PERFECT SHADOWS

17

PERFECT SHADOWS FINALE 17

Detective Jaco van der Merwe sat across the table in the interrogation room. The fluorescent light above them hummed softly. Selene Marlowe looked… different. She looked fresh. Her hair was brushed neatly over her shoulders. Her face was calm, almost relaxed, as if she had just come from a morning walk instead of disappearing from prison hours before. Jaco watched her carefully.

“You look well,” he said.

Selene smiled faintly.

“I slept nicely,” she said.

That answer made the room feel colder. Jaco opened the file in front of him but did not look down.

“You said you wanted to talk about the first day.”

Selene leaned back slightly in the chair.

“Yes.”

Her voice was calm. Almost conversational.

“The first day was actually very quiet.”

Jaco felt a tightness in his chest. She spoke as if she were describing dinner.

“I prepared the food myself,” she said. “Everyone was home that night. It made things easier.”

Jaco said nothing.

“I added something to the wine and the food,” she continued. “Just enough to make them sleepy.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“It worked faster than I expected.”

Jaco’s fingers tightened around his pen.

“They started getting dizzy,” she said. “One by one.”

Her eyes moved slightly, remembering.

“They thought they were tired. A few laughed about it.”

She paused.

“But eventually they all collapsed.”

The room felt very quiet.

“When they were unconscious,” Selene continued, “I moved them.”

Jaco forced himself to stay still.

“I tied them to chairs in the lounge,” she said. “It took a long time. There were many of them.”

She looked directly at Jaco.

“But I was patient.”

Jaco swallowed.

“And then?” he asked.

Selene’s lips curved slightly.

“Then I waited.”

She folded her hands calmly on the table.

“I wanted them awake.”

Jaco felt the air grow heavier.

“One by one they started waking up,” she said. “Confused. Weak. Not understanding why they could not move.”

Her eyes brightened slightly.

“That was when the noise started.”

Jaco did not interrupt.

“They shouted,” she said. “They panicked. Some of them screamed for help.”

She shrugged lightly.

“I let them.”

For a moment she simply stared at the table.

“I wanted them to feel the confusion first.”

Jaco felt his stomach turn.

“Eventually,” Selene said, “I explained.”

“You explained?” Jaco asked quietly.

“Yes.”

She nodded.

“I told them exactly what was going to happen.”

She looked amused by the memory.

“They thought I was joking.”

Jaco could imagine the scene. A room full of people tied to chairs. And one calm woman standing in front of them.

“His mother laughed,” Selene said.

Her voice stayed steady.

“She said I was being dramatic.”

Jaco waited. Selene continued.

“They all thought I was weak.”

Her smile faded slightly.

“That lasted until his mother started screaming.”

Jaco leaned forward.

“She would not stop,” Selene said.

“Did you try to calm her?” Jaco asked.

Selene looked at him.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“She kept screaming.”

Selene’s voice remained completely steady.

“So I shot her.”

Jaco felt the room tilt slightly. Selene continued.

“The room became quiet very quickly after that.”

She rested her elbow lightly on the table.

“They finally realised I was serious.”

Jaco rubbed his face slowly. Selene kept talking.

“I left them there with her,” she said.

“Why?” Jaco asked.

“I wanted them to see what was happening.”

Her voice stayed calm.

“She bled for a long time.”

Jaco looked away briefly. Selene continued.

“When I came back later… they were very different.”

“How?” Jaco asked quietly.

“They all wanted to talk.”

She gave a small smile.

“Suddenly everyone had explanations.”

Jaco’s chest tightened.

“My brothers-in-law were first,” she said.

“They were shouting earlier.”

She shrugged lightly.

“So I shot them.”

She made a small gesture with her fingers.

“Both of them.”

Jaco closed his eyes for a moment. Selene continued calmly.

“I left the bodies there too.”

Her voice held no emotion.

“They needed to see what was happening.”

Jaco spoke again, his voice tight.

“And the next day?”

Selene leaned back again.

“The next day was… harder.”

For the first time her tone shifted slightly.

“My sister and my children.”

Jaco felt a deep knot in his stomach.

“I made Adrian watch,” Selene said quietly.

Jaco looked at her sharply.

“Your husband.”

“Yes.”

Her eyes did not move.

“He tried not to look.”

She shook her head slightly.

“I made sure he did.”

Jaco’s hands were shaking now. Selene’s voice stayed steady.

“He needed to understand.”

The silence in the room grew heavy.

“He begged me to stop,” she said.

Jaco stared at her.

“And you didn’t.”

Selene’s expression remained calm.

“No.”

She looked down briefly.

“I saved him for last.”

Jaco felt his heart pounding.

“Why?” he asked quietly.

Selene looked up again.

“Because I wanted him to feel everything.”

Her voice was almost soft now.

“All the fear.”

“All the helplessness.”

“All the time.”

She folded her hands again.

“He begged me,” she said.

Jaco could barely breathe. Selene continued quietly.

“I covered him with petrol.”

Her eyes did not leave Jaco’s.

“He kept begging.”

Jaco sat there, horrified. Across from him, Selene Marlowe looked calm. Almost proud. Like someone describing a job well done. And that frightened him more than anything she had said.

Detective Jaco van der Merwe sat still across from Selene. The room had grown quiet again after her story. He could still hear the faint buzzing of the light above them. Selene rested her arms on the table as if she had all the time in the world.

“There’s more,” she said.

Jaco looked at her.

“What happened after that?”

Selene tilted her head slightly, remembering.

“I sat there for a long time,” she said.

“In the lounge.”

Her eyes drifted slightly, like she was looking back at the house.

“There were bodies everywhere.”

Jaco felt his throat tighten.

“But I needed to be sure,” Selene continued.

“Sure of what?” he asked.

“That they were really dead.”

Her voice stayed calm.

“So I went upstairs,” she said.

“I took a bath.”

Jaco blinked slowly.

“A bath?”

Selene nodded.

“Yes. I was tired.”

She spoke plainly.

“After that I slept.”

The way she said it made Jaco feel cold inside.

“You slept?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“Until morning.”

She paused.

“Then I checked again.”

Jaco leaned forward slightly.

“And?”

“Some of them were still breathing the night before,” she said quietly.

“But by the third day…”

She lifted one shoulder slightly.

“They were really dead.”

The words sat heavily in the room. Jaco rubbed his face.

“What did you do then?”

Selene folded her hands again.

“I locked the house.”

Her voice was steady.

“And I left.”

“Just like that?” Jaco asked.

“Yes.”

“Where did you go?”

Selene smiled faintly.

“I took a small holiday.”

Jaco stared at her.

“A holiday.”

“Yes.”

She leaned back slightly.

“I called the police while I was on the road.”

Jaco frowned.

“You called them?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She shrugged.

“So they would eventually find the house.”

Jaco scribbled something in his notes.

“How did you travel?”

“Bus.”

“Only bus?”

“Yes.”

She nodded.

“I travelled from province to province.”

Jaco could picture it. Crowded bus stations. Dusty roads. People passing her without knowing who she was.

“How long did you travel?” he asked.

“A few weeks.”

“And then?”

Selene met his eyes.

“Then I handed myself in.”

Jaco sat back slowly. For a moment he just looked at her. Then he flipped a page in the file.

“The doctor,” he said.

Selene’s eyes changed slightly.

“Dr. Pieter van Wyk.”

She nodded.

“Yes.”

Jaco studied her face.

“Why did you kill him?”

Selene did not hesitate.

“He lied.”

Jaco frowned.

“About what?”

“He told them I was bipolar.”

Her voice had a slight edge now.

“He said my claims were delusions.”

Jaco leaned forward.

“He was your doctor.”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Selene’s eyes hardened slightly.

“He knew what was happening.”

The room grew quiet.

“And he still wrote that report.”

Jaco tapped his pen slowly.

“You said earlier something he did triggered you.”

Selene nodded.

“He refused to help.”

“Help how?”

Selene looked at the table.

“For the last time.”

Jaco waited but she did not explain further. After a moment he spoke again.

“Selene…”

She looked up.

“Do you understand something?”

“What?”

“You murdered eleven people.”

Selene said nothing. Jaco continued slowly.

“You killed five children you brought into the world.”

Her face stayed still.

“You killed your husband.”

No reaction.

“His two brothers.”

Still nothing.

“His mother.”

Jaco paused.

“And your own sister.”

The silence stretched between them. Finally Selene leaned forward slightly. Her voice was calm again.

“Detective…”

“Yes?”

She looked at him directly.

“What exactly was I supposed to do then?”

The question hung in the air. And for the first time since the interview started Jaco had no immediate answer. Detective Jaco van der Merwe sat quietly. Selene’s question still hung in the air between them.

“What exactly was I supposed to do then?”

The silence stretched. The humming light above them sounded louder than before. Jaco looked down at the file in front of him, flipping one page slowly even though he was not reading it anymore. He had nothing to say. Selene watched him carefully. Her eyes did not move from his face. Jaco cleared his throat.

“We’re done for today,” he said finally.

He began closing the file. But Selene leaned forward suddenly.

“No.”

Jaco paused.

“I asked you a question,” she said.

Her voice was calm, but firm. Jaco looked up again.

“Selene-”

“No,” she repeated.

“You answer first.”

Jaco exhaled slowly.

“This interview is over.”

Selene shook her head slowly, almost disappointed.

“You can’t answer.”

Jaco said nothing. Selene leaned back in her chair, studying him. Then she smiled slightly.

“Because you feel guilty.”

Jaco’s jaw tightened.

“That’s not how this works,” he said.

But Selene’s expression had already changed. Something sharper had appeared in her eyes.

“You remember the first time I came to the police station?” she asked.

Jaco stayed silent.

“I came with documents,” she continued.

“Photos.”

“Messages.”

“Bank transfers.”

Her voice grew stronger with each word.

“I showed you all everything.”

Jaco stared at the table.

“You had names,” she said.

“You had dates.”

“You had evidence.”

Her finger tapped the table softly.

“You had enough for warrants.”

Another tap.

“You had enough for arrests.”

Another.

“You had enough to stop them.”

Jaco swallowed. Selene leaned forward again.

“But you did nothing.”

Her voice was no longer calm.

“Your colleagues laughed.”

Jaco closed his eyes briefly.

“Your captain said I was dramatic.”

Her words cut through the quiet room.

“You told me to go home.”

The silence felt suffocating.

“I came back again,” Selene continued.

“Remember according to the reports?”

Jaco did remember. She had come back again and again.

“I begged you,” she said.

Her voice dropped slightly.

“I begged all of you.”

Her eyes burned into his.

“And you did nothing.”

Jaco finally spoke.

“You’re not the only victim in that house, Selene.”

She laughed. But there was no humour in it.

“No,” she said quietly.

“I was just the only one who asked for help.”

Jaco felt something twist in his chest. Selene leaned closer across the table.

“You feel guilty because you know it.”

Her voice softened again.

“If you had listened…”

She paused.

“If any of you had listened…”

Her eyes drifted briefly toward the door.

“…none of those people would be dead.”

Jaco sat there, frozen. Selene leaned back again, calm once more.

“You want to know the worst part?” she asked.

Jaco did not answer.

“You all had the power to stop it.”

She tilted her head.

“And you didn’t.”

The room fell silent again. Jaco finally stood up slowly, picking up the file. The interview was over. But Selene’s words stayed in the room long after he walked out.