Polygraph

Harrison, the perp, rode in the passenger seat next to Jake as they drove west to Sioux Falls. for the scheduled polygraph test.

It wasn’t a good cop/bad cop thing. His human cargo wasn’t under arrest. He dug his heels in to buy time and won a trip to Sioux Falls. Flight risk didn’t enter in to it. They’d be in South Dakota. Where would he run?

They pretty much rode in silence. Jake let him stew. He told the kid he could save everyone time by confessing. But Harrison’s lawyer suggested this trip on the department’s dime.

Jake thought about that. He’d learned everyone is guilty of something. The challenge lay in finding what crime they were guilty of.

They called Harrison in for an ‘interview’ to see what he knew about the robbery. The kid came in wide-eyed, as if he’d never seen a police department before. They played nice. Brewed a fresh pot of coffee for him. He gave the detectives the impression he wanted to help catch the bad guy. Did he expect them to provide a Batman cape?

Then Jake asked him, “Where were you on the night in question?”

Harrison stammered, “In Minneapolis.” No one spoke. The room cooled and they could see the light turn on. “Wait a minute. You think I did it?” That’s a long round trip for a weekend, hitchhiking in mid-winter no less. As soon as Harrison clued he was a suspect, he demanded a lawyer.

While the lawyer and Harrison strategized, Jake and the other detectives talked.

“That knee-jerk response locked it down for me. He didn’t want his folks. He wanted a lawyer. Why does an innocent man need a lawyer? He looks like a kid but when the heat is on he knows to lawyer up.”

His fellow detectives agreed. If things went his way, this case would help Jake. A confession always puts a feather in the cap.

Diminished department resources now meant Jake had to escort his suspect two hours each way, to Sioux Falls, to the closest polygraph facility. Jake wanted a conviction. Polygraphs weren’t admissible in court. But the weight of a strong result often brought a confession. The savings of no trial outweighed the cost of the test.

Anyway, Jake preferred the drive west to navigating Twin Cities’ traffic. And Jake’s old college buddy, Charlie, ran the Sioux Falls operation. They could catch up and he knew Charlie wouldn’t muck up the process.

He thought about the call to Charlie. After a few comments about wives, kids, friends and old times, he got down to business.

“So, Charlie, I’ve got a suspect on a B & E over at the local CC. Some French professor’s purse got lifted from her office. Our likely perp spends most of his time at the school newspaper office in the same hallway. Witnesses say he practically lives in the photo dark room. He’s seen there, most any time, day or night.”

“He’s a photographer? A student? He must have money.”

“Or need it.”

“Is he local?”

“No. That’s the thing. He claims he spent the weekend up in the Cities that weekend.”

“Dumping the goods? What’s a city kid doing in corn country?”

“Maybe ducking bad blood at home.”

“Well, bring him in tomorrow. I’ll fit you in. We’ll sort him out.”

Jake figured the miles ticking by would give Harrison time to think about his diminishing options. After all, they had motive, opportunity and access. His alibi hadn’t been corroborated.

Harrison pulled out his smart phone.

“Put it away, kid. We’re not going to a party.”

Jake saw Harrison as an odd duck. Why would a city kid come to a backwater community college in a farm town? Of course he’s too young to know you can run but not hide. His habits will follow him like cheap cologne.

His only defense is his sullen attitude, above it all, like he’s a prince or something. Jake knew, despite Harrison's annoying confidence, the kid was running on empty. Regardless, no one cares about that crap. His finger prints are all over this, only he didn’t leave any. Smart kid.

His rap sheet hadn’t arrived. But it would. They would build a case and lock him up. And while he’s stalling, they‘d come up with other books to throw at him. Petty theft is one thing. But if they can link him to other open cases…

They parked in front of a low-rise office building and walked in. Charlie met them at the door. He shook hands with both of them but didn’t waste time with small talk.

He led Harrison into a small office with a one way window and the polygraph equipment. Charlie told Harrison to sit tight and left him there.

He met Jake in the observation room. “Who is this kid, Jake? I didn’t know they made hippies anymore.”

“Yeah, he’s a transitional species between hipster and hippie. Been a while since you read your Darwin, eh?”

“So what’s the scoop? Any updates?”

“No. He’s adamant about his innocence. But everything we have points to him. He looks like a punk but may be savvier than that. He’s pretty much as cool as you ever want to meet.”

“A chameleon, huh?”

Jake laughed. “You might say that. In any case, if I can go back home with a confession, it will be worth it.”

“We’ll see what we can do, my friend.”

Charlie entered the room where Harrison sat. He affixed several electrodes for monitoring blood pressure, skin conductivity, heart rate and other indicators to Harrison’s skin. He typed an entry into the computer.

He handed Harrison a print-out of the questions Charlie would ask. The questions established a base line for the interview. Follow-up questions established relevance to the reason for the test – Harrison’s connection to the crime. The list asked largely mundane information, name, address and age. The questions about the crime were more informational than provocative. The theory held that any lie would show up and offer leverage to the prosecution.

“These are the only questions I’ll ask you, Mr. Harrison. The test’s accuracy is dependent on your answering them truthfully. Please speak clearly and answer as briefly as possible. Got that?”

Harrison nodded. He looked around the featureless room as if trying to remember every detail of his experience. He acted like this were an adventure to relate to his friends.

Going down the list, Charlie asked questions in a monotone. After each of Harrison’s answers, Charlie made a brief notation on his pad.

Jake watched the computer screen through the window. It basically flat-lined. Harrison appeared unshakable. Regardless of the question, the read-out gave no sign of anxiety or anything else.

Was he even alive? Jake wanted to bang on the window. Anything to get a rise out of this kid.

Then Charlie threw a curve, “Were you alone during the robbery?” This question wasn’t on the list. The computer read-out spiked.

Visibly startled, Harrison practically jumped out of his chair. “Wait! What…? That wasn’t…”

Charlie looked at Harrison and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrison. I asked that by mistake.” He made a notation on his pad. “That will not affect the outcome. Do you mind if we continue?”

Harrison collected himself. “Sure.”

Charlie finished the list of questions and the read-out returned to flat-line mode. When Harrison answered the last question, Charlie said, “Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”

He exited the test room and joined Jake. “This guy is no more guilty than I am,” he said.

Jake balked. “But I know he’s guilty. Charlie…”

“Well, the test doesn’t indicate it. Just the opposite, I’m afraid. This won’t help you at all.”

“Charlie, I need this. You said…”

“I said ‘I’d see what I could do.’ I’m not going to dummy up a false reading…”

“No. Of course. I didn’t mean that.”

“So, there we are.”

Jake shook his head. A long trip for nothing.

Harrison smiled when Charlie told him the results.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it.” He shook Charlie’s hand.

Jake took a casual turn on the return trip. He said, “You had me completely fooled, Harrison. Or, I guess I fooled myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone lies. My experience has taught me that. They start out with a good story and then, at some point, they need to change it. We catch them in the lie. Everyone lies.”

“But I didn’t lie.”

“That’s what I mean about my fooling myself. You told the truth from the outset. I’ve never seen that before. That’s a first.”

The trip back went faster than the morning drive. Jake even let Harrison look at his phone.