Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 75: Alternate Questioning

"We can see from his vocal intonation and body language that his attitude is changing," I noted.

"The analysis of vocal intonation is tricky when dealing with interrogations as they are not admissible in court. But you can see that Richard is very uncomfortable with the situation and it is exuding from his body language." Sebastian told her quickly. 

"Despite not being admissible in court, the knowledge can be used by the detective. Part of their job is to access and go with their gut in such situations. Can you explain Richard's body language to me?"

I thought about it for a minute, rewinding to a minute earlier and closely following his actions. "The way he is speaking comes across as slightly nervous and unsure. He would appear to be agitated in the way he is processing the information and communicating his stances."

"Good job," Sebastian complimented quickly. "This type of cognitive recognition is a difficult thing to articulate and investigators simply categorize it as instinct, which the detective no doubt had felt at this moment. He will be certain that Richard was guilty by the way he was talking, silent with a hint of nervousness. Incongruous with how a military person would normally carry himself." Sebastian's explanation was articulate, much like his lectures. Only, he was much more patient and happy to explain. His expression showed that he was going an extra mile for her. 

I had to wonder if I was getting preferential treatment or if he saw me as a weak student and had to nurture me more.

"Essentially, we wanted to talk to you about those four cases and see what you say to us. You have almost hit the nail on some of the issues that make us want to talk to you. Because there is a connection between you and all four of those cases, geographically. Would you agree?" My ears perked up. The detective broached the topic so casually, letting Richard tell for himself if he a probably suspect without saying it outright. It was a great move in front of a person who liked complete control of any situation.

"Uh I do drive past that--" Richard admitted quickly but stop mid-sentence.

"Hmm?" the detective prompted. 

"Yeah, I would say there is a connection."

Richard was asked to state his movement and activities.

"This is known as gathering pretext. The detective wants to get an initial alibi of the suspect before the confrontational phase of the interrogation begins. This is the calmest state the suspect will be kept in before the detective ramps up the pressure. The more relaxed the suspect is, usually the more detailed pretext and more information to scrutinize and correlate with will be provided. The detective can pick up on any changes or discrepancies in events later on citing this alibi."

I blinked. "So, it's literally the pleasure of catching someone in a lie. Sounds like fun," I snickered finally. 

"Well, it can be fun but keep your expression straight. You shouldn't show your actual feelings on your face in front of a suspect!" Sebastian warned. I nodded enthusiastically and turned back to the screen.

The alibi went on and the suspect stated that he was in a different city, suffering from stomach flu. The detective asked more specific questions, asking for specific times and events that he would remember. 

"Not sure. Uh" The suspect started. He gave tentative timings, trying to evade commitment to anything. He tried to act nonchalant but I could see the thoughts rolling in his head. He was trying to think of a way to disassociate himself from the crime. 

Richard stared at the door with a thoughtful expression throughout his explanation, nodding his head sagely, almost showing signs of feeling triumphant that he could come up with an alibi so instantly. 

He didn't look at the detective for prolonged periods of time, almost scared that he would reveal something he doesn't want to. This was another sign of guilt that the detective must have picked up on. 

"If you didn't have the stomach flu, what were you planning on doing?" 

Sebastian paused the video immediately. "Alternate questioning is a method of seeing what the suspect will come up with as a separate alibi in an alternate situation. It brings out what their thought process is like. Usually, they will avoid any mention of the situation and try to act like it is of no importance to them. Like, if the detective asked, how would you make someone disappear, he would have a hard time answering that question because he has made someone disappear. He would probably give an answer after much hesitation, but he would purposefully avoid the method he used to make the girl disappear. It is a choice he makes."

"A person who is not guilty will not feel like the question is very important and answer immediately, listing off things others can do to make someone disappear. Another thing to note is that someone guilty will keep saying how horrible the methods are and how he was just stating the methods and that it had nothing to do with him. He might say something like 'I am not saying that is what happened. You understand, right?' He would constantly look for reassurance."

He played the video again.

"It was a standard schedule in the office. So, I don't remember the specifics, but there would have been a brief with a couple of officers in the morning and then a couple of meetings." There were a lot of 'uh's and 'um's as he said those words.