Chapter 11

The Retribution

chapter 11

"So we interview Hacking, squeeze him for information, and then we can arrest whoever he points us to - an Ashen if we're lucky?" Carl asked curiously, as he got into the the black Mercedes passenger seat.

They were on their way to the prison that Marvin Hacking was being held in custody. He had been there since he had written his confession and signed it. Both men were on their way to interview him and get as much information as they could, regarding who the other assailants were and what really took place on the night of the murder.

.

Eventually, they pulled into the prison parking area at around lunch time, got out of the car, throwing their hats onto the back seat and made their way to the entrance carrying a stack of newspapers each. A couple of prison guards opened the huge Iron gates to let them in, as another guard asked both men what they were there for and to ask for ID.

"Detectives Robert Cowan and Carl Simmons. Murder and missing persons," Robert smiled, holding his ID badge up, as Carl held his up. They then put their ID badges back into their pockets, before Robert explained, "We’re here to interview Marvin Hacking. He’s being remanded, pending investigation of the Mary Shaw murder since his official confession just under a week ago."

"Follow me," the guard said, before leading both men through some corridors to the interview room, where he sent them in alone. It was a small room with a table and 4 chairs, 2 at either side. It looked similar to the corridors: it had stone walls, painted white with a grey stone floor and only one small window with rusty iron bars. There was a guard standing at the other side of the room, in the corner supervising the visit. Marvin was sitting at the table waiting to be interviewed. He was dressed head to toe in a white, prison uniform and his hair was mostly shaven.

Robert and Carl sat down opposite the youngster, when Robert threw the newspapers onto the desk, followed by Carl who then threw his share onto the pile.

Each headline was about Mary Shaw or Michael Ashen. The newspaper at the top of the pile had a picture of Mary at one of her shows and the headline read MARY SHAW FOUND BUTCHERED!

Marvin looked at the collection of newspapers in front of him, then looked at Robert with a confused look on his face, before pushing them away across the desk towards Robert and Carl. He then joked, "Thank you. It’s a kind thought, but they do supply toilet paper."

Carl put his head down, trying not to laugh because he was the only one who was remotely amused by the remark, and he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

Robert glared across the table at Marvin, before growling, "Enough of the wise cracks. Ya know exactly why I brought these. They’re extremely useful to this investigation."

"Why did ya wanna see me?" Marvin sighed.

"We still need you to tell us who else was with ya."

"And now why would I do that? I was alone, remember? That’s what my written confession says," he replied, as he sat back, then continued, "Anyway, I ain’t got nothing to lose. I’m already gonna be hanged or locked up here until the day I die."

Robert leaned forward and quietly said to him, "Then we may be able to negotiate."

Marvin leaned forward, so they were face to face, when he asked, looking very interested, "How are ya planning on doing that?"

"You scratch our backs…We could - if ya help us - get ya a lighter sentence, because ya don’t really wanna die and ya sure as s**t wanna see the light of day again."

"My lawyer says there’s only a 10 percent chance I’ll get life. All of the other odds say I’ll be hanged."

"Listen to me," Robert hissed. "The way I see it, there’s only 3 options for you; ya die of slow strangulation, or ya spend the rest of your life in this s**t hole, never seeing the light of day again…Or ya help us and save yourself from 2 horrible fates."

Marvin turned bright red and cried, "I wasn’t alone. I can’t face life here or being killed in a horrible, painful way!"

"Not like that poor woman felt any pain," muttered Carl.

"Oh god! What if she didn’t even go near Michael Ashen?"

"Even if she did, you’re the god damn police. Why didn’t ya just f****n’ arrest her?! Ya don’t go around lynching people in a gang when you’re a cop!" snapped Robert.

"It wasn’t my idea," he replied, sobbing. "They got me to. There were loads of em'. They got me into their gang. I was so angry at Shaw. I couldn’t think straight! Everything was a blur. All I could see in my mind was the mother of that little boy grieving, hysterical. She begged me to find her boy, but I never did. I failed her and his dad, his brothers and sisters, grandparents. Everyone prayed that he come home, but he never did. No body, no trace…Nothing. I pray every night that he’s alive somewhere, and that he’s safe and nobody’s hurting him, and that he comes home."

Both Robert and Carl looked at each other, when Robert looked over to the guard and said, "I suggest a bathroom break. It’ll give Hacking a chance to calm down and prepare for the important bits."