Statement

The driver walked into the outpost, greeted by the smell of paint. Based on observation, it seem this outpost was recently renovated. Although the original cinder block walls remained, the interior had received an upgrade. New paint, newer doors with security glass, tables, chairs, desks, computers, all upgraded to the newest technology. Walking down the corridor, there were several doors on each side, leading to offices, closets, and a dispatch room towards the end of the hall.

Entering into the dispatch room, the room had a new smell to it. Several doors were present along the walls, leading to supply closets, bathrooms, and a couple of interrogation rooms. A holding cell was there also, the iron bars coated with a brown paint. Thompson led the driver to one of the interrogation rooms, and told him to wait there. Nodding, the driver sat down in one of the chairs and waited until another officer came in.

"Good afternoon, sir, my name is Detective Anderson. I have been assigned to this case, and I need to get some details from you," said the officer. "Also, I need to retrieve your SD cards to get the footage from your angle to identify these attackers."

"Yes, sir," replied the driver, handing over the camera cards. Anderson took them, and placed a file on the desk. Opening it up, he extracted several pictures, and a note pad. Placing them on the desk, he also retrieved a pen from his shirt pocket.

"Ok, we'll keep this simple," he said. "We'll have you give a statement of your accounting of the details, and please don't leave anything out, no matter how minor. It may help us solve this case faster." Anderson sighed. "At no time do I want you to feel uncomfortable with what is going on. We have already retrieved the camera footage from the weigh station and have proved that you were in no way involved with this situation until you rendered aid to the fallen trooper. For that, we are both grateful and thank you."

"You're welcome," the driver replied. "Where should I begin my accounting of details at?"

"Start by when you entered the station," said Anderson, "And then take it from there. All details, all observations, anything you can figure as to the weapon they used, all the way up to now. The more detail, the better."

The driver nodded, then set pen to paper, and recorded all of the details. Along the way, he had to stop for a minute to let his hands rest, as he was still weak from the blood loss, but once he recovered, he continued on. For what seemed to be forever, he wrote, counting the details of the scene, his visit to the hospital, and his subsequent ride here. He did omit the information about the incident with the orderly, since it wasn't relevant, but nothing else about the case got left out. An hour and a half later, he set the pen down, and reread his deposition. Making sure it was accurate, he handed it over to Anderson.

Anderson looked it over, and asked, "Are you sure this is everything that you can remember in regards to this case?"

"Yes, sir," the driver said. "Everything that I can remember pertaining to every detail surrounding the situation has been recorded."

"Outstanding, it's like reading a book. Details that most people overlook are in here even. You really did an amazing job." He looked at the driver, a look of concern on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I gave blood at the hospital to help the officer. I'm still a little woozy from it," the driver replied. Nodding, Anderson went to the door and opened it up.

"Hey, can we get this man something to drink? He's getting a little dizzy from blood loss here," he boomed into the dispatch office. Seconds later, another officer appeared with a couple bottles of water, and a soda.

"Here, detective," the officer said, handing over the water and soda. Thanking him, Anderson then closed the door, first handing a bottle of water to the driver, then the soda. The driver thirstily gulped down half the water before setting it down, then waited a minute, then finished of the other half more slowly. The can of soda opened, and he took a long pull from it before placing it on the table.

"Ah, much better, thank you detective," he exclaimed. "That hit the spot."

"Glad to hear it. Just keep drinking fluids for now. Your color's coming back slowly, but you should be fine in a couple minutes. I'm sorry how long this is taking, but we want to make sure that everything is done before we can release you, and I don't want you dehydrated before you get behind that wheel," the detective stated.

"I fully agree with you there," the driver said. "Nothing worse than a driver not able to drive." With that, he grabbed the soda, and took another swig from it, setting it back down. The cool liquid slid down his throat, bringing a tingly sensation of relief as it entered his stomach and spread the sugar to his body. "I don't normally drink a lot of soda, but in this case, I can make an exception."

Anderson chuckled. "I can relate there. I gotta watch my sugar intake, so I don't go down the road to diabetes and limb loss. My dad was diabetic, and I watched him waste away. Sad thing, too."

"Well, if it means anything to you, I don't think you need to worry right now. You look like you could take on 3 or 4 guys and still come out on top. I wouldn't want to meet you in a dark alley unless you were there to have my back," the driver chuckled.

"Several people have told me that," Anderson said. "Do I really look that intimidating?"

"I think even a gorilla would think twice before tangling with you," observed the driver.

"Well, I appreciate the compliment," Anderson beamed. "Nice to know that I have a chance against some folks." With that he stood up and asked, "How you feeling?"

"Much better now, thanks," the driver replied.

"Good, I think we're about done here." He handed the second bottle of water to the driver. "Here, take this one with you. Keep drinking fluids, you'll feel better soon."

"Yes, sir," the driver stated, grabbing the second bottle. He stood up, and turned to leave the room.

"By the way, do you have a point of contact in case we need to reach you for any more details?" Anderson asked.

"Sure," the driver replied. "Here's my number." He grabbed the statement and wrote his number down on it. "Feel free to call me if there's anything else I can do for you."

"Thank you," replied Anderson. "Here's my card if you remember anything else not on here." Producing a business card, he handing it to the driver before opening the door. "Have a good day sir."

"Thank you, you too. Catch these clowns for me, I hate being made to look bad by someone else," the driver retorted. "Give 'em a swift kick in the ass for me too."

"Sure thing," Anderson chuckled. "You know your way out?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to remember," the driver replied.

"Oh, I forgot. Let's get these cards copied so you can get them back." Anderson nodded, then turned to another officer, and gave her the paperwork and cards. After plugging them into the reader, she made full copies of both cards, then handed them to the driver.

"Here you go, sir," she replied in a sweet voice.

"Thank you ma'am," the driver returned. With that, he turned, left the dispatch office, and made his way out of the front of the outpost. Walking around the building, He saw his truck, and walked towards it. Opening the door, he climbed in. The key turned in the ignition, and the diesel roared to life.Checking his gauges and closing his door, he turned to the computer.

Blood still clung to the screen, and he reached for his paper towels and window cleaner. spray the solution on the towel, he went over the screen, wiping the mess off quickly. Paper towel in the trash, he made sure his logs were still good, checked his time left, then disengaged his brakes.His log showed that he had roughly an hour left of on duty time, so he made a decision to head for truck stop row in Hayti, Missouri, knowing it would use most of the time left on his clock, but not having much of a choice in the matter. Pulling out from the outpost, he turned onto the road leading back to the interstate, praying that the day was done once he got there.