Chapter 2 -- The Interrogation Room
The four Danubian police officers hustled their captive through a locked door and into a small hallway. The cops and the prisoner then descended down a long flight of stairs to the terminal building's basement, turned a corner and entered a large room. It was in this room where Maria Elena would have her initial interrogation. It also was where she was destined to make several critical mistakes that would make her legal situation considerably worse. As the group entered the room the drug dog continued to bark happily, knowing that he had a couple more pieces of beef jerky coming his way before he had to go back to work.
The interrogation room was a large, windowless space with a row of chairs lined up along the back wall. To the right side of the entrance there was a white backdrop and a camera mounted on a tripod, which Maria Elena correctly assumed was used to take mugshots. Next to the photography backdrop there was another camera on a tripod and a video camera. To her left were shelves full of medical supplies and drug testing kits. Also in the room were an examination table and a gynecological chair. Both the examination table and the gynecological chair had straps and cuffs that could be used to immobilize uncooperative prisoners. Maria Elena saw two enema bottles hanging from special stands. She noticed that one of the bottles was full.
The room also boasted more sinister-looking items. Several cruel-looking police switches hung on the wall near the enema bottles. There was an electric cattle prod plugged into a charger. There were several leather harnesses and restraints hanging on the wall, as well as metal bars with cuffs designed to force apart a prisoner's arms or legs. Several additional sets of cuffs hung from chains attached to the ceiling.
There was more. In the center of the room was a medical cart loaded with yet more restraints and punishment implements such as paddles, a riding crop, and a cane. There were examination implements and a couple of flashlights. Also on the cart were lubricating gel, a vibrator, and a dildo.
Several more police officers and airport officials entered the room, along with three men and a woman in doctors' smocks. The man leading the medical group was a lecherous-looking old man, but what was more unsettling was the cruel, hungry expression on the face of the woman.
Maria Elena was so terrified that she was unable to think straight. In spite of the hopelessness of her situation, her instincts told her to do what she could to deceive the Danubians and hide the criminals for whom she was working. She had been instructed that if she was caught, under no circumstances was she to reveal the identities of her handlers or the owners of the cocaine she was carrying. She was to offer no cooperation to the police, unless she wanted to be killed in prison.
The medical staff took up their positions near the examination table, while most of the other officials sat down along the wall. The cops uncuffed Maria Elena, but then the dog handler's partner stepped back and again pointed her gun directly at the prisoner's head.
A stern-looking middle-aged man in an immaculate dark suit approached the prisoner along with a cop holding a cloth bag. The man in the suit addressed her in English.
"You will undress. You will remove all your clothing piece by piece and hand each item to my assistant."
"I...I no understand...I no speak English...I..."
The man tightened his lips. "Do you understand 'naked', or 'nude'?"
Maria Elena gave a terrified nod. To emphasize his point the man reached forward and undid a button on the prisoner's blouse. He spoke in a very slow, deliberate tone, making sure that even if the Colombian did not understand his words, his meaning would be quite clear to her.
"Excellent. So you do understand. You are now a prisoner, and in this country prisoners are always naked. Now, you will take off your clothing and you will put it in the bag." The man pointed at the bag; "...and if you don't, I will order my officer to shoot you."
He pointed at the female officer, who responded by cocking her revolver.
"Now, do you understand me?"
Maria Elena began trembling violently, her knees shaking so badly that she barely could stand up. She struggled to catch her breath, but managed to nod. With unsteady hands she fumbled with the buttons on her blouse. The cop with the bag opened it slightly, letting her know that she did indeed comprehend what the Danubians wanted from her...that she was expected to surrender her clothing.
She took off her blouse and sweatshirt together and reluctantly handed them over to the cop with the bag. As he pushed them out of sight she began unbuckling the belt on her mini-skirt. She handed over the belt and very reluctantly unzipped the side of her skirt. She forced herself to let go and the skirt fell at her feet with a slight clump. She stepped out of the skirt and passed it to the cop. Now she was naked except for her bra, panties, and shoes. The shoes were next, followed by her bra.
The prisoner covered her breasts and started crying, unable to proceed any further. With a disgusted sigh the man in the suit reached forward to jerk her panties to her knees. Maria Elena let out an anguished cry, immediately trying to cover herself. Finally the man in the suit had enough. He pulled out his own service revolver and pointed it at the captive.
"If you do not want to die in this room, you will step out of those panties, you will pick them up, and you will put them in the bag."
With two loaded guns pointed at their prisoner, the Danubians overcame the language barrier and established their will over the terrified Latin American. She did as she was told, stepping out of the fallen panties, picking them up, and handing them to the cop. Maria Elena still was wearing various rings, earrings, and a couple of necklaces, which she had to take off as well. Once those items were off her body, she finally was in compliance with Danubian law. As a criminal she would not be allowed to have anything covering her body; neither jewelry nor clothing.
Normally the next step would be to have her pose for her mugshots, which in the Danubian Republic comprised not only photographs of the criminal's face taken from various angles, but also detailed photos of the criminal's uncovered body taken from various directions and positions.
However, the supervisor decided to wait on the mugshots. He knew that the prisoner was in such shock and terror that getting her to pose correctly would take all afternoon, even if he continued to threaten to shoot her. However, he had a more important reason for waiting on the mugshots. Under Danubian law, once a detainee is photographed she also is immediately assigned a prisoner number, which formalizes her arrest. From the moment a person is formally arrested, the Danubian penal code establishes limited rights, which include some restrictions on the way she can be treated under interrogation. If Maria Elena was not yet formally arrested, she did not yet have any legal protection and the interrogation team could do with her as they saw fit. She would be interrogated first, and only later would she pose for the mugshots and receive her prisoner number.
Instead, the man in the suit ordered the female cop to put away her revolver and handcuff Maria Elena's hands behind her back. Her modesty now would make no difference, because she was completely unable to cover herself. The female cop again kicked her in the backs of her knees to force her to return to a kneeling position.
