Phyllis: Part Twenty-One

~ beetleypete

This is the twenty-first part of a fiction serial, in 776 words.

Sitting in the back of the police car in handcuffs, Terence considered his options. He had been cautioned, and told he was being arrested ‘To allow further investigations into a serious allegation’. He decided to ask no questions of the policewoman, and say nothing on the journey to Lincoln Police Station. Best not to blurt out anything they didn’t already know or suspect.

At the police custody, he was released from the handcuffs, listened to a routine speech from the Sergeant in charge, and had his fingerprints and photograph taken. He also consented to a DNA swab, and when that was taken he was given the opportunity to make a phone call. He rang his accountant, asking him to contact a solicitor with some experience of criminal cases and ask them to come to Lincoln Custody Suite. Then he was put in a cell awaiting the arrival of that solicitor, and the detectives who wanted to interview him.

Ninety minutes later, the cell door opened and he was taken to a room along a corridor. Inside, a smartly dressed woman stood up as he entered. “Terence, I am Rosa Martinez. Let’s sit down and go over what this is about”. She opened a notebook, quickly jotting down a few lines. Terence told her he had no idea why he had been arrested. He hadn’t done anything wrong that he knew about, and his reason for being detained was vague. She seemed surprised.

“They have received an allegation of sexual assault on an underage child, a boy. He alleges it happened at your former address in Nottingham. Can you tell me anything about that? Please tell me everything truthfully, I cannot represent you properly if I don’t know all the facts”. The realisation washed over him like a cold wave at the seaside. It was Clive, no doubt about that. He had taken his time to find him in Horncastle, but once he had, one of his flunky boys had been paid to set him up. Still, he could hardly tell her that.

Being a good actor came in handy, and the fact that he could partly answer truthfully helped too. Terence told her he had never had any underage person in his flat, male or female. He had no idea why this boy had made such an outrageous allegation, and unless it was a case of mistaken identity, he could not help with any more details. She kept nodding, and as far as he could tell, she believed him.

“They will be coming in to formally interview you soon. I advise you to say No Comment to every question, whatever the question is. Let’s see what evidence they have, if any. I will also insist on bail, whether or not you are charged. This is a serious allegation, but you have an unblemished record. Even so, I should warn you now that if they charge you, there is every likelihood that you may go to prison on remand, so be prepared for that to happen”.

Rosa continued making notes, and had no other questions for him. Ten minutes later, a uniformed officer came into the room. “Sorry for the delay, the detectives have been delayed in traffic. There’s a big pile-up on the A15, apparently. Can I get you tea or coffee?” They both asked for coffee, and he left the room smiling. Rosa shook her head. “He seems very happy, I’m guessing he doesn’t know what you might be charged with. In my experience cops don’t like child sex cases, and it’s even worse in prison”.

Terence wanted to make a sarcastic remark about her comment not being very reassuring, but instead he asked her about the origin of her surname. “My mum went on holiday to Mexico twenty-nine years ago, with her parents. Cancun, you might have heard of it? Well, she fell for a tour guide there, and came home pregnant. He actually stood by her when he found out, flew to England, and married her. But less than six months after I was born, he skipped off back to Mexico. Neither of us have ever seen or heard from him since”.

The door opened and two men walked in. One was holding a file, and they both sat down. The older one had his head down, and left the talking to his colleague. The younger one switched on a recording device, and spoke loudly. “Interview with Terence Halloran at Lincoln Custody Suite. Present are the accused, his solicitor Rosa Martinez, myself, Detective Sergant Ian Phillips, and Detective Inspector John Digby”. Leaning back in his chair and relaxing, Terence smiled.

Inspector Digby was Alan.

38 thoughts on “Phyllis: Part Twenty-One”

  5. The banter on here is so much fun lol. Love it… Terrence is now officially on notice. Once they got him on the books, he’ll be harassed going forward. But I hope lady luck keeps smiling on him.

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  8. First, this is all unclear to me. Is it my age? “It was Clive, no doubt about that. He had taken his time to find him in Horncastle, but once he had, one of his flunky boys had been paid to set him up.”
    The Allen thing could work well or poorly for him.
    Warmest regards, Ed

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    1. Clive was looking for revenge because he was conned out of a lot of money. So he concocted a story using a teenage boy he knew.
      Alan is a reguar customer at New You who had also visited Terence in Nottingham, where he is a policeman. The alleged crime happened in Nottingham, so the detectives have come from there to question Terence. Now Terence has discovered that he is a police detective, Alan is compromised.
      Does that clear it up?
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  9. (1) Abe would have been better off working at the Lincoln Police Station on April 15, 1865.
    (2) If someone takes my fingerprints, can I get them back, or at least stay in touch with them somehow?
    (3) The tell-tale criminal told the police that he hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d killed the old man quietly and quickly so that he would hardly notice his own death. He’d also done a fine job of stashing his heart beneath the floor.
    “I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings. I then replaced the boards so cleverly, so cunningly, that no human eye — not even his — could have detected any thing wrong. There was nothing to wash out — no stain of any kind — no blood-spot whatever. I had been too wary for that. A tub had caught all — ha! ha! ”
    So, in fact, the tell-tale criminal had done everything right!
    (4) The pregnant woman lied to the doctor: “I’ve never had an underage person inside my flat belly, male or female. I have no idea why my ex-boyfriend is making such an outrageous allegation.” As far as the woman could tell, the doctor believed her. “Can I go now? I need to stop at the supermarket and pick up a few jumbo jars of dill pickles.”
    (5) Terence had an unblemished record despite it having been handled by the police officer’s grubby hands while eating a jelly doughnut.
    (6) Meanwhile, back in Cancún, José Martínez, the deadbeat padre, is guiding yet another buxom foreigner back to his love nest.
    (7) John Digby: “So, Phyllis, this is the New You! A man named Terence!”

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