You are sitting in an interrogation room. An hour ago, you were brought here by the police, suspected of murdering your ex-girlfriend Amanda. You have been sitting here, your hands cuffed to the table, since you got to the station.
The door opens. An older man in a loose fitting police uniform walks in. He flops a manilla file on the table in front of you and sits down in a chair across from you. "Sorry for the wait, kid," he says as he takes off his hat to run his fingers through his silver hair.
Either he's being casual to make you feel more comfortable, or he's letting you stew. What do you do?
<img src="assets/interrogation room.jpg">\
You are sitting in an interrogation room. An hour ago, you were brought here by the police, suspected of murdering your ex-girlfriend Amanda. You have been sitting here, your hands cuffed to the table, since you got to the station.
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The door opens. An older man in a loose fitting police uniform walks in. He flops a manilla file on the table in front of you and sits down in a chair across from you. "Sorry for the wait, kid," he says as he takes off his hat to run his fingers through his silver hair.
Either he's being casual to make you feel more comfortable, or he's letting you stew. What do you do?
[[Shoot up and declare your innocence->Path 1]]
[[Try to remain calm by leaning back into your seat and not looking right at him->Path 2]]
[[References->References]]
You stand up as far as you can with your hands cuffed and tell the interrogator you're innocent. He remains seated, but puts up his hands. "Woah, easy kid, you're just a suspect right now. If you're innocent, just play along, you'll be outta here in no time," he says slowly, gesturing for you to sit back down. Though hesitant, you do what he says. He opens up the manilla file, revealing a small stack of papers with a picture of you clipped on at the top. "Now, I'm gonna ask you a few questions. Where were you on the night of the murder?"
[[In my car->Path 2.2]]
[[At home, eating pizza->Path 1.2]] The interrogator squints slightly at your refusal to look him in the eye. "I know you're nervous, but if you just answer a few questions, we'll have you outta here in no time." He reached over and opened the manilla file on the table. Inside was a small stack of papers with your picture clipped on at the top. "Now, where were you on the night of the murder?"
[[In my car->Path 2.2]]
[[At home, eating pizza->Path 1.2]] You bend your head down to rub your eyes before looking back up and explaining that you were in your car, driving around. It's a method you use when you have trouble sleeping at night. The interrogator rhythmically taps two fingers on the table. "Uh huh," he says slowly, looking down at your file. "Not much of an alibi, sorry to say. Especially since a car matching the description of the one we found at your house was seen outside Amanda's home that night."
Uh oh.
[[Demand to know where your lawyer is->Path 1.3]]
[[Stay quiet and play along->Path 2.3]]<img src="assets/pizza.jpeg">\
Without missing a beat, you explain that on that night, you ordered a medium hand tossed peperoni from Joe n' Jane's Pizzeria, and that they have your order on their computer.
The interrogator nods as he strokes his goatee. He reaches down to his belt and grabs a walkie-talkie. "You get all that?" he asks.
"We're sending someone over now," comes the voice from the other end. He puts down the walkie-talkie. "Well, while they're handling that, let's continue the questions."
[[Demand to know where your lawyer is->Path 1.3]]
[[Remain quiet and see how this plays out->Path 2.3]] Thoroughly fed up with your situation, you lean forward and point directly at your interrogator right between his half lidded eyes. You demand to know why your lawyer isn't here yet. The interrogator doesn't waver. "Ya mind sitting down?" he asks. "Your lawyer's caught in traffic. Some moron T-boned a semi, and now the whole freeway's backed up to nonsense."
Regardless if you believe him or not, the fact is that your lawyer isn't coming, so you sit down. "Now," the interrogator continues. "When was the last time you saw Amanda Beatrice?"
[[The night before the murder->Path 1.4]]
[[The day you broke up->Path 2.4]]
You go quiet again, feeling your hands begin to sweat as you rub them together. The interrogator has noticed this, and sits just a bit more upright. "From what I understand, you and the victim used to be an item. So when was the last time you saw Amanda?"
[[The night before the murder->Path 1.4]]
[[The day you broke up->Path 2.4]]You summon up the remaining reserves of calm in your body before continuing. Your break up with Amanda was a less than ideal conversation. After a few months of trying to move on, you received a call from Amanda, who wished to talk with you. So, the night before she was murdered, you stopped by her house. While your relationship was still over, Amanda was remorseful that she didn't end things more peacefully between you. You made up, had some drinks, and left as friends. The following morning, you turned on the news to find she had been murdered.
The interrogator has now sat up, and has listened intently to your story. "Okay," he says. "All in all, you've been upfront with me, your alibi checks out, and the pickup found outside Amanda's house the night of the murder doesn't match yours. So, I'm not seeing much reason to keep on holdin you." He places the keys to your cuffs on the table. You're out of his crosshairs, but he's not done with you yet. "Before you go, do you have any idea who might've killed Amanda?"
[[Ask about the pickup->Path 1.5]]
You explain that you hadn't seen or heard from Amanda since the day you broke up two months ago. The break up was an explosive one, so you decided to distance yourself from her.
Now the interrogator has rested his hands on the desk, clasped together. He's looking you in the eye. This can't be good. "That's funny," he says. "Because that still doesn't explain what your car was doing outside Amanda's house the night she died. Between that and your shaky alibi, not to mention your cold sweat and refusal to look me in the eye, you're not looking good here, kiddo."
He's played you like a violin.
[[Confess->Path 2.5]]
The interrogator's steel gaze tells you that there's no getting out of it this time. You break down and confess your guilt. You spent the months following your break up with Amanda stewing in your anger and feelings of betrayal, until one night, after having one too many beers, you went to her house and murdered her in a fit of passion.
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The interrogator stands up and removes the clamps holding your cuffs to the table. "Now see, was that so hard?" he asks before nodding at the two way mirror. Two more cops walk in and grab you by both arms. You are led out.
<img src="assets/handcuffs.jpg">\
Who are you? Guilty.The type of car the interrogator said was outside Amanda's house strike a chord with you. You ask to see a picture of this truck.
"Sure thing," says the interrogator, who slips out a crime scene photo from the folder. It's a picture of the pickup truck, an old, rusty clunker colored faded blue that's immediately recognizeable to you. "Car was empty of anything identifiable. You recognize it?"
You explain that this is the exact car used by Amanda's father, Gerald. The two never got along, and while it never got physical, Gerald often threatened to beat her whenever she spoke out of turn.
The interrogator watches you as your explain. Once finished, he grabs the keys and unlocks your cuffs. "Then maybe we need to pay Mr. Beatrice a visit. Thanks for your help." You stand up, shake the officer's hand, and leave the interrogation room. Whatever comes next, your part in this investigation is over.
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Who are you? Innocent.Senter, D. (N.A). Interrogation room. Retrieved from davesenter.artstation.com
N.A. (2014). Wood, Door. On Series 9000 Open and Close. [Medium of recording: mp3]. Location: N.A.
Greenwood, M. (2016). pepperoni pizza. Retrieved from Getty Images.
Jackson, Brian A. (N.A). Arrested Man With Handcuffs Behind Back. Retrieved from shutterstock.com
N.A. (2014). Handcuffs, Close. On Series 9000 Open and Close. [Medium of recording: mp3]. Location: N.A
N.A. (2014). Wood, door, swinging. On Series 9000 Open and Close. [Medium of recording: mp3]. Location: N.A
You are sitting in an interrogation room. An hour ago, you were brought here by the police, suspected of murdering your ex-girlfriend Amanda. You have been sitting here, your hands cuffed to the table, since you got to the station.