A Face is Enough

Surprised, Ron opens the door. The cops immediately put the cuffs on Ron. Ron exclaimed, “What? What is happening? How dare you do this? I am your senior officer!”

The cops said, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in the court!” Officer Richard walked towards a terrified Ron and said, “You think you can shoot me and walk away? Did you think I was dead? I will ensure you never see the light of the day again, Ronald.” Ron was at a loss for words. He was taken for interrogation in the police van. The van arrived at the precinct. Ron was taken out of the van to the interrogation room.

His brother John came to the room.

“Johnny! What is happening? Why is Richard doing this? Is he doing this to ensure his promotion? Yes, he must be.” A stressed John asked Ron, “Where were you yesterday night at 11?” Ron replied, “I was home.”

“Can you prove that you were home? Is there anyone who saw you?” asked John.

“Yeah, the neighbours must have seen me, was he shot at that time? Was there anyone else who witnessed this incident? What evidence does he have? This is his plot to remove me from the competition. If I spend a few months behind bars, he will have enough time to solve the murder case,” replied Ron.

John showed Ron a picture and said, “The camera recorded this at an Electronics shop near the incident scene. It is a 95% match.”

A terrified Ron could not take his eyes off the picture. A person who looked exactly like him- one cannot spot a difference in their faces. “Officer Jenny also said she saw him while Richard was shot. She thinks it is you.” Ron felt like his soul was ebbing out of his body; he felt a deep pain in his chest. John tried to calm Ron down. He said, “You should not worry. If the neighbours testify that you were in your home, we can use that evidence against this case. Let me see what I can do. You should not worry. I am here for you.”

Ron and Richard were competing for the promotion to lieutenant. They were both investigating the murder case of a judge. Both knew they could secure the promotion if they solved the case and arrested the perpetrator.

John tried his best to save his brother from going behind the bars, but it was not enough. Ron was taken to the prison. Ron was deeply disturbed and terrified. He knew it was never him, and he could never do something like that. He was a dedicated cop, but that face, the face of the criminal, haunted him. Ron started suspecting himself. He started to lose his grip on reality. All he felt was agony before that, but then he did not feel any emotion. He just thought about that face. He had nightmares and could not differentiate his dreams from reality anymore.

After spending about three months in prison, one day, he was suddenly woken up from his sleep by the jailer. “Sir, all charges against you have been dropped. You are free to go. Your brother is waiting outside. Here are your clothes.” Ron was sure that he was dreaming. He refused to wear the clothes and leave the prison. His brother came into the prison, “Ron, it’s me. It was not you. You are free to go. Just come with me. I will tell you everything…”

Ron got into John’s car. John explained, “The murder case you were trying to solve, remember?” Ron did not reply. “Richard solved that case. The guy who shot him is the murderer, and LAPD has successfully captured him. He does look like you.” Ron replied, “Can you take me to the precinct?”

John did not refuse. He drove to the precinct. Ron walked in. He could see the guilt on Richard’s face when he saw him. Richard said, “I am sorry for what I did to you. Please forgive me.” Ron asked, “Where is he? The convict.” Richard replied, “He was taken to the prison this morning. There is something I must tell you. I have asked the Commissioner to promote you. He is here right now.” Ron took a piece of paper, wrote something on it, and handed it over to the Commissioner. The Commissioner exclaimed, “A resignation letter? Why?”

Ron did not reply. He just walked out of the office. He did not want to convict someone again as he felt what it was like to be a convict.