Chapter 4 4.The Interrogation.

The next day she woke up earlier than usual,not because she wanted to but she had to,she wanted to arrive to work early and Alex's place was a bit far from her work place.She kissed him goodbye and asked his driver to take her since she didn't have her car with her.

Reaching the office earlier than normal,she expected it to be empty and quiet but was surprised to find workers already flooding it.Others discussed in voices above whispers while others moved up and down with papers in hands.It was a ruckus.She went straight to her office and found Alma already on her desk.

"Good morning Alma"she greeted with a smile.

Lifting up her gaze Alma extended the same courtesy and returned the greeting with same energy "Good morning miss,i hope you had a peaceful night?"

"Thankfully i did and an even better morning after knowing your concerned about me"she joked.

"Of course i do"she replied with a bit of a frown.Ali saw Alma as a little sister even though she was younger by only a year.Alma also the same loved Ali like her own blood,she knew her well,some take Ali as a spoiled kid but Alma knew a responsible lady who earned what she has through hard work maybe in a more cosy environment but she still worked and the heart she carried with her weighed more than all diamonds and gold in the world combined together.She was indeed a beautiful soul.

As she was about to reach for her office door Alma's sweet voice halted her steps though what she said was rather shocking than sweet.

"Before i forget,detective Martin asked to see you at the station today if that's okay with you.He said he won't take much of your time. And asked to meet at one pm sharp .

At that moment she felt as though the whole world stopped and found it difficult to breath.Her words were like a punch in the gut.Her palms got all sweaty and her knees were now weak.She couldn't stand straight and she knew her legs would give out if she kept standing so without saying a word she opened her office door and went inside.Alma thought it was strange but didn't give much thought to it.In her office Ali slumped down the comfortable leather chair but felt like she was sitting on hot lava.

So many questions on her mind.Was she the only one summoned or was this just a normal routine and every worker will report to the station.And if the former is correct,that means she may have been marked as a prime suspect.The detective did say he'll be in touch,it must be because she failed to answer that darn question.She couldn't concentrate on her work now,she needed someone to give her reassurance and she knew just who would.

Dialing up a number she now knew by heart Ali called her best friend Claudia,she was on a business trip,a lawyer who was good at her work.She and Claudia go way back in college days.They shared some courses and whenever it was the period they both shared,they found themselves sitting not far from each other . Ali took a liking on her and when she knew that she was a bright student she used that chance to befriend her by asking for tutoring.At first Claudia rejected her but no one can reject Ali's charm and her pestering so she gave in eventually and they became friends up to date.

She had a long convo with Claudia or Claudie as she liked to call her saying it was cool but which infuriated Claudia to the bones who wanted to rip her head off.As she thought,Claudia did give her the assurance she needed,she told her to put on confidence head to the station and answer every question per their demands.The ones she thinks are invasive she may choose not to answer until she was with her lawyer.She went on rambling about other law related things which she didn't pay attention to and zoned out because she didn't understand a word she said.She ended the call after finishing with her and decided it was time to start her journey to the station.Giving herself one last pep talk she walked out with confident strides.

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Reaching the station,she parked her car and went inside,she looked for a reception desk and found a woman sitting there chewing bubblegum with a bored expression and a magazine in hands.'Didn't know they were allowed that here' she thought.

"Excuse me miss,am looking for detective Martin"she asked politely.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but he told my secretary that he'll be expecting me"she said.

Her eyes lit up as realization dawned her and she asked "are you miss Jeffery?"

"yes i am"

"Go down this hall the last office to the right that's his,he's with a guest now but you can just knock to inform him of your presence"the officer instructed.

she thanked her and followed the instructions

Reaching the told office,she wanted to knock on the door but the conversation behind it piqued her interest.

"........the boss hates unfinished work,so make sure you deal with this one effectively,we already finished our part, finish yours and we'll finish the rest"

she didn't understand anything the man said,well the words were clear but she didn't get the context,she was lost in thoughts for some seconds but recovered and knocked on the door,a voice rang out telling her to give them a second one she recognized as the detective's but after that she didn't hear anything as they talked in hushed tones.Soon a man came out and gave her a brief look.To say she was intimidated would be an understatement,he terrified the sh*t out of her,he was a big bulky man covered in tattoos as she could see them peeking out from where his shirt didn't cover.The one which caught her eyes though was the one on the right side of his neck, it was a snake with it's mouth wide open that it's tongue could be seen, she didn't like snakes so that image terrified her.She couldn't see the man's face since he was wearing a cap and she was too engrossed with the tattoos.

"You can come In miss Jeffery"the detective broke her chain of thoughts.Though she wasn't one to judge by looks and appearance, she couldn't help but wonder why a detective like him would be involved with someone like him.The man looked like he's one step to prison and his aura emitted danger.

"Hello detective,i heard you wanted to see me"

"that's right miss Jeffery,if you'd please let me escort you to the interrogation room"

"What?!Alina was stunned, he was treating her like a criminal."am not a criminal why would you take me to that room?"

"If you'd please stop getting defensive miss, this is part of the procedure and you have nothing to worry about if your conscience is clear"he said in an irritated voice.Not wanting to cause a scene she complied with the detective.

"Now,we both know what you're here for miss Jeffery and if you don't remember i'll help refresh your memory,where were you at the exact day and time of the incident that is Thursday between three and four pm."

she took some minutes as if registering his words then calmly replied

"Am sorry detective but some questions are just very personal,am afraid i can't disclose such information"

He slammed his hand on the metal table causing it to release a harsh sound and spoke in a voice laced with anger that made Alina flinch."you will have to miss as long as it's a matter of the national security and a company's reputation which if i know correctly it's your family's.

Alina recovered quickly from her shock and leaned further forward so their faces were closer but not close enough to feel his breath placed her elbows on the table and supported her chin with the back of her entwined fingers she asked "what are you insinuating detective,that i have something to do with the misfortune that my own company is going through?"

"I.don't.know.you.tell.me,"he stressed out each word in gritted teeth.Alina didn't want to sit there and defend her innocence to him,it's going to be pointless anyway even if she tried so she decided to not press into the matter more.Pushing back her chair which gave out a screeching sound making the detective to wince with clenched teeth,she stood up arrogantly and said "if that is all detective am not going to waste both our time engaging in this futile conversation,for any other 'interrogation' please feel free to contact my lawyer.She slid a business card to him and started towards the door but his words rooted her to her spot

"That attitude of yours,Alina Jeffery won't be for long,a day will come where i'll be doing the talking'

although his words did something to her nerves she still kept a confident front and asked him"is that a threat detective?"

"No no miss take that as warning for not wanting to co-operate with the law.She looked at him over her shoulder and replied with a 'good day detective' then went away leaving whiffs of her expensive perfume as evidence of her previous presence however,she left an enraged detective inside the room who threw a chair to express his fury and swore to have her behind bars.

She went out the station in quick angry strides.They did more arguing than talking like civilized.She was left more worried now, she knows she's doomed for sure now that she refused to give an alibi so she decided to head to the place which confined HER, it got her into the trouble she's in but what she does is worth it...............