Today I have the pleasure of interviewing fictional character, Brent Freeman, who plays a significant role in all of the Circle City Mysteries. Brent is twenty-eight-years-old in Perfidy and is a Homicide Detective for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. His commander is Captain Robert Stevenson. Let’s get started.
Michele: Readers and future readers of the Circle City Mystery Series are anxious to get to know you better. I hope you’re up for a few personal questions.
Brent: I’d love to answer any questions that will bring me closer to our readers.
Michele: It is my understanding that you opted to go straight to the police academy rather
than college. What or who inspired you to take that path?
Brent: To be honest, television. I watched Law and Order from the beginning. I was only six, but it fascinated me. Then in 2000, CSI came to television.
Michele: Did you get caught up in the CSI affect?
Brent: I’m afraid I did. Now that I’m actually doing the job, I understand how a program
like that can mislead the public. Not to say that the equipment they use isn’t real, it’s just that not all jurisdictions can afford it. Also, you’ll not find a CSI in the field actually doing the testing in the lab—at least not in Indianapolis.
Michele: Interesting. How do your parents feel about your choice of occupation?
Brent: My mother was upset at first. She thought I’d be killed by some robbery suspect or
something. I’m her only son and she’s a little over protective.
Michele: And your father?
Brent: By the time I graduated high school, my father had passed away from liver
disease.
Michele: Oh, I’m sorry.
Brent: No big deal. He was a drunk and not much of a father.
Michele: Well, then, let’s go back to the fact you are the only son. I take it you have a
sister.
Brent: Actually, I have three sisters. My eldest sister, Janell, is married with two daughters
living in Swayzee, Indiana. Sister number two, Patty, married and divorced young, then met a super guy and married a second time. Now she has two boys and a girl. Then, there’s my twin sister, Brenda.
Michele: A twin, how fun.
Brent: You think growing up with three sisters was fun?
Michele: Are you saying it wasn’t?
Brent: Let’s just say that when someone tells you boys are rotten and girls are sweethearts,
don’t believe them. Of course, Brenda wasn’t as bad as the other two, but got caught up in the torture every now and then.
Michele: Oh dear, what did they do to you?
Brent: When I was five, Jan was supposed to be watching me while Mom went to the store. One of her friends came over and she locked me in the basement so I wouldn’t bother
them. Then one time Patty threw my homework in the fire and told Mom I hadn’t
done it yet. I was grounded for a week.
Michele: Do your sisters work outside the home?
Brent: Jan is a “stay-at-home” mom, which has always worked for her since her husband has a great paying job at Chrysler. Patty works as a receptionist at a doctor’s office. The only one of us who decided to go to college was Brenda.
Michele: Where did she study and what was her major?
Brent: She went to the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine and now has her own veterinary
clinic in Kokomo.
Michele: Impressive. Now that we know a little about early home life, let’s move on to your days in the academy. I understand that you met Captain Stevenson’s son, Charlie, while
there.
Brent: Yes, I did. We became fast friends. Charlie was very friendly and enthusiastic. I
think he would have gone far in the department if he hadn’t been killed in the line of duty.
Michele: That was a horrible tragedy.
Brent: Yes, it was. Everyone at IMPD loved Charlie. From what I understand, Captain
Stevenson took it really hard.
Michele: So you weren’t really involved with the Stevensons?
Brent: Charlie had me over a couple of times for dinner, but I didn’t really get to know the
captain until I made detective. His sister, Mandy, seemed really nice, but she went off to college a year after it happened.
Michele: What’s it like working for Captain Stevenson?
Brent: Captain Stevenson is a by-the-book kind of guy. He’s strict, but fair. I’ve never seen
him lose his temper with anyone who didn’t deserve it. I just heard his wife went missing. Actually, he and Mandy had quite an argument the other morning.
Michele: What were they arguing about?
Brent: I’m not sure what started it, but she was yelling at him on her way out. I wouldn’t have wanted him to look at me the way he was looking at her when she left.
Michele: So, you are twenty-eight years old and one of the youngest officers to make
detective. How did that make you feel?
Brent: I made detective when I was twenty-three. It happened just before Charlie died.
He’d been the one to push me into taking the detective’s exam. I thought I was way too young to even try, but I was wrong. Sometimes I think he had more confidence in me that I did.
Michele: It’s great to have a friend who will encourage us to accomplish our goals.
Brent: Yeah. I really miss the guy.
Michele: So, how’s your love life?
Brent: I had a feeling you’d bring that up.
Michele: Are you telling me a handsome young man such as yourself doesn’t have lady love?
Brent: Not at the moment. I’ve dated a few women, and have been in love, but it didn’t work
out.
Michele: That’s too bad.
Brent: My partner, Erica Barnes, will tell you I fall in love much too quickly. She cringes every time I tell her I’m going out with someone.
Michele: Okay, I’ll let you off the hook. Have you been partnered with Detective Barnes for a
long time?
Brent: Our homicide department mixes it up quite a bit, but she’s been with me on the
majority of the cases I’ve worked. She’s got a sharp sense of humor. It’s almost like having another sister.
Michele: Do you think you’ll stay in homicide or do you have your eyes set on another department?
Brent: I love working homicide because it’s like working a jigsaw puzzle. You have to
pick up clues and put them all together to see the whole picture. It’s very challenging and I’d probably stay there forever if I could. However, the IMPD encourages us to move around. I think Robbery or Missing Persons would be challenging for me as well.
Michele:
What about Vice or the Gang Unit?
Brent: It’s not that those are very challenging divisions. I’m not sure I’d want to go under cover.
Michele: That's all the time we have today. Good luck with all your future endeavors and thank you for being our guest today.
Brent: It was my pleasure.
To find out more about Brent and how he solves homicides with the help of his colleagues in The Circle City Mystery Series, go to www.amazon.com to purchase your print or eBook copy. For signed copies, go to my website www.memay-mysteries.com and click on Order Books.
In March, we will be interviewing Missing Persons Detective Tyrone Mayhew. The Circle City Mystery in which Detective Mayhew is the star is entitled Ensconced and will be av
Michele: Readers and future readers of the Circle City Mystery Series are anxious to get to know you better. I hope you’re up for a few personal questions.
Brent: I’d love to answer any questions that will bring me closer to our readers.
Michele: It is my understanding that you opted to go straight to the police academy rather
than college. What or who inspired you to take that path?
Brent: To be honest, television. I watched Law and Order from the beginning. I was only six, but it fascinated me. Then in 2000, CSI came to television.
Michele: Did you get caught up in the CSI affect?
Brent: I’m afraid I did. Now that I’m actually doing the job, I understand how a program
like that can mislead the public. Not to say that the equipment they use isn’t real, it’s just that not all jurisdictions can afford it. Also, you’ll not find a CSI in the field actually doing the testing in the lab—at least not in Indianapolis.
Michele: Interesting. How do your parents feel about your choice of occupation?
Brent: My mother was upset at first. She thought I’d be killed by some robbery suspect or
something. I’m her only son and she’s a little over protective.
Michele: And your father?
Brent: By the time I graduated high school, my father had passed away from liver
disease.
Michele: Oh, I’m sorry.
Brent: No big deal. He was a drunk and not much of a father.
Michele: Well, then, let’s go back to the fact you are the only son. I take it you have a
sister.
Brent: Actually, I have three sisters. My eldest sister, Janell, is married with two daughters
living in Swayzee, Indiana. Sister number two, Patty, married and divorced young, then met a super guy and married a second time. Now she has two boys and a girl. Then, there’s my twin sister, Brenda.
Michele: A twin, how fun.
Brent: You think growing up with three sisters was fun?
Michele: Are you saying it wasn’t?
Brent: Let’s just say that when someone tells you boys are rotten and girls are sweethearts,
don’t believe them. Of course, Brenda wasn’t as bad as the other two, but got caught up in the torture every now and then.
Michele: Oh dear, what did they do to you?
Brent: When I was five, Jan was supposed to be watching me while Mom went to the store. One of her friends came over and she locked me in the basement so I wouldn’t bother
them. Then one time Patty threw my homework in the fire and told Mom I hadn’t
done it yet. I was grounded for a week.
Michele: Do your sisters work outside the home?
Brent: Jan is a “stay-at-home” mom, which has always worked for her since her husband has a great paying job at Chrysler. Patty works as a receptionist at a doctor’s office. The only one of us who decided to go to college was Brenda.
Michele: Where did she study and what was her major?
Brent: She went to the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine and now has her own veterinary
clinic in Kokomo.
Michele: Impressive. Now that we know a little about early home life, let’s move on to your days in the academy. I understand that you met Captain Stevenson’s son, Charlie, while
there.
Brent: Yes, I did. We became fast friends. Charlie was very friendly and enthusiastic. I
think he would have gone far in the department if he hadn’t been killed in the line of duty.
Michele: That was a horrible tragedy.
Brent: Yes, it was. Everyone at IMPD loved Charlie. From what I understand, Captain
Stevenson took it really hard.
Michele: So you weren’t really involved with the Stevensons?
Brent: Charlie had me over a couple of times for dinner, but I didn’t really get to know the
captain until I made detective. His sister, Mandy, seemed really nice, but she went off to college a year after it happened.
Michele: What’s it like working for Captain Stevenson?
Brent: Captain Stevenson is a by-the-book kind of guy. He’s strict, but fair. I’ve never seen
him lose his temper with anyone who didn’t deserve it. I just heard his wife went missing. Actually, he and Mandy had quite an argument the other morning.
Michele: What were they arguing about?
Brent: I’m not sure what started it, but she was yelling at him on her way out. I wouldn’t have wanted him to look at me the way he was looking at her when she left.
Michele: So, you are twenty-eight years old and one of the youngest officers to make
detective. How did that make you feel?
Brent: I made detective when I was twenty-three. It happened just before Charlie died.
He’d been the one to push me into taking the detective’s exam. I thought I was way too young to even try, but I was wrong. Sometimes I think he had more confidence in me that I did.
Michele: It’s great to have a friend who will encourage us to accomplish our goals.
Brent: Yeah. I really miss the guy.
Michele: So, how’s your love life?
Brent: I had a feeling you’d bring that up.
Michele: Are you telling me a handsome young man such as yourself doesn’t have lady love?
Brent: Not at the moment. I’ve dated a few women, and have been in love, but it didn’t work
out.
Michele: That’s too bad.
Brent: My partner, Erica Barnes, will tell you I fall in love much too quickly. She cringes every time I tell her I’m going out with someone.
Michele: Okay, I’ll let you off the hook. Have you been partnered with Detective Barnes for a
long time?
Brent: Our homicide department mixes it up quite a bit, but she’s been with me on the
majority of the cases I’ve worked. She’s got a sharp sense of humor. It’s almost like having another sister.
Michele: Do you think you’ll stay in homicide or do you have your eyes set on another department?
Brent: I love working homicide because it’s like working a jigsaw puzzle. You have to
pick up clues and put them all together to see the whole picture. It’s very challenging and I’d probably stay there forever if I could. However, the IMPD encourages us to move around. I think Robbery or Missing Persons would be challenging for me as well.
Michele:
What about Vice or the Gang Unit?
Brent: It’s not that those are very challenging divisions. I’m not sure I’d want to go under cover.
Michele: That's all the time we have today. Good luck with all your future endeavors and thank you for being our guest today.
Brent: It was my pleasure.
To find out more about Brent and how he solves homicides with the help of his colleagues in The Circle City Mystery Series, go to www.amazon.com to purchase your print or eBook copy. For signed copies, go to my website www.memay-mysteries.com and click on Order Books.
In March, we will be interviewing Missing Persons Detective Tyrone Mayhew. The Circle City Mystery in which Detective Mayhew is the star is entitled Ensconced and will be av
