knew.
Black gloved hands wrung her chains free off the headboard.
She couldn't speak, she couldn't fight and she felt immobilized.
She looked up and saw Simon Taylor.
He was gazing down at her, smiling.
Mysteriously he wasn't handcuffed or restrained at all, and there were only the two of them in the room, now.
Was she dreaming? Had she died already?
"Simon." She crawled and stood up from the bed and approached him. He said nothing, just looked at her. His camel hair was trimmed shorter than normal and his eyes were red.
"What are you doing here Simon?"
"I've heard you don't remember anything Ariana. I came back to make everything right," Simon murmured but Ariana smiled.
"When I saw you, I remembered everything," she mused, sensually. Her hands connected with Simon's chest and then she rubbed them upwards towards his shoulders. "We cannot ever make it right, we've killed so many people."
"Do you still love me, Ariana?" Simon asked. She blinked.
"Yes of course, my love. Why?"
"I didn't like the fact that you protected Joseph like that. At all," Samuel said coldly as he put his hands in his pockets. "But thank you, for everything."
Simon titled his head forward slowly until his full lips met Ariana's. He kissed her goodbye.
"I'm leaving," he said as he parted his lips from hers and inhaled a breath.
"You're escaping? How?" Ariana looked at him, her gaze blue and said.
"Tomorrow. I have a plan. Tomorrow they're escorting us to a maximum security prison. They've determined you as healthy and capable to serve time there."
And he then proceeded to let her in on his plan. It was insane.
...