The feeling of being woke up in the middle of a sleep cycle is one Greg was all to familiar with. Most every night for Greg is spent either falling asleep in front of a laptop, laying in bed tossing and turning or being woken up to the ringtone of a cell phone. Greg was too obsessed with work and success to let any work related issue go unaddressed until morning. It doesn't matter what time of the night the chime rang in, Greg would address whatever task it was coming through regardless of how urgent it was at that moment. The early bird always gets the worm. But he who never sleeps rules all of the other birds.
This moment was no different with one exception. It was a detective shaking him vigorously in an attempt to wake him rather than a dinging electronic device going off in the middle of the night. The detective was a short, nicely dressed man (although inexpensive clothes). He reeked of cologne and was a short man with a Robert Deniro sort of attitude. He introduced himself as Detective Barry. Detective Barry told Greg he was not able to see the judge yet because he was too intoxicated. This seemed a distant possibility to Greg as he felt fine. He no longer had a headache and was very hungry. But having never been a drinker or one to end up in jail Greg trusted the department's orders. The detective asked Greg if he would be willing to answer a few questions. Greg obliged, knowing full well whatever he was in there for couldn't have been too serious if they were going to let him go once he saw the judge. Greg was slowly led down the hall through a large commons area and down another back hall to a room with windows on all sides except one. It was at that very moment Greg had the realization as to just what was going on. Greg was instantly hit with that feeling you get when you start to catch up with gravity on a roller coaster heading down from the crest of each peak. When your stomach tries zooming up your esophagus at the speed of light. Shortly after he started to experience a taste in the back of his mouth. The dripping. The taste of fear. The taste you get moments before you are about to vomit. He fought back the feeling. Swallowing repeatedly. Detective Barry, having noticed this asked Greg if he wanted some water, ".....or maybe a drink, you seem to be pretty good at that." Greg had seen enough episodes of Criminal Minds to know just what was happening, why he wasn't able to see the judge, why he was being escorted by two officers and two detectives and why they were entering a windowed room. Greg was not able to see out of this room while inside. Only in from out. This Detective Barry as he called himself was about to sit down Greg and question him like some criminal. And Greg could tell by Detective Barry's smart ass attitude from the beginning this wasn't going to be a pleasant line of questioning. This was no witness report. Greg was viewed as a perpetrator not a bystander. And from the initial second of realization, Greg's mind started to wander and wonder within itself just what it was he could have done. He sat down in the iron chair immediately upon being told to do so.
They wasted no time.
"How did you end up intoxicated and passed out asleep in your car at Sunset Bluffs?" - barked Detective Barry.
"Um-I-I-have no idea."- stuttered Greg. I can't remember anything beyond sitting up to the bar and having a shot. I have no idea"
"Do you mean to tell me you strolled in to Carl's, had a shot and don't remember anything after that?"
Greg was immediately apprehensive and distrusting knowing he had not told the detectives he had been to Carl's. How could they have known this?
"No!"- exclaimed Greg - "NO! I don't remember anything."
Detective Barry not buying a word of it further questioned him.
"Maybe you can tell us how you ended up with a 9mm hand gun registered to James Richards and why it was sitting on your seat......with an empty clip."
Greg was overcome with fear and confusion and distress. At that moment he asked if he could go to the bathroom. "I feel like I going to puke" he said. He was handed a garbage can and told to stay where he was.
Greg vomited for what felt like 15 minutes.
He now knew without doubt he was in trouble and he was overcome with sense of desperation and a feeling of hopelessness like he had never experienced prior.
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