A Criminal's Mind

Fight

Once we get to the Altoona station Ocasek calls Mrs. Moran, giving Ford, Tench and I about twenty to thirty minutes to talk before she arrives. Tench leads Ford and I into one of the interrogation rooms and closes the door behind us. "Alright, there seems to be a bit of tension between you two. Why?"

Ford shakes his head, "I don't know what you're talking about. I just didn't appreciate Nancy taking over the interview the way she did."

I scoff, "taking over the interview, please. I asked a max of ten questions."

"Alright," Tench nods, "Nancy, do you feel like there is a problem?"

"Between Ford and I? No. With Ford's interviewing and people skills, yes."

"Whats wrong with my interviewing and people skills?" Ford crosses his arms.

I chuckle, "you can't treat an interview like a hostage situation. You can't just talk to someone like any answer they give is wrong."

"Well, I can't run around making friends with suspects."

"I'm not trying to. If you knew a bit of psychology, you'd know people let down their guard when you are kind to them and then you ask the same questions a thousand different ways until they slip up."

"Well, I'm sorry that I can't do that, as a man."

"And why can't you?"

"Because it looks weak."

"Oh, so women are weak now?"

"I didn't say that."

"Kind of sounds like you did."

"Hey, hey," Tench puts his hands up. "Alright, you two have two very different ways of interrogation, both very valid. However, when we are talking to a suspect I can't have you two walking over each other. We have to present a united front. So you," Tench points to Ford, who drops his arms as if he's done nothing wrong, "can't look at her like she just slapped you in the face, and you," Tench points to me, "can't roll your eyes or bite the inside of your lip when Holden gets a little aggressive with the questioning, okay?"

"Okay," Ford and I nod, answering in unison.

"Now, I want you two to talk out, why you dislike the other's style of questioning. Then you are going to answer the 'why it doesn't work,' with why it does. Ladies first."

I take a deep breath and look over to Ford, "whenever you start talking to someone like they are guilty and you already know it, it gets us nowhere. It causes them to shut down and until we have a warrant we are operating on their willingness to talk to us. Even if it's just so they don't look guilty, it still doesn't help. Someone like Alvin Moran could have told us if someone else had been around Beverly Jean a little too much, if he had been more inclined to talk, which he would have been had we not basically accused him of being guilty with our questioning."

"Good. Holden?"

Ford crosses his arms, "I feel that if we appear too friendly toward a suspect, it can cause them to think we aren't looking into them enough. Making it easier for them to lie to us. I also feel it makes me look weak because I am used to being in an environment where you have to speak to someone in that manner in order to make any headway."

"Alright," Tench nods, "now Nancy, with that in mind, can you tell Holden why your style of interrogation will work?"

"Sure," I nod, "if they think we aren't looking into them enough, it can cause them to get careless and make mistakes, same with the lying. They can only remember so much of a lie and unless they are repeating it to themselves before we get there, they won't be able to remember it all. And I understand you are used to high stress situations, but people are inclined to remember less under stress, which yes helps us with catching someone in a lie, but not with an interview where we're just trying to get information. It actually causes us to lose out on a bit of it."

"Good," Tench looks over to Ford, "Holden, why does your style work?"

Ford shrugs, "if they are guilty and we act like we already know they are, it gets them to crack or get nervous and slip up. Or spill something they may know about the cases that they hadn't before."

Tench nods, "alright, I think I get what's going on here. I think we need to try a different approach to initial interviews. I think we should try Nancy running point on interviews until we start interrogations, then Holden will run point."

I nod, "sounds good to me."

Ford looks a little sour about Tench's decision, "yeah, we can give that a try."

"Good," Tench nods, "now, I don't ever want to hear you two fight in front of a city, county, or state officer again, do you understand." Ford and I nod, "I understand we are three different people with different ideas, but the brass would be just fine shutting us down, putting you back teaching Hostage Negotiation," Tench points over to Ford, "and it would not break his heart any, to have you back in the hallways of the bureau," Tench points to me. "Remember this is about more than just you," Tench gestures between Ford and I.