Blindsided 27

The next day

“Interview continued at four fourteen pm. In attendance. Myself, Detective Munroe, my colleague Detective Henry and the defendant. For the record, the defendant has decided to forgo his right to an attorney," Detective Munroe said before nodding at Robbie across the table. "Can you please state your name for the record,”

“Robbie Thteven Owen,” Robbie mumbled as he struggled to hold back the tears.

“Where are the diamonds? Mr. Owen,” Detective Henry firmly asked, getting straight to the point.

“I’ve already told you,” Robbie shot back. “I don’t know anything about any diamondth!”

Detective Henry smiled. “I find that hard to believe, Mr. Owen. You impersonate a hotel employee to get close to the owner of one of the biggest diamond dealerships in the world. Drug him and expect us to believe you knew nothing about the robbery? Sounds a bit far-fetched, don’t you think?”

“I wath poithoned!” Robbie exclaimed. “I had to work there and go out with him. I did it to get the anthidote.”

“So, you admit to stealing the diamonds?” Detective Munroe asked, jumping into the conversation.

Robbie closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No! that'th not what I thaid. I didn’t thteal any diamondth!”

“But you did drug Mr Hemingsworth in his hotel room?” Detective Munroe shot back.

“I wath told it wath thleeping powder,” Robbie replied. “I didn’t want to thleep with him.”

“Who told you it was sleeping powder, Mr. Owen?” Detective Henry asked before narrowing his brow and staring menacingly over the table.

“Jimmy!” Robbie exclaimed. “Jimmy told me.”

Pausing for a second, Detective Henry consulted his notes. “How did you meet this Jimmy? He asked while clicking his pen.

“Agatha made me meet him in a bar. Thhe wath controlling him too. Thhe kidnapped hith dog, Rover!” Robbie said, realising how crazy he sounded as he saw Detective Munroe give Detective Henry a look. “It’th the truth. You have to believe me, pleathe.”

“Try to calm down, Mr. Owen,” Detective Henry calmly said. “We’re all here to get to the truth. So, let’s go back to last night, shall we? You seduced Mr. Hemingsworth and convinced him to let you into his room before...”

“I didn’t theduthe him,” Robbie said, interrupting the detective’s flow.

“So, Mr. Hemingsworth didn’t tell you he wanted an early night?” Detective Henry said while reading through his notes. “You didn’t kiss the victim and ask him for a nightcap?”

“I… I…” Robbie mumbled as a tear ran down his cheek.

“As I was saying. You seduced Mr. Hemingsworth and convinced him to let you into his room. Things got heated, and you took him to the bedroom. A bottle of wine was opened, and you slipped in what you thought was sleeping powder. Does this sound correct so far?”

Robbie nodded his head and shuffled his pantyhosed legs under the table.

“Mr. Hemingsworth then falls unconscious. What happened next?” Detective Henry asked.

“It wath tho thudden. He jutht collapthed onto the floor. The thound wath tho loud that I panicked and called Jimmy” Robbie frantically answered.

“Please, continue Mr. Owen,” Detective Munroe said while nodding his head. “What happened next?”

“Jimmy came to the room, and I let him in,” The crossdressed man said while bowing his head in shame. “He thaid that I had given Jameth too muth of the thleeping powder and that I needed to keep an eye on him while he cleared away any evidenthe.”

“And you didn’t find this strange or suspicious?” Detective Munroe asked while tilting his head to one side.

“I wath thcared!" Robbie sniffled. "I panicked and did what he athked. When I came out of the room ten minuteth later, he wath gone!"

“That’s when you called the ambulance?” Detective Munroe asked.

“Yeth,” Robbie mumbled, suddenly realising that he had never told Jimmy the room number, but he had found the room anyway. “Wait a minute!" he shrieked. “It wath him! he mutht have done it!”

“Done what, Mr. Owen?” Detective Henry asked.

“Taken the diamondth!” He screamed. “It mutht have been him. He knew where I wath without me telling him. And he took all the evidenthe. The earpiethe, the appleth!”

Silence fell upon the room after the outburst. The only sound to be heard was Detective Henry adding to his notes. “You don’t belieth me!” Robbie exclaimed loudly. “Pleathe, It’th the truth you have to believe me. Thothe crazy people did thith to me. They turned me into a freak!”

“I think it's time we took a break,” Detective Munroe announced, seeing Robbie in distress. “Interview terminated at four twenty-two pm.”

“I wath poithoned!” Robbie shouted towards the two detectives as they stood up. “They made me look like a thlut. Pleathe, you can’t leave me like thith. I’m a man! I need thome male clotheth. I need you to help me!”

Shaking his head, Detective Munroe turned to look at the panda-eyed sissy across the table. “Your blood work came back clean, Mr. Owen. You weren’t poisoned. We also looked into the beauty salon you claim did all these procedures to you. All we found was an empty, boarded-up lot. According to the security guard on duty. It’s been empty for months.”

Falling into stunned silence, Robbie stared at Detective Munroe in disbelief. Nodding, the man looked at his partner before they both stepped out of the room to leave Robbie in a state of shock.

(See image 36)

In the corridor outside the interview room, Detective Munroe stopped before turning to look at his partner. “So, what do you make of that?” He asked, shaking his head.

“Got ourselves a crazy one, I reckon,” Detective Henry replied while closing his notebook. “We should get someone in to assess him.”

“Yeah, I agree, but that’s one hell of a story, right?” Detective Munroe shot back while scratching his head. “If it’s all the ranting of a looney, where are the diamonds?”

“Hmm… you got me there, partner,” Detective Henry answered while stroking his beard. “But diamonds or no diamonds, you don’t actually believe his story, do you? You’re telling me someone abducted him and changed his body to look like a woman to coerce him into the biggest diamond heist of the century? I don't have all the answers here, but that’s just insane!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Detective Munroe replied before chuckling loudly. “Call the shrinks in and get in touch with his next of kin. We’ll take another look at things once the report comes back.”