Obscure Truth

Catching a lie doesn't tell me the truth behind it. Some lies conceal too many possibilities. I have a lie detecting superpower. But this wasn't enough. I couldn't save my mother and sister from getting killed. I couldn't save myself from the grief the truth caused.

It was a cold and dreary evening as I threw my police uniform over my head and swung the rotary dial on my desk phone. Rain poured outside and people scattered. I quickly alerted my fellow officers of the emergency at hand. I slammed the door and ran as fast as I could across the cobblestone streets. I had been trained for this. Slipping on these wet streets was the least of my worries.

"Darling..my ..my husband," stuttered the landlady while holding onto her door frame for dear life reaching out for my hand.

Boom. I whipped my head across my right shoulder. A gunshot. The faint oil-lit lamps revealed a figure darting across the roofs nearby. I nodded to my fellow colleagues who had just arrived. I grabbed onto the nearby window and hauled myself onto the roof. The tiles were slick with rain and mice skittered around underneath me. I kept my eyes focused on the target until he jumped off the side.

"That won't fool me," I muttered underneath my breath and jumped off onto the ground. He had continued climbing up the next building. That was when I saw a second figure cross me and run across the street. I paused. Was this a trap? I shook off that thought and climbed up the side of the building. Grabbing onto a pike, I somehow managed to pull the culprit down to the ground. I was surprised. He hadn't even resisted. How could he not manage to escape my grip but outrun every single police officer?

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used or held against you in court," I stated firmly as I secured the handcuffs.

"I.. am not your culprit. It.. was the other guy," he lied while panting heavily.

"I am no amateur. I've been trained to detect lies from a mile away," I argued, irritated by his blatant lies. I took out my walkie talkie and informed my squad about my whereabouts. I couldn't let this scumbag get the best of me.

Hours later, I sat outside the courtroom. Lightning bolts lit up the sky. I sighed. The weather had only become worse.

"Officer Anne and Officer Clair are to interrogate the suspect. He seems rather...stubborn," concluded the captain, closing the door behind him softly.

I nodded and walked into the adjoining room. I stood across from the culprit with Officer Clair at my side. "Are you working for the Phantom rebellion?" I asked quietly.

"No," he lied.

I slammed my hand on the desk and shouted, "Do not try lying to me."

"Relax, Anne. We have no evidence of him lying. I understand your personal revenge towards the Phantom rebellion but we can't go around accusing everyone for having helped with the terrible incident," Clair said as she put her hand on Anne's shoulder.

I ignored Clair and continued, "Did you have anything to do with the bombing of the train station?"

"It was a terrible incident. Many innocent lives were lost. But once again I don't work for the Phantom rebellion and I didn't have anything to do with the bombing," he lied once again.

Rage filled inside me. I grabbed the cuff of his shirt and pushed him towards the wall and yelled, "Filthy scumbag. Don't dare lie about having killed all those innocent lives."

The rain poured and lightning bolts flashed outside. I sat outside the courtroom once again waiting to hear the decision. I stared at my shaking hands. How could I be so ignorant? Nobody would believe that I had a lie-detecting ability. Nobody cared enough as much as I did to destroy the lives of those who took away my family.

"Officer Anne. If you have now calmed down, I will inform you of the decision. The man has been released. He didn't have a murder weapon on him and didn't match the descriptions from any of our witnesses. He claims that you chased after the wrong person and that the real culprit had run across the street. Did this event occur?" asked Officer Clair. I nodded but kept my mouth shut. Yelling wouldn't do me any good now.

"As for you, you will be taking a month break from the station to reassess your temper and emotions. I understand it must be difficult after having lost your family due to Phantom's rebellion but we can't have such uncalled for behavior towards suspects," continued Officer Claire before handing Anne a packet. I clenched my fists. Once again my superpower had failed me. I looked through the window of the courtroom. The murderer started back at me with a cruel smile. This guy was no amateur. He was trained. And yet we fell for his act every single time.

I spent the next three weeks at home. I had become more frustrated and depressed than ever. This murderer for the Phantom had been right underneath our noses and yet he still had managed to escape.

"I'm trying," I whispered, choked by tears. I touched one of my family pictures. I stared at my sister's bright blue eyes and my mother's golden hair. I had never met my father. I had no family left.

The next day I headed to the police station and managed to collect some information about the suspect from Clair. I had to learn to take advantage of my superpower. I had to make him believe that I could read his mind. He wouldn't be able to see through my lies. I was the only one with this superpower.

The next day, I decided to pay him a visit to make sure the information I had been given was checked out.

"Oh look what we have here. The officer with a personal revenge against the Phantom rebellion," he chuckled as he opened the door to his apartment. I automatically took a visual picture of him. Black hair, blue eyes, piercing gaze, strong jawline all matched the description from the station. I had the right man.

"If you're here to make me slip up, let me tell you," he paused leaning backwards to look her in the eye, "I am no amateur like you." I rolled my eyes. I had all the information I needed but I couldn't help but interrogate him for more.

"Are you in complete support of your leader? After all, I know there must be a healthy amount of backstabbing," I asked, ignoring his snide remarks.

He raised his eyebrows and asked, "Are you here for your second interrogation? I have no reason to comply since you aren't a police officer with a warrant." He winked and entered his apartment.

"Just answer the question," I responded harshly. I had no time for his games.

"Hm? But I am innocent," he lied nonchalantly.

"Don't even try lying. Just because I don't have my uniform on doesn't mean I can't file a report on you," I argued. I should have known better. He was no amateur.

"Well, I should be telling you the same thing. After that stunt you pulled, nobody in their right mind would believe you. If anything, I can file a report about you bothering me," he stated, raising an eyebrow at me."

"That is true," I admitted, trying to act defeated. I couldn't get anything out of him so instead I needed him to believe I had given up. I had to play the role of a defeated amateur.

I pulled the bandana up to the bridge of my nose and tucked in the small tuft of hair behind my ears. The night sky was clear and the full moon shone brightly. I smiled. Great weather for my little visit.

I walked briskly across the cobblestone streets towards his apartment. My hands started to shake inside my pockets. I knew he was no amateur. This plan could risk getting me in jail.

Click. I opened the hatch to his window easily and climbed inside. He was facing the opposite direction. I quickly thrust a cloth in his mouth, blindfolded his eyes, and tied his hands behind the chair. I could feel my heart beating fast.

"I am going to let go. Do not scream," I whispered, backing up slowly. I silently pressed a button on my walkie talkie.

He smirked. "You must not know who I am. You're the one who should be screaming."

"Are you scared?" I asked quietly.

"No," he lied without hesitation. He truly did know how to act. Without my superpower, he would have fooled me easily.

After a quick search through his desk, I found a picture of a lady with the word ‘second’ underneath. I smirked. This was what I needed to scare him and make him believe I could read his mind. I grabbed onto both of the arms on his chairs.

"Don't lie to me, darling. I can see every single deep and dark secret hidden in your mind," I whispered, "Answer me truthfully and those dark secrets will stay hidden in that black box. Oh and also your second wife. She shall also be paid a visit." I saw his hands glistening with sweat. I had done my job.

I was up late into the night compiling all the evidence together. My little interview had taken over an hour and I couldn't waste any more time. The evidence I had collected needed to be delivered today before the murderer managed to escape. I slipped my hands into my black police gloves. I couldn't risk getting any fingerprints on the evidence. None of my activities had been legal.

I tightly wrapped my coat around me and hustled towards the police station. I slipped the packet of evidence underneath the back door and rolled behind the trash can. Being a police officer before doing illegal activities had its perks. I knew where all the cameras were hidden.

I headed to the police station the next day. My month of break had officially been over and I was curious as to whether he had been arrested yet.

"Anne! You're back!" shouted Claire with joy embracing me in a hug. "You're not going to believe what happened last night!" I smiled. Maybe taking a break from being a police officer hadn't been such a bad thing. It had opened my eyes to how little us officers could accomplish doing only legal interrogations.

I sat outside the courtroom and stared outside at the bleak afternoon weather. I scrunched my eyebrows and clenched onto the ends of my coat. It had been hours since the trial had started. What had happened?

"Hey Anne. Why don't you get your friend Claire? There has been a recent discovery and I think it will be a lot for you to process," stated the officer solemnly as he clicked the door shut behind him.

I walked into the courtroom, feeling cautious. What was this discovery? I scanned the entire courtroom. My eyes stopped at the murderer. Just staring at his face made me angry. How could he smile with all the blood on his hands? I took a deep breath. There was no way I could make the same mistake twice.

"Anne isn't it? I have something to tell you. And since you seem to be able to distinguish lies easily, you will be able to tell I am telling the truth," he chuckled, opening his arms wide. "Come to papa."

I have revisited the idea of having my lie detecting superpower many times. Was it an actual advantage? Lies conceal too many truths and of those truths we decide to pick and choose which are true based on our wants. In reality, the actual truth is our biggest nightmare.