She spoke to Nedda for the first time. „We can put this off for another day or get it over with now. Up to you.“
„I’m ready.“
When Mallory turned around again to face the examiner, she feigned surprise to see him. „Still here?“
The man slunk out of the room, lacking the energy to entirely close the door behind him. Mallory slammed it shut. Her voice was icy when she turned to the woman seated in the chair and said, commanded, „Take off your shoes.“
Charles turned to Riker. „Her shoes?“
„Yeah.“ The detective shrugged as he slouched lower in his chair. „Some perps use countermeasures like a tack in the shoe. It jacks up the response to a control question. Any question that raises a real sweat looks kind of pale by comparison.“
„So the response to a small anxiety disguises the larger one.“
„Now you got it.“ The detective was watching the other room as Nedda, following another order, dragged her chair across the floor. Barefoot and wired to the machine, she sat down with her back to the wall. „That chair is set up with a stress plate to catch muscle tension. That’s another trick the perps use to beat the box.“
„But I] m guessing that you’re not actually worried about Nedda using countermeasures.“
„No.“
„In fact, Mallory’s not even certified for this sort of thing, is she?“
„Charles, it doesn’t matter. No polygraph exam is admissible in court. But now we get to ask questions that no lawyer would ever let her answer.“
„I can’t believe that Bitty Smyth would allow her to take this exam.“
„Bitty’s a contract attorney. Never handled a criminal case.“ Charles watched Mallory fasten restraints to the older woman’s legs. „I think I can guess what that’s for. She’s pinned now, helpless.“ He turned to Riker in the dark. „You know this isn’t right.“
„I know, but it’s what we do.“
Nedda Winter stared at the wires that made her seem part machine.
„Bitty arranged for the independent examiner. Maybe I should talk to her before – “
„Good idea.“ Mallory stood before her suspect. „But I need answers today. Your niece is downstairs. If you don’t feel up to this, I can strap her in instead. I’m sure she’ll be happy to take your place if this is too stressful.“
Yeah, right.
No lawyer ever born would consent to a polygraph examination, but Nedda was nodding her head, wanting to spare Bitty Smyth any – unpleasantness. Barefoot and pinned by rubber tubes and wires, restraints on both her arms and legs, the old woman would not be able to imagine her timid niece in that chair.
Mallory sat down at the table before the equipment. She gave a cursory glance at the sheet of paper she had torn from the civilian’s machine. „You’ve got too many mixed responses here. We have to start over. If you like, we can wait a few hours while we find an independent who knows what he’s doing. Or would you rather get this over with?“
„I said I’d take the test, but I don’t – “
„Fine.“ Mallory reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out the deck of cards she had stolen from the civilian examiner. „Let’s try another trick. That fool only used four cards.“ She shuffled the deck as she spoke. „Let’s try it with fifty-two possibilities. Pull out a card, any card.“ Fanning the cards, Mallory held them just far enough away to make the older woman strain to reach one. Nedda had no sooner taken her selection from the deck, when Mallory said, „Seven of hearts.“
Nedda nodded, surprised.
„I palmed the only cards you could reach, and I memorized their order.“
Riker leaned far forward in his chair, caught between surprise and confusion. „You heard right,“ said Charles. „She just told the truth.“ And he understood why. Nedda must believe in Mallory. Hang the damned machine.
„The examiner your niece picked out was a useless cheat,“ said Mallory, setting the deck on the table. „Bad card tricks are a hack’s game. He wanted you to believe that he could read your mind. Now me? I don’t care what you believe.“ She pointed to the waving lines at the top of the machine. „If you hold your breath, I’ll know.“ One long red fingernail moved down through the other lines. „If your heart beats a little faster, I’ll know. When you break a sweat, I’ll see it on the machine before it shows up on your face.“ She held up the sheet she had torn from the examiner’s machine. „His last question was inconclusive, so we’ll try it again.“ She wadded the paper into a ball and threw it across the room. Nedda Winter flinched, perhaps believing that it was aimed at her.
A good start.
Turning on the machine, Mallory said, „Now, let’s go for a ride.“ She picked up her pencil and watched the scrolling lines, asking, „Did you ever kill anyone? Yes or no.“
„Yes.“
Mallory consulted the spikes on the scrolling paper, making notes here and there. „You were very calm the night we came to your house, but now your heart is beating way too fast. Is the burglar the only man you ever killed?“
Nedda’s voice was not much above a whisper, asking, „What does this have to do with the – “
„ Yes, or no. If I knew your total body count, would I be impressed?“
Charles sank low in his chair. „I think I prefer the dark old days of thumbscrews and the rack. Does Mallory understand that she’s reading signs of stress – not guilt? Just being in the same room with her is enough to – “
„She knows,“ said Riker. „With a little preparation, a brain-dead Girl Scout can beat the box. But you can tell the truth and still fail the exam.“
„So it’s totally useless. Why would – “
„Nedda’s our only lead. We sent the Maine cops to Susan McReedy’s house to ask a few questions and check out her story. Seems the lady disappeared. Nedda’s all we got left.“ This was not entirely true. The last resort would be Bitty Smyth, who would lawyer up immediately. And then they would lose their leverage over the woman on the other side of the glass.
„I know you like Nedda Winter,“ said Charles. „Why can’t you do the interrogation instead of Mallory?“
„No,“ said Riker, „I could never do what she’s gonna do.“
Mallory turned off the machine. „This looks bad for you. I can’t help you if you hold out on me. So we have to clarify your response. Right now, all I know for sure is that the burglar wasn’t your first kill.“
The detective leaned far back in her chair. No need to consult the machine – Nedda Winter’s face said it all. The woman had just been assaulted with no bruising, no blood loss. All the pain was in her eyes, the mouth half open, hands clenching.
„So let’s clear up that previous death. Suppose you had an accident, ran somebody down in a car. That would explain the readings I see on this machine. Give me the circumstances, and then I can eliminate the last question.“ Nedda was flailing, arms raising, wires dangling from her body parts. She looked at her right hand, mechanized now, and she was horrified.
„All right.“ Mallory turned the machine on. „Let’s take an easy question, a throwaway. The other night at the dinner party, I understand your niece gave you an old pack of tarot cards. She said they were yours. Was that true?“
„You’ve been talking to Charles Butler.“ Nedda turned to the mirror. „Is he there now? Bitty said she’d picked him for the neutral observer.“