75 Alternate Questioning (1/2)
”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.”