did with the notes your great-grandmother made when she was working for us in the war.
Vivien: We burnt them.
[Careful truth.]
Q: How did you burn them? In a bonfire?
A: We burnt them with her body. They were cremated.
[Pictures in head – yellow papers on white dress under brown hands. Bright flowers. Coffin on conveyor belt. Urn in box. Truth, truth, truth.]
Q: Did you read them before you burnt them?
A: No. I was crying too much.
[Truth. Tears on flower petals. Tears on paper.]
Q: Did you read them earlier, when your nana was alive?
A: Yes. Some of them. She was angry we’d told the local newspaper, so she took them back before I read them all. I only read the first 100 pages. There were at least 50 more.
[Truth, fear, anger. Memory of her nana shouting about confidentiality.]
Q: Why did you burn the papers?
A: She made me promise.
[Truth.]
Q: Did you keep your promise?
A: Yes.
[Truth, but a moment’s hesitation, pictures of coffin and crematorium urn.]
Q: Did you read all the pages of the research before you burnt them?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Did you ever read the last pages?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Do you know the names of any of the subjects?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Why did your nana want you to burn them?
A: Because she thought the research subjects had a right to anonymity.
[Truth. Memory of shouted words: “ethics… human rights…”]
Q: Why did you argue with her?
A: I said that science should never be totally destroyed, that people’s names could be protected, but the science should be made public.
[Truth. Target calming down. She’s confident she’s right. She’s less afraid.]
Q: Why didn’t she agree with you?
A: [Delay in answering.]
[Fear again.]
Q: Come on Vivien, why didn’t she agree?
A: She said it was dangerous. She said one of the subjects had threatened her, so she didn’t want these notes made public. She was a frightened old lady and I didn’t want to make her any more scared. So I promised to burn them.
[Truth. Memory of tears and hugs.]
Q: And were you frightened?
A: Of course not. Why would I be? This research was seventy years old. The subject who had threatened her must be very old now. Old or dead. I wasn’t scared.
[Lie. Target is terrified. She’s trying to answer carefully but she’s remembering her nana, tears on her face, hands trembling. And her own hands, shaking, opening a box.]
Q: Who threatened her? Which of the subjects?
A: I don’t know any of their names.
[Truth. The last pile of pages in her mind. Regret that she never read them.]
Q: But you know their codenames. Who threatened her?
A: I don’t know.
[Lie. Absolute lie.]
Q: That’s a lie, Vivien. Who threatened her?
A: It’s not a lie.
[Lie.]
Q: Yes, it is. Which subject threatened her? I know she told you…
(Target shakes her head.)
(Lead questioner orders applied pressure, first level.)
I closed my eyes. ‘Applied pressure’ means pain, designed to force answers from the target’s voice or mind. I didn’t want to read any more. But Vivien had to sit through it, the least I could do was read it.
I opened my eyes again.
[Target: pain, fear, pain, terror.]
Q: I said we wouldn’t hurt you if you were honest with us. Are you ready to be honest with us?
A: Yes! Please stop! Please!
[Terror. Pain. Surrender.]
Q: Who threatened her?
A: Lomond. Lomond threatened her. He said his family would destroy her family if she ever mentioned his real name or researched this field again. So she didn’t. She resigned, moved away, got married and changed her name. She was so scared she hid. That’s why I promised to burn them, because I didn’t want her to be scared any more.
[Truth. Guilt. Memories of tears on Nana’s face, hanky scrunched in her hands.]
Q: Thank you for being honest with me Vivien. So now tell me, did you ever read the page with the codenames?
A: NO. I didn’t. Please believe me.
[Truth.]
A: I believe you, and because you’re so good at
Vivien: We burnt them.
[Careful truth.]
Q: How did you burn them? In a bonfire?
A: We burnt them with her body. They were cremated.
[Pictures in head – yellow papers on white dress under brown hands. Bright flowers. Coffin on conveyor belt. Urn in box. Truth, truth, truth.]
Q: Did you read them before you burnt them?
A: No. I was crying too much.
[Truth. Tears on flower petals. Tears on paper.]
Q: Did you read them earlier, when your nana was alive?
A: Yes. Some of them. She was angry we’d told the local newspaper, so she took them back before I read them all. I only read the first 100 pages. There were at least 50 more.
[Truth, fear, anger. Memory of her nana shouting about confidentiality.]
Q: Why did you burn the papers?
A: She made me promise.
[Truth.]
Q: Did you keep your promise?
A: Yes.
[Truth, but a moment’s hesitation, pictures of coffin and crematorium urn.]
Q: Did you read all the pages of the research before you burnt them?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Did you ever read the last pages?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Do you know the names of any of the subjects?
A: No.
[Truth.]
Q: Why did your nana want you to burn them?
A: Because she thought the research subjects had a right to anonymity.
[Truth. Memory of shouted words: “ethics… human rights…”]
Q: Why did you argue with her?
A: I said that science should never be totally destroyed, that people’s names could be protected, but the science should be made public.
[Truth. Target calming down. She’s confident she’s right. She’s less afraid.]
Q: Why didn’t she agree with you?
A: [Delay in answering.]
[Fear again.]
Q: Come on Vivien, why didn’t she agree?
A: She said it was dangerous. She said one of the subjects had threatened her, so she didn’t want these notes made public. She was a frightened old lady and I didn’t want to make her any more scared. So I promised to burn them.
[Truth. Memory of tears and hugs.]
Q: And were you frightened?
A: Of course not. Why would I be? This research was seventy years old. The subject who had threatened her must be very old now. Old or dead. I wasn’t scared.
[Lie. Target is terrified. She’s trying to answer carefully but she’s remembering her nana, tears on her face, hands trembling. And her own hands, shaking, opening a box.]
Q: Who threatened her? Which of the subjects?
A: I don’t know any of their names.
[Truth. The last pile of pages in her mind. Regret that she never read them.]
Q: But you know their codenames. Who threatened her?
A: I don’t know.
[Lie. Absolute lie.]
Q: That’s a lie, Vivien. Who threatened her?
A: It’s not a lie.
[Lie.]
Q: Yes, it is. Which subject threatened her? I know she told you…
(Target shakes her head.)
(Lead questioner orders applied pressure, first level.)
I closed my eyes. ‘Applied pressure’ means pain, designed to force answers from the target’s voice or mind. I didn’t want to read any more. But Vivien had to sit through it, the least I could do was read it.
I opened my eyes again.
[Target: pain, fear, pain, terror.]
Q: I said we wouldn’t hurt you if you were honest with us. Are you ready to be honest with us?
A: Yes! Please stop! Please!
[Terror. Pain. Surrender.]
Q: Who threatened her?
A: Lomond. Lomond threatened her. He said his family would destroy her family if she ever mentioned his real name or researched this field again. So she didn’t. She resigned, moved away, got married and changed her name. She was so scared she hid. That’s why I promised to burn them, because I didn’t want her to be scared any more.
[Truth. Guilt. Memories of tears on Nana’s face, hanky scrunched in her hands.]
Q: Thank you for being honest with me Vivien. So now tell me, did you ever read the page with the codenames?
A: NO. I didn’t. Please believe me.
[Truth.]
A: I believe you, and because you’re so good at
Similar Books
