Conversation · Kim Kitsuragi

"What was what?"

"You looked strange when he mentioned the assault victim's name." He looks you in the eye: "Do you know that woman?"

"Yes."

"Is there something I should know before we talk to her?"

Whatever you do, don't say the first thing.

"That's it." [Leave.]

He nods. "We'll be all right, officer. This is nothing."

You feel fortified by his assurance. It's going to be all right.

Is it, though? 'Nothing'? You're still in for a bumpy ride here, try not to mess it up.

"This is unprofessional." He repeats: "Not sharing information with me is unprofessional."

His opinion of you has lowered considerably.

"I didn't rape her."

"What you're saying is..." he says in a low, calm voice. "You raped her?"

Ice is forming on the inside of your chest cavity, cold sweat trickles down your neck...

"No."

"Then don't ever say that again." There's a pause.

"What else?"

"I asked her where we are, what city is this, maybe even what year. Something like that."

He shrugs. "That's clearly your interrogation technique. Anything else?"

"She knows I did some pretty crazy stuff before I passed out. That I partied hard. And not very mental-healthily."

"So she overheard you? Or did you party together?"

So this is what it feels like to be interviewed...

Not very fun.

You'll get through it, you slippery fuck! Blast some insane-o at him, throw him off.

"I'm not going to answer that, lieutenant."

"I'm going to assume she overheard you -- anything else?"

"She overheard me listening to music and doing weird things. From her room. It's the one next to yours."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, we partied all right. Partied all night like the Inzany Boys."

"Wonderful. I'm going to assume she overheard you -- anything else?"

You'll get through it.

Fun.

I wouldn't say it is.

Of course it is, you slippery fuck! Blast some insane-o at him, throw him off.

I got nothing to hide.

What if you do -- but you just don't remember that you do?

"I tried to hit on her..."

"Understood." He's stone-faced.

"Better not to add anything to that."

"Mhm," he nods. "What else did you do?"

"It went pretty okay, I guess."

"It doesn't matter how it went officer -- what else?"

"She said I'm going to have to interrogate her later and it's going to suck for me."

"It is," he nods. "This would have been good to know before."

"It didn't come up."

"It should have. Anything else?"

"Okay."

"Anything else?"

"I met her. In the hallway, after I woke up."

"Understood -- you were not in good shape on Monday."

"She knows I didn't remember being a cop."

"Okay," he nods. "That's manageable."

"No."

He repeats: "Officer, before we interview this woman -- is there something I should know?"

He's not leaving you a lot of room to back off from this.

"You mean the sweating and the fidgeting when he mentioned her name?"

"Yes."

"And the... sort of... quivering jello thing with the eye?" (Point to your twitching eye.)

"Yes."

'Tis art.