Grandeur

I was surprised to see you in here in your pinstripe suit. I doubt you had much else to wear, but I was surprised nonetheless.

“You and I, we go way back,” I started. “I thought I knew you, pal. We worked the beat for years and I had no idea you had it in you.”

You sat there quietly, barely making eye contact. You looked distracted. I supposed I’d be distracted being in prison too. You pulled out a notebook. I guess they let prisoners have notebooks and pencils these days.

We stared murderers down almost everyday here, but it’s hard to look your partner in the eye knowing the stuff he’s done. “A little girl, eh? Why’d you do it, pal?”

You looked solemn. I would look solemn too if I had been a part of that grizzly affair.

“You murdered a little twelve-year-old, innocent girl after keeping her for a month in your basement. Sliced her up with broken shards of Christmas ornaments. What kind of sick fuck are you?”

Shock in your eyes. You scribble furiously. If I had pictures of the brutality I’d throw them on the table. Make you take a good long look at your handiwork. I don’t have them with me though; I left them behind.

“What did the coroner come back with? Probably a laundry list of the sick stuff you did. You sit there in your stripes living off the taxpayers when we both know you deserve the injection. Is your head even on straight?”

Remorse finally. You stop scribbling and look up, a single tear slipping down into your mustache. You close up your notebook and pull out a newspaper.

Missing Person Found Dead in Officer’s Basement read the headline.

You pulled out another.

Kidnapping and Murder Trial Begins.

Then another.

Guilty! The massive bold type streaked across the front page.

The last paper.

First Death Penalty in 15 Years.

You look up from the papers and look straight in my eyes: “Can you recognize the delusions? This world you’re living in isn’t real. Do you know even who you are anymore? I don’t.”

I wasn’t going to get anything out of you. Time to go. I wave the uniform over and he stands next to me. I stand, straighten the crease in my orange jumpsuit and walk out.