Now comes the gods' truth

Assistant District Attorney Ariella Salcedo studied the suspect with a scowl as she considered how the interrogation was going so far. She wanted to make sure and handle this just right. There were no obvious clues as to what the nature of this individual's particular psychopathology might be about. He wore no postal uniform. He offered no manifesto.

'So why are you telling me this?' She thought she would try a different approach. 'Why are you sharing this with me Michael?'

In the past she had dealt a with this kind of thing once or twice before, some depraved misfit from the underworld sees some crime story coverage on TV, with all the interest in every detail, and they want to claim they did it. This was a bit of a twist from that. This guy's story didn't match any case they were working on, although there was one involving a missing attractive young woman from a county nearby. She was a brunette though.

'Maybe you don't understand just how serious this all is,' Salcedo pointed out, since she hadn't gotten another response yet. 'You'd better tell me where the Polaroid's are, and where this other thing is now, this souvenir thing you made.'

Michael Solomon was at his wit's end, but he smiled at her imagery. 'Keepsake, good luck charm, trophy.'

'Look don't play with me.' She was serious. 'I could have you thrown down right now for filing a false police report.'

'I'm not filing a police report.'

'There's giving false information to a police officer,' she countered.

Solomon let a trace of alarm cross his face, not having been aware there was such a charge. But then as he began thinking maybe this could be a way out from another mistaken adventure, his minimal expression turned back to one of guarded confidence. 'Try and prove what I'm going to say is false.'

'What are you going to say?'

'You have to ask the right question first.'

'When are you going to face up to your responsibility?'

'That is exactly the right question. The answer is I am facing up to my responsibilities.'