The Good Samaritan: Interrogation

[xp-friedlander.livejournal.com]

Sharon is being interrogated, but help arrives.

Dark grey and stark... those were the colors of the room she was in now, with a cool metal table and chair, her hand still in cuffs. The SHIELD agents were seated across her, a cop taking notes in the corner.

With a sigh, Sharon repeated: "As I said... I was doing parkour minutes before the fire. There was no chance of me helping that man."

"It was just a coincidence you were doing parkour in that exact area?" Trip asked, more businesslike than actively unfriendly.

"How did you manage to get in and out without a scratch?" May added, her tone the opposite of her partner's. "That kind of skill is inhuman."

"There is a park nearby with lots of things that makes good obstacles, plus it's close to home." Sharon explained. "And it's definitely not inhuman. Have you ever seen Ninja Warrior on TV? Any of those guys could do what I did. I've been doing various sports or PT all my life, among them parkour."

"Maybe they could get in", Triplett allowed, "but not without a mark on them."

"Just pure luck. That was a huge part of it." Sharon simply stated. "It got closer then I liked, but it all ended as well as possible." 

May rolled her eyes. "As far as alibis go, this is particularly flimsy. You just happened to be in the right area at the right time with the right skill to retrieve a wanted arsonist who was committing a crime. Don't buy it."

"Why don't you tell us exactly what happened?" Triplett asked her.  "Detail by detail."

With small sigh, Sharon shifted, shaking one tingling foot. "I was finished with my shift in the hospital at eighteen hundred hours. I got home 15 minutes later, changed into my workout clothes and went out to do parkour in the park I mentioned earlier. About 90 minutes later I was done and decided to head home. I took a shortcut through and alley and that is when I noticed the fire. I also saw the man through the window. Since there were no fire trucks yet, I made the decision to climb up and to try and get him out of there."

"All right", he said calmly.  "Now, every last detail of how you climbed up and what you did."

"I climbed up with the help of the window sills and pipes attached to the wall." Sharon frowned. "He didn't seem happy to see me at that moment, told me he was there to help people escape. I finally convinced him to leave when he was knocked out by a burning piece of something. I got him over my shoulders, tied him to get him to stay there and then I left the way I came. I turned him over to some paramedics who had just arrived and slipped away."

"You saved a life," May said, eyeing Sharon intently. "Why didn't you stay behind to provide a statement? If you are actually innocent of aiding in a felony then you could have avoided all of this right then."

"Because I'd done what was needed. I got him out. I didn't want the attention on me." Sharon explained. "And as soon as they realized whom I got out, I would have been arrested anyway. Or crucified in the media."

May did not so much snort disbelievingly in response as exhale loudly with a clear note of derision.

Without warning the door swung open framing a brunette talking to someone out of sight, "Thank you officer this is perfect," she nodded at the occupants of the room before pushing up her spectacles, "Agent's Triplett and May I believe?" she asked not giving the agents a chance to answer, "Thank you for taking such good care of our client, although I have to ask you that any further questions should be addressed to us." she told them stepping into the room to reveal her partner in the doorway behind her.

***

"Wait, I didn't call any lawyers..." Sharon exclaimed as she saw the two women enter the room. Nor did she know anyone who would have...

"We were hired on your behalf by some concerned citizens," Sue stated frankly, pushing up the glasses she was wearing, she knew the image inducers worked, but it was still a novel experience for her. "They felt you could benefit from legal representation especially in light of the exculpatory evidence that has come to light. Looks like we got here just in time."

Agent May did not move from her position behind Sharon, but her eyes narrowed with suspicion at the appearance of the two mysterious women. "And you are?"

Rogue gave her best dazzling smile and hoped it broke through the disguise. "Teresa Smalls. And this is my colleague, Sarah Maddson. As mentioned, your actions caught the attention of more than the police." She raised an eyebrow at Agent May. "Is our client charged with anything? If this is for questioning purposes, we will be advising her to say nothing until we've had a chance to consult. ". Another smile. "You know how it is."

The expression on May's face said more than words could about her feelings on lawyers. "Accessory after the fact, in the commission of arson," she curtly informed "Teresa."

"I see," Sue made a note on her tablet, "And I assume that you in fact have incontrovertible proof that our client knew about both the commission of the crime and in fact actively assisted in your arsonist's attempted escape from the police? As far as I can tell all the evidence points to her saving his life, surely something that should be lauded, not rewarded by being arrested."

"That would be the active assistance", Triplett said dryly.  "She removed him from the warehouse, which is all very well, but from there he ran."

"'Incontrovertible proof' is for the court," added May with the sort of tired contempt that professors usually reserve for particularly thick first-year students. "Your client admits to entering the building to retrieve Cunningham, and the fleeing the scenes. That's sufficient for an indictment."

"But not sufficient to hold her," Rogue pointed out, hoping it was true. TV law could only get her so far. "‎Being a good Samaritan isn't illegal. Leaving the premises when no crime has been committed isn't illegal. Now unless you're charging our client with a felony, we would really like this interrogation to be over. Sharon, do you accept our legal counsel?"

"Uhm, that is fine with me..." Sharon stated after a moment of consideration. "I just really want to get this sorted out and get back to my patients."

"Then I'm sure this can help," Sue stated placing her tablet down on the desk and spinning it around to face the SHIELD agents. "A third party complied and released a compilation of all the footage  surrounding the fire. As you can see our client rescues the unconscious arsonist and gets him out of the fire leaving him here with paramedics before she made her own exit. At no point are there any signs of collusion between our client and the criminal. Nor was she in any way complicit in his later attempts at escape." The blonde turned brunette stood up straight, "Given this evidence I don't see that you have any more reason to detain our client."

"Not only that, but Ms. Friedlander is a nurse. A trained combat medic. Y'all think she would've handed her own accomplice over to the paramedics instead of carin' for him herself?". Rogue shook her head.  ‎ "Now, Ah'm only gonna say this one more time: release our client."

Agent May turned to her partner and gave him the same unimpressed, almost bored look she had been wearing for most of the day, but this time, there seemed to be a secret communication behind it. At his slight nod, she rolled her eyes and turned back to Sharon and her attorneys. "A few more episodes of Law & Order and you might almost sound convincing. But. You're free to go."

The policemen in attendance, who had otherwise remained quiet while the SHIELD agents conducted their interrogation, suddenly turned to May in disbelief. "But Agent . . ." one of them started to protest before a withering look from May silenced him.

"Your friends playing at lawyer have one thing right," she continued. "There's no evidence that would hold up in court. And frankly, it's a pointless endeavor. We could have detained you for 48 hours if we'd wanted," she threatened, "and I'd consider it solely on the basis of how much you're irritating me. But we have other more important things to do."

"We could", Triplett said amiably, "ask to see your credentials.  But like my partner said, more important things to do."

"Well then," Sue nodded at the door, "If you please Ms. Friedlander, let’s get you home." Maybe when she got home she'd have to talk to some of the lawyers at work at get a better handle on this, especially if they were planning on doing this again in the future.

Sharon rose from her chair, before wiggling her still cuffed hands. "Uhm, if someone could get these of..."

Triplett moved immediately to take the cuffs off.

"Thank you, sir." Sharon quickly replied as she rubbed her the slightly sore skin of her wrists. "Is there any paperwork I need to sign or am I free to go?" The cop in the corner moved over with several sheets of paper, his face still suggesting thunder, and handed Sharon a pen. Sharon quickly signed in various places before handing the pen back.

Well. That went a bit easier than expected. Handing the officers her business card (fake, of course), Rogue smiled once more.   "Pleasure meeting you, officers. Hope to not have to again. Shall we, Ms. Friedlander?"

"Let's get out of here." Sharon followed 'Teresa' and 'Sarah' , not looking back to the two agents or the still glowering cop in the corner.