FAKE Ficlet: Confession

[badly_knitted]

 


Title: Confession
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, OCs.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: Dee and Ryo weren’t expecting to get a confession from the first person they spoke to.
Word Count: 643
Written Using: The dw100 prompt ‘Admission’.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
 


 
“Yes!” the bent little old lady cried the moment she opened her door and saw the two detectives standing in the hallway, holding up their badges. “You’ve got me, I did it, I admit it!” She peered up at them through her spectacles. “Are you going to arrest me and lock me up? Only if you are, I’ll need to find someone to look after Bruno. I can’t leave him all alone to fend for himself. He’s getting on a bit.”

 
Dee and Ryo glanced at each other.

 
“Bruno? Your… dog?” Dee hazarded.

 
“No, my husband,” the old lady corrected, moving to one side so her visitors could see past her to the bald old man dozing in an armchair in the living room, his false teeth in a glass on the end table beside him.

 
“Bruno,” Dee repeated, trying not to laugh. “That’s him?” The name didn’t exactly fit.
 

“Oh, you should have seen him when he was your age. Such a strapping young man, and so handsome. All the girls fancied him back then; he was the best-looking boy in the neighbourhood. Of course, he had hair back then, thick and dark, a lot like yours, and he had his own teeth too. Age can be unkind.” She held out her wrinkled, arthritic hands. “Are you going to cuff me?”
 

In Dee’s considered opinion, handcuffs would be a waste of time, they’d probably fall straight off her bony wrists. Either that or the weight of them would break something.
 

“That depends. Why don’t you tell us first why you did it?” Ryo smiled kindly.
 

“Well, I had to, didn’t I? Him next door has no consideration for others, visitors at all hours of the day and night, banging and shouting, swearing, playing loud music.” She shook her head. “We couldn’t take it anymore, you see. So the other night, when I came back from bingo, I noticed he’d left his door ajar while he went downstairs with his trash. I know I shouldn’t have, but I slipped into his apartment and stole his big radio thing. I thought maybe he’d be a bit quieter without it, and it’s worked too. There was a lot of banging and shouting at first, I expect he was angry, wondering who could have taken it, but he’s been quiet as a mouse ever since. Two days now, and the peace and quiet has been wonderful.” She smiled sadly. “I suppose that’s over now. So am I under arrest? I’ll give the radio back if I must; I’ve still got it…” The old lady trailed off.

 
“Actually, I don’t think you need to worry about your neighbour making a noise anymore,” Dee told her. “Seems someone murdered him a couple of nights ago.”

 
“Murdered?” The old lady put her hands to her mouth. “Oh my, that’s terrible! Well, I certainly didn’t do that, and neither did Bruno! We might have been annoyed at him next door over all the noise, but we’re not violent people. We’d never kill anyone, not even someone like him.”
 

“Never thought ya did,” Dee reassured her. The old lady’s neighbour had been well over six feet tall, weighed approximately two hundred and forty pounds, and had been savagely beaten to death. “We are gonna need that radio though, and anything you can tell us about the bangin’ and shoutin; you heard the other night.”

 
“Of course, detectives, you’re welcome to the radio; we’ve got no use for it. Bruno’s as deaf as a post these days without his hearing aids, and with all the noise from next door he leaves them turned off most of the time. Now, why don’t you both come in and I’ll make us some tea. Then I’ll tell you everything I can remember about that night.”
 

“Thank you.” Ryo smiled. “That would be a big help.”
 

 
The End