Verstitution Pt17

Pt16: https://rumble.com/v6yxv96-verstitution-pt16.html / 15: v6yj2zg-verstitution-pt15.html / 14: v6y7wr0-verstitution-pt14.html / 13: v6xxrp0-verstitution-pt13.html / 12: https://rumble.com/v6xr50q-verstitution-pt12.html / 11: v6xmsci-verstitution-pt11.html / 6: https://rumble.com/v6x4cf2-verstitution-pt6.html

[Claudia enters the ladies' restroom to check on Madison.]

Claudia: "Madison? Are you okay?"

[Madison is inside one of the stalls.]

Madison: "Not really. I think I'm gonna go back to my room."

Claudia: "Ernest wanted me to check on you. He's worried about you."

Madison: "He is?"

Claudia: "Why would that be surprising? He cares deeply about you."

Madison: "He does?"

Claudia: "He invited you to dinner with us, didn't he?"

Madison: "He did."

Claudia: "Once you're well enough to return to your room, I'm confident that Ernest would be more than happy to send any food you might want to your room."

Madison: "He will?"

Claudia: "Well... I don't know for certain, but I imagine he'll do whatever it takes to restore your health."

Madison: "He should."

Claudia: "If you don't mind me saying, I'm a bit envious of the bond you have with Ernest."

Madison: "I would be, too, if I were you. He's an incredibly generous guy, and doesn't even expect sexual favors from me. You'd better play your cards well, or you'll lose him."

Claudia: "I'll take that under advisement. Thank you."

Madison: "You're welcome."

[Ernest seizes the opportunity, with Claudia away, to scarf down the contents of his plate. Officer #1 witnesses the spectacle and smiles, looking forward to the interrogation.

Officer #1 approaches Ernest's table.]

O1: "Ready to go, Kittenish? Or do you want seconds?"

Ernest: "No. I'm full. Let's get it over with."

[Claudia returns to an empty table, not knowing what's happened to Ernest, and finding herself increasingly vulnerable based upon the brief chat with Madison.

Ernest follows Officer #1 into an office that the hotel manager gladly surrendered for the sake of any interrogations.]

O1: "Detective Symke will be arriving any moment. I've alerted him via radio."

Ernest: "Yes. I heard. I was walking right behind you."

O1: "Eavesdropping, eh? You realize that that's also a crime, don't you?"

Ernest: "Not if I keep it to myself."

O1: "Truth!"

[Detective Symke steps into the office and closes the door behind him.]

Symke: "So? Mr. Kittenish...? I'm told that you're paying Ms. Holloway a large sum of money."

Ernest: "Yes."

[Symke looks over at Officer #1, who raises his right thumb.]

Symke: "And why is that?"

Ernest: "The honor farm was planning to extort me at the bowling alley, but Officer Vanderzanden-Bergenheimer-Jacovich helped me to flee."

[Officer #1 gives another thumb's up.]

Symke: "Okay... But how does Ms. Holloway factor into that?"

Ernest: "I needed to stay away from my home, stop using my car, and rely upon a 3rd party to meet my expenses."

O1: "May I say something, Detective Symke?"

Symke: "Go ahead."

O1: "You're no fun, Kittenish."

[Ernest and Symke both roll their eyes.]

Symke: "Okay. That's it. No more commentary, Officer Reed, until I'm finished with my questioning."

Ernest: "May I say something, Detective Symke?"

Symke: "Certainly."

Ernest: "Officer Reed made it known that he's a human polygraph machine, and that he planned to take pleasure from me allegedly lying to you, which I have no intention of doing."

Symke: "That's good. I will keep Officer Reed present, regardless, for the benefit of his lie detection capabilities."

Ernest: "He won't enjoy himself, and nor will you, as he predicted."

Symke: "I don't care. That's his agenda, not mine. My interest is the truth. How much are you paying Ms. Holloway?"

Ernest: $10K in cash, and I also gave her my car with a blue book value of $25K."

Symke: "Are you planning to pay taxes on all of that compensation?"

Ernest: "Absolutely."

[Symke looks over to Reed. Reed, frustrated by the boredom of truth, raises his thumb for Symke, which may as well have been a middle finger directed at Ernest.]

Symke: "That's it. Get outta here, Kittenish. I'm sure you're still hungry, now that you know that you're no longer burdened by the stress of suspicion, so go hit the buffet again, if you wish."

Ernest: "Is Reed going to watch me eat, though, like before, or can you send him away?"

Reed: "Permission to watch Kittenish eat, Detective?"

Symke: "Denied. Go home. Get a life. No one's doubting your lie detection skills, but you terrify everyone on the force. Find yourself a partner, a pet, or a high maintenance flowering plant. I don't care. Something! Anything! Please?!"

[Reed walks out of the office like a puppy with its tail between its legs: a humiliation which he hadn't known since boot camp.]

Symke: "I almost forgot, Kittenish. What, if anything, did you see of the confrontation between Ms. Holloway and the restaurant manager?"

Ernest: "She had her back to me, so I couldn't see how exactly the manager was moving toward her, or what he may have touched, deliberately or incidentally."

Symke: "That'll do. Thank you, Mr. Kittenish. Dismissed."

Ernest: "You're welcome. By the way, Claudia was in the ladies' room checking on Madison prior to this meeting. I don't know if she'll feel well enough to eat, so you may have to catch her in her hotel room. She'll be staying tonight as well."

Symke: "Very good. Thank you, and enjoy your day."

Ernest: "You as well."

[Ernest walks to the ladies' room, knocks on the door, and shouts for Claudia and Madison, but receives no response. He figures it best to check the table to see if one, or both, of them has returned. Only Claudia is present.]

Claudia: "Welcome back, Ernest. How did it go?"

Ernest: "Fairly uneventful, except for Symke giving Officer Reed an earful upon Reed's request to watch me eat. It was hilarious."

Claudia: "Why would an officer want to watch you eat? Seems creepy."

Ernest: "I think he just enjoys playing mind games with anyone who doesn't fit his mercenary mold, whether mentally or physically. Where's Madison?"

Claudia: "She returned to her room. I told her that you might be willing to compensate her for room service once she's feeling better. Was that okay?"

Ernest: "That's fine."

Claudia: "She really likes you, Ernest, and had nice things to say about you, even while stuck in a stall with the dry heaves."

Ernest: "I like her, too. I wasn't expecting to, prior to or during the trial, but once we got out of that environment, she grew on me rather quickly. Do you have to report back to the station today, or...?"

Claudia: "Oddly enough, I have the weekend off. I'll probably give my 2 weeks notice on Monday."

Ernest: "Did you want to stay at the hotel one more night? We could take Madison's car, or yours, and do some shopping so you won't have to drive all the way back to town for clothes and other essentials."

Claudia: "That would be nice. We're in PJs and robes, though."

Ernest: "We'll get a couple of souvenir t-shirts from the hotel gift shop before we head for the clothing and drug stores, so that we won't make too much of a scene."

Claudia: "Thank you, again, for this time, Ernest. I'd never have expected to spend the weekend with a man who'd been detained by a mini golf course's security team on suspicion of beating a child the prior day."

Ernest: "Somehow this doesn't sound like one of those [Story to share with grandchildren] moments."

[Claudia laughs and affectionately clutches Ernest's right hand on the table. Ernest laughs with her as he gazes adoringly into her eyes, gently placing his left hand on top of her right.]