The interrogation room was silent. The harsh white light overhead washed out the color from Gregory Dawson’s face.
"Have you had enough time to think?" Henry Stark’s long fingers tapped lightly on the desk as he sized him up, an unreadable smile on his lips.
Gregory Dawson was defiant. "Think about what? I made myself perfectly clear last night. Levi Brooks getting hurt has nothing to do with me."
"Then why don’t you take a look at this?" Kyle Morgan held a tablet in front of him. The screen clearly showed footage of him assaulting Levi Brooks the previous night.
The disdain on Gregory Dawson’s face slowly gave way to a serious expression.
’How could they have this video?’
’From the angle, it looks like it was filmed from outside the window.’
As Gregory Dawson was still mulling this over, the man’s deep, cold voice cut in again.
"Gregory Dawson, explain your motive. Why did you harm Levi Brooks?"
The video was irrefutable evidence. Gregory Dawson could no longer insist he had nothing to do with it.
He sneered. "I wasn’t planning on hitting Levi Brooks. It was his stinking attitude!"
"A bad attitude?" Henry Stark chuckled. "You showed up at his house unannounced, demanded he order you takeout and get you a drink, and he did everything you asked. You call that a bad attitude?"
Hearing this, Gregory Dawson knew the police had already figured out the whole story.
He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and scoffed. "He should have been honored."
"Why?"
"Because that bastard Levi Brooks had it better than me! We’re both supposed to be Elijah Brooks’s sons, so why do I have to be a Dawson? Why did he get to grow up without a single worry, while I got called a fatherless bastard to my face?"
Henry Stark nodded slightly. "We understand how you feel, but your mother, Celia Dawson, said that Elijah Brooks is not your biological father."
"He’s not?" Gregory Dawson’s pupils shrank. He grew agitated. "Impossible! You’re lying to me!"
"If you don’t believe us, then we’ll do a paternity test with Elijah Brooks," Henry Stark said calmly.
Gregory Dawson calmed down, hesitated for a few seconds, then agreed. "Fine."
Kyle Morgan came forward, plucked two of his hairs, and placed them in a sample bag.
Henry Stark asked again, "When you held Levi Brooks captive, did you ever think about killing him?"
"I don’t know." Gregory Dawson’s eyes were vacant, but his tone was seething. "I just know I hate him. I hate that he’s had it better than me for so many years! I hate that he had a complete family!"
"That’s not Levi Brooks’s fault." Henry Stark softened his tone. "Can you tell us why you were so sure Elijah Brooks was your father?"
At this point, Gregory Dawson felt there was no need to hide it anymore. "A man told me."
"What man?"
"I don’t know him, but he knew me, and he knew my mom."
"What did he tell you?"
"He told me my biological father was Elijah Brooks," Gregory Dawson explained. "I didn’t believe him at first."
Henry Stark raised an eyebrow slightly. "And then?"
"He told me my mom would have a huge reaction whenever Elijah Brooks’s name was mentioned, and that she would act strangely whenever he was around."
"So you watched her, decided the man was telling the truth, and concluded that Elijah Brooks was your biological father?"
Gregory Dawson said nothing, which was a tacit admission.
Kyle Morgan tapped on the tablet a few times and pulled up Sixth Brother Brooks’s ID photo for him to see. "Was he the one who told you Elijah Brooks was your father?"
Gregory Dawson stared at the photo on the screen, examining it carefully before nodding. "Yes, that’s him."
"Alright, we understand," Henry Stark said evenly. "We’ll notify you when we have the results."
Kyle Morgan handed him the printed statement and a pen. "This is your statement. Please confirm it and sign."
For a long moment, Gregory Dawson didn’t move.
Kyle Morgan prompted him, "Gregory Dawson, sign it."
A few seconds later, Gregory Dawson finally picked up the pen and, stroke by stroke, signed his name.
**
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
"Come in."
Renee Jennings opened the door to Quentin Lowell’s office and smiled. "Director Lowell, is Inky still here?"
"He’s here."
"Robin is here."
Quentin Lowell and Inky spoke at the same time.
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow, stepped inside, and was surprised to find a wooden perch stand with toys hanging from it in Quentin Lowell’s office.
Inky was standing on it right now, playing with a bell.
"Director Lowell, you got all this just for Inky?" she asked, surprised.