Autopsy of a Mind

The detective kept talking, playing the narrative up. "This can have a bad ending and her parents can continue to search for her and never find her… a huge search is on and we will continue to search for her until her body is found. It could happen tonight for all you know."

Richard sighed. 

While sighs are attributed to sadness and frustration, they are also linked to the fight or flight response as the additional oxygen is preparing the individual for battle. The thought of the body being found the same evening evoked a subconscious emotion of danger, resulting in this reaction. That was my analysis. Years of speech analysis and linguistic study had taught me this much. 

I was surprised how much my education was helping in this completely different field of study. Indeed, all things in the world are interdisciplinary. 

"Once that happens, I don't know what you could possibly do to get out of it. Tell me what we are going to do." After some silence, the detective repeated himself. He called Richard's name gently. 

"Only Rick, please." I knew it instantly. It had worked. He was almost broken. He was going to confess soon. 

"Rick, will we have to go far or dig her out?"

More silence ensued for the next 3 minutes. Richard was now mirroring the movements of the detective. His palm, too, was placed on his cheek. Sebastian commented about the association and wanting to feel a sense of security, leading to this phenomenon. 

"I can see that you are struggling with this. Tell me, explain to me what is going on in your head." Sebastian asked softly, startling her.

"Why did it turn into a therapy session?" I asked, bewildered. 

"Sometimes, they need a little help, someone who will listen to their problems and motivations… cut them some slack," Sebastian replied. 

"I'm struggling thinking about how upset and afraid my wife must be right now." At least this guy had some sense of love for people other than himself. From the tone of his voice, I could tell that his concern for his wife was genuine.

The next fifteen minutes were spent talking about the different stakeholders in the case, how much it would cost, how dedicated the team was, how they were close to a breakthrough, and several questions about what Richard wanted from the detective… how could he help?

Throughout, Richard kept mimicking the detective's motions unconsciously, showing that a bond of trust had been solidified. 

"I want to meet my wife. How can I do that?" he asked finally.

"Got a map?" Breakthrough.

The detective moved without blinking as if nothing unnatural was happening. He quickly pulled out a map from the documents and placed it in front of him. He had been prepared for this moment since the beginning of the interrogation.

Slowly, the location came out, and then the brutal details of the murder. The graphic details of her negotiating with him, of the sexual violence he had committed, and the surprise he felt on killing her were all revealed. Sebastian made no noise. He let me watch patiently, soaking in the details. 

"How was he not convicted?" I found myself asking. "The detective, in my amateur opinion, did a great job and got a confession out of him." It was dubious that he had not been caught. 

"He was a high ranking military official. They snubbed the case and made it private, never to be spoken about again. It is because of his death that they have revealed these files." That was horrible. How did it come to this?

"So, they got him out and then asked him to retire?" I asked. What kind of a world did we live in?

"The world is corrupt. The military was trying to make sure their reputation was not brought into question. As long as that didn't happen, what was a couple of heinous crimes." He shrugged.

"You don't approve of the military," I stated. 

"Now, that is a conversation for another day." He rolled his shoulders and moved to the next video. 

I looked down at the plate of fruits to see that we had unconsciously finished it. Good. The fruits were just ripe and keeping them aside would lead to a fridge full of spoiled fruits.

"They found her body, right?" I asked. That was the least they could do. 

"They did. The police dug up her body exactly at the location he had given. They returned her body to her family and made them sign a non-disclosure agreement. It was military orders." Sebastian's voice was low and mournful. 

"That's horrible. They weren't even able to mourn her death properly. But now, it is all coming to light, isn't it? Now, a psychopath has killed Richard. In a twisted way, justice was served."

I tilted my head back and stared at the ceiling.

"You could say that. But does an act of violence really nullify or bring justice for another?" Sebastian speculated. 

"This is what angers me. Sometimes, the law is unable to do anything. They let the victims rot and their families suffer. And then these people come around, act as vigilantes." I paused. "No act of violence is justified... even if the victim is a ruthless psychopath." I sighed. 

"You're absolutely right. Don't think that vigilantes or psychopaths who kill criminals are doing this for justice. It's a means to their end. Maybe they are triggered, but they made a conscious choice to kill. They are no better than the people they are punishing."

I nodded absentmindedly. "Why is the world such a dark place?"

"Remember, believe in the good in people. The world is a swamp, but you wade through it and try your best to get out. Everyone is doing the same. Without hope, you won't want to live. You'll have no choice but to extinguish your life."

Yes, I had thought about that possibility, too. I didn't want to admit it, but I had thought about it.