Autopsy of a Mind

A few days before the interrogation, Marcus Wright received a call from his mother midday that his younger sister Amy Wright had failed to show up to work and wasn't responding to phone calls or texts. He drove to her home and discovered that she wasn't there. There was no sign of a break-in, but she usually didn't keep her phone unlocked or leave her belongings behind. The city has a low crime rate and is one of the safest cities in the country. A missing person report was filed and the police took the matter seriously because she was a member of the army. A task force was created for the search and the police took immediate action. The word spread fast across the city with the help of the media and on the second day, an anonymous citizen came up with some information. The man was driving past her house the night before her disappearance and noticed an SUV parked near her house in the field. He stated that he remembered feeling that something was odd, the car was parked unusually at such an odd hour. The man had driven past the area thousands of times before and never seen this car there. Police canvassed the area and found tire-tracks on the field. They also found boot prints leading up to her house. They had attained the first two pieces of evidence, which became the foundation of the next stage of the investigation. Police set up roadblocks in the surrounding area and paused all SUVs that passed. Reportedly, they stopped over 300 vehicles for the next four days without luck. They were on the verge of calling it off when they had a breakthrough. 

Richard's car was stopped at one of the roadblocks and was sent on his way after just two minutes of checking. Unbeknownst to him, he was placed under police supervision from that moment on as his tires were a complete match to the tracks found near her house. Two days later, he received a call from police headquarters asking him to visit the premises to answer some questions in relation to the missing person's case. He didn't enquire about the case he was going to be questioned about and told his wife that he would be back for dinner that evening.

He was greeted by the detective, a trained polygraph technician, and lead investigator for the police behavioral investigation unit. He was taken to the interrogation room where he was shown the microphone and the cameras before being seated.

"I've gone through the file," I said after a couple of minutes. Sebastian grinned and played the video again.

The detective and suspect started to make small talk about the current situation. 

"Have you ever been interrogated by the police?" Sam Smith asked.

"I have never been interviewed by police, but I have been interviewed by the intelligence agency regarding top-secret clearance." Replied the Captain.

I thought about it for a second and then added in my thoughts.

"It's a testament to his idea that he is invincible and just how assured he felt in that situation."

Without telling me if I was correct or not, and continued.

"This is quickly brushed to the side by the detective and he continues to use the suspect's name casually. He sets the stage for the interview and takes the suspect down from the elevated platform the suspect puts himself on and to diminish his confidence and air of invincibility. This precedes the telling signs in body language and intonation when lying and also decreases stamina, lessening the time an individual can keep a facade before they break. Placing the subject on an even platform allows the detective to exercise and mystify his own powers, which will serve a purpose in the later stages of the interrogation. This demoralizes the suspect but at the same time maintains a rapport, giving a reason for the detective's non-confrontational disposition."

The interviewer proceeded to tell him that they are taking the case seriously and that the police department is unwilling to give up on a missing person until they have concrete proof that Amy Wright was dead. This was why they had to work on a Sunday and Richard had to be called in. He said that the interview was going to be long and thorough as they didn't want to call people over and over again. 

"This statement completely dis-includes Richard and doesn't give him any inclination that he is a suspect. In turn, it establishes that he is someone who can help them solve the problem, feeding his ego without taking away from the fact that he is still being called casually. This dichotomy keeps the rapport going, without elevating the person and giving them space to build their mental barriers."

I suddenly realized that I needed to take notes of this conversation. I wanted to bang my head against the wall for not considering this earlier.

"Wait, I'll write this down." I reached for the notepad and pen and started to scribble short notes on what had been said already. Sebastian waited beside me, peeking at the notes and then nodding. 

"Your analysis is helpful. Share it with me tomorrow, will you?" he complimented. I stared at him blankly and then gave a timid nod. How my notes would help him, I don't know. But if he said it would, I didn't have any objection to it.