Murderer

Andrea wanted to march right down to the interview room Kyle was waiting in and just kick down the door!

Unfortunately, she had to ask the duty officer to unlock the room for her, which meant listening to the usual briefing.

"Ma'am, before I allow you in, I have to remind you of the rules…"

How could she have been so blind? How could she have believed him!

"You will be afforded privacy…"

He had played her for a fool. And it wasn't just the lies, it wasn't just the betrayal, it was that she had actually started to…

"Please make sure you are aware of the duress alarm's location…"

He must have been laughing so hard to himself at how easy she had been to manipulate.

"...response will be fast but be sure not to hesitate…"

Just thinking about the photos of Kyle and Beatrix made her clench the folder in her fist so tight it threatened to tear the paper.

"...do not pass the prisoner any items…"

The longer she had to wait the more the fury was building up inside her.

"...Ma'am, are you okay?" the officer asked.

She forced her teeth to unclench. "I'm fine."

The officer looked for a moment like he might not let her in. She wondered if they had ever had an incident of a suspect's lawyer beating her client over the head with her briefcase…

After what felt like an eternity, the officer finally unlocked the door and let her in.

There he was, Kyle Wynn, in all his lying treacherous glory. As usual, that slow beaming smile that lit up his face gradually appeared as he saw Andrea step into the room.

What a phony.

"Hey there, Slowpoke," he said with that manufactured charm. "You get lost on the way here? You don't usually keep me waiting this long after they haul me out of my cell."

Andrea pulled out her chair as far back as it would go. She sat down opposite Kyle, her back to the wall, crossed her legs, folded her arms and said nothing. And just stared at him.

Kyle continued. "I mean, not that my cell is any more comfortable, but…" he trailed off awkwardly, no longer able to ignore the atmosphere in the room.

"Y'know, Blondie," he said. "You've been wearing a face like thunder since you stepped in here tonight. You have something you need to say to me?"

"I don't know, Kyle," she said coldly. She pulled out the photographs of Kyle and Beatrix, slapping them down on the table and sliding them over for Kyle to look at.

Kyle leaned in to examine the photos. "Okay…" he said. "This looks like Triss with me in the parking garage, probably… Sunday? What of it?"

"So that's 'Triss', is it?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah."

"Triss Davis?"

"Yeah," Kyle responded in confusion. "What is this about, Blondie?"

"The funny thing about 'Triss Davis' is that apparently she doesn't exist."

She waited to see if Kyle had anything to say, but he just had a fake confused look plastered on his face as though he had no idea what she was talking about. Now she knew what to look for, it seemed so obvious.

She continued. "The police haven't been able to find her. She didn't answer her phone. So I called the hospital. No such person. Never worked there. Never heard of her."

Kyle was still feigning ignorance, so Andrea decided to lay it all out for him. She grabbed a couple more photos from the folder and walked around the table so she could put them directly in front of him.

"You know who does exist, Kyle? Beatrix Davenport!" She slammed down one of the new photos from Helen's phone, with Beatrix at a party. "The murdered girl!" She slammed down one of the autopsy photos right next to it, leaving no doubt that it was the same girl as in the first picture. "With you!" She finished, stabbing her finger at Kyle's clearly visible face as he helped the girl out of his car.

This was the moment. She didn't know how he would react. This was why she was confronting him. Would he brood over the fact that his scheme had been revealed? Would he laugh and mock her over how she had believed him so long? Would he get angry? …Violent?

She was mindful that Kyle was a violent killer, despite what she might have felt about him before, and a consummate liar, who had maintained a convincing facade this whole time. Confronting him was probably a stupid idea, but Andrea had to. She needed to hear the truth from him herself.

Kyle peered at the photos. There was one thing that he had better not do…

"Wow, that's crazy," he said. "What are the odds that they would look s–"

"Don't you dare!" snarled Andrea. "Don't you dare tell me that it's a coincidence, you lying son-of-a-bitch."

"It's the truth," Kyle protested. He gestured at the photos. "They look similar, but they're not the same person. This is Beatrix and this is Triss, and–"

"There is no Triss! You made her up, Kyle, and you didn't even try to hide it! You must think I'm so stupid!"

"Of course I don't. I–"

"You didn't even bother to come up with a new name for her! Triss… Beatrix…? What's the matter, Kyle, are you only good at coming up with nicknames? Can't you invent a more convincing imaginary girlfriend?!"

"I didn't invent her, Triss is–"

"Triss is Beatrix!" Andrea yelled. "You said you never met her, but there she is with you! There she is in your car. I saw her glasses there. She was found in your bed Kyle. So what happened? Was the foraging story true? Did you take her out to the woods for a date before you took her home to kill her?"

"I didn't kill her!" Kyle said angrily, getting to his feet. "I never even met her!"

"Bullshit!" yelled Andrea, poking Kyle in the chest with an accusing finger. "You're the boyfriend the cops have been looking for, the mysterious one no one could find! Beatrix's roommate told them so."

"Oh, so she said Beatrix was dating 'Kyle Wynn,' did she?" Kyle asked mockingly.

Andrea couldn't believe he was still trying to brazen this out. "Yes! Kyle the big — city — lawyer!" she said, jabbing Kyle with each word. "Are you going to tell me that it was someone else? That it was 'just a coincidence'?"

Kyle's anger faded, to be replaced once again with a look of confusion. Was he trying to play for time to come up with another story?

"How could that… she has to be lying… she has to be!" he said.

Andrea had to admire his acting skills. There sounded like genuine panic in his voice.

"What possible reason would she have for doing that?" she said.

"I don't know!" Kyle rubbed his forehead and ran his hands back through his hair. "Maybe she's in on it… the conspiracy! Andrea, you know that someone is trying to set me up, maybe they paid her—or bribed her—or threatened her!— to lie to the police!"

Andrea shook her head. "Do you even hear yourself, Kyle? What was it you said? 'They all say it was a coincidence, they all say they were set up'? Why not be original? Why don't you man up and stop lying for once!"

"I'm not lying!" Kyle shouted.

"You're ALWAYS lying!" Andrea shouted back. "You've done nothing BUT lie since I made the mistake of walking in here."

"I'm not, I–"

"You lied to get me here in the first place!"

"Okay, but–"

"You lied to get me to take the case!"

"No, see–"

"You lied that you never met Beatrix! You lied about Triss!"

"I didn't–"

"You lied about killing her!"

"Andrea, LISTEN TO ME!" Kyle shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Andrea threw his hands off her and shoved him away before bringing her fist down onto the duress button.

A harsh alarm sounded.

The two of them froze. Andrea standing with her face hard, her fist clenched and trembling, one hand still holding the duress button. Kyle standing just out of reach, his arms half extended but empty.

His face a mask of confusion and betrayal.

Neither of them moved for the seconds it took for the guard to unlock the door and hustle Andrea out of the room.

"Andi…" Kyle called out after her.

The door slammed shut behind her.