Once Bitten Read Free Page A

letter D?”
    “Detroit, Dallas, Durham.”
    “Durham?”
    “Yeah, Durham. It's in England.”
    “I know, it's just a strange city to think of, that's all.”
    She shrugged.
    “Have you been there?” I asked.
    “Oh, sure,” she sighed, and I wasn't sure if she was joking or not.
    “What's your favourite food?”
    “Are you hitting on me?” she said coyly.
    “No,” I said.
    “Lasagna. What's the point of these questions?”
    “They help me assess your state of mind. What was the last film you saw?”
    She looked up at the ceiling, thinking. There was dried blood on the underside of her chin, a thin streak as if she'd run a bloody finger gently along it and left behind a trail. She lowered her eyes and caught me staring at her neck. “TV or movie?” she asked.
    “Doesn't matter.”
    “Casablanca.”
    “What's your favourite colour?”
    She looked down at her gown. “Well it shitfire sure ain't grey,” she said. "Black, maybe. Yeah,
    I like black."
    “Which weighs the most - a pound of coal or a pound of feathers?”
    “Shoot, Jamie, we did that one at school. They're the same.”
    “Which would you rather have, a dog or a cat?”
    “Neither.”
    “You don't like animals?”
    She shrugged. “Don't like, don't dislike. Neutral.”
    “Do you know why you're here?”
    “Yes.”
    I waited but she didn't expand on her answer, she just sat back and looked at me.
    “Will you tell me why you think you're here?”
    “They, like, think I killed a man.”
    “And did you?”
    “Are you a psychologist or a detective?”
    “Fair point,” I replied. “How do you feel?”
    “About being here?” I nod. “Scared, I guess. Confused. A bit, like, angry. Yeah, angry, for sure.”
    “Why haven't you asked for a lawyer?”
    “I haven't done anything wrong, that's for sure.”
    I asked her a few more general knowledge and current affairs questions and then I switched off the tape recorder and put my pen in the inside pocket of my jacket. “OK, Terry. That's it. I told you it'd be painless.”
    “Is that all?”
    “That's the first bit over.” I picked up my briefcase, opened it and took out my portable computer. She watched as I flicked up the screen and powered it up. The disc whined and the orange screen flickered into life. It asked me for my password and I typed in “Deborah” and I made a mental note to change it because her name brought back too many memories.
    “OK,” I said. I moved my chair next to her's and swivelled the computer round so that we could both see the screen. I looked up at the guard and asked her if she'd take the cuffs off Terry.
    “I'll have to check,” she said and went out, to look for De'Ath I guess and to get his blessing.
    “You really should ask for a lawyer,” I said to Terry.
    She shrugged. “I haven't done anything,” she said. "I mean, like, it's their problem, not mine,
    you know? Their mistake. I'll be back on the streets before you know it. I'm cool, you know?"
    “I can recommend a good lawyer. If you change your mind.”
    She smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Jamie. But no thanks.”
    The guard came back with two uniformed officers, which I reckoned was piling it on a bit thick because the girl was showing no signs of aggression and she certainly wasn't on Angel Dust or anything else that was going to give her the strength of ten men, or even one. One of the men stood by the door, his hand on the gun in his holster. The female guard unlocked Terry's handcuffs while the second man went and stood behind us.
    Terry massaged her wrists.
    “Better?” I asked.
    “Yeah, thanks. What do you want me to do?”
    “OK, this is just another test, just like the questions I asked you before, except this time they're on this screen. All you have to do is to make choices.”
    “Multiple choice questions?”
    “That's right, just like you did at High School. Each question will give you a choice of two answers, yes or no. You use the mouse to indicate your choice.” I