“Describe yourself in three words,” her eyes twinkled as she pushed her hair behind her ears and leant forwards in her chair.

“Uh…” he struggled, his mind drawing blanks left and right. “Organized.”

She nodded, “All right. Two left.”

His eyes darted around the room, looking desperately for adjectives. “Quiet.”

He felt a pang in his stomach as she reached for her note pad.

“Interesting choice of words so far, Mr. Durham.”

“And, for a third word I guess I would have to go with…” He paused and then answered, “Intelligent.” He mentally crossed his fingers that he said the right combination of words, but at that point it was all he could do to keep from bolting out of the interview room. Worried that the stress was showing to her, he rearranged in his seat and crossed his hands in his lap.

The detective continued writing on her notepad a moment longer and then without looking up she said, “Very intriguing choices. I must admit I thought you would have chosen differently, but we can’t all be right.” Her tone was condescending as she glanced up, offering him a lukewarm smile from across the table.

“What words should I have said?” He asked cautiously.

She waved her hand dismissively, sitting back in her chair, “Oh, just the usual stuff.”

He was clueless.

“Well, most people describe themselves as ‘loving’ or ‘caring’,” She shrugged. “Some might also use the word ‘honest’ or ‘trustworthy’, or even ‘loyal’.”

He considered what she was saying, “And are my words insufficient?”

The detective paused for a moment, crossing her arms over her chest and sighing. “No, nope. I was just making an observation. That’s all.”

He nodded, allowing a small wave of relief to wash over him. He knew she had more questions for him; he could tell by the way she looked at him from across the table. He wondered how much longer it would take.

“Excuse me, Detective Strauss?” He asked, leaning forward as she looked up from her notepad. “How much longer are you planning on questioning me? I have to get home soon.”

She raised her eyebrow, “Why do you have to get home soon, Mr. Durham?”

He looked her straight in the eye as he spoke, “I have a geriatric cat who requires medicine with her food three times a day.”

Detective Strauss held his gaze, her eyes narrowing until she finally determined he was telling the truth. She conceded, glancing at the watch on her wrist and then back at her notepad. “Just a few more minutes, Mr. Durham. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

She left Mr. Durham in the interview room for a few more minutes, and then returned only to say that he was free to go. He had never felt so lucky to own a cat in his life.