A Death in Canaan (9 page)

P:

Did I hit any peak or anything?

K:

Oh, you're popping along there OK.

P:

Am I lying that you can tell?

K:

I think I have the answer, but I want to make absolutely sure. I'm going to mix the questions up. I think I have the answer here but I want to double-check. Keep looking straight ahead. I may repeat some questions more than once this time, Pete. This is the procedure on this last test. This test is about to begin. Is your first name Peter?

P:

Yes.

K:

Did you ever deliberately hurt somebody?

P:

No.

K:

Last night did you hurt your mother?

P:

No.

K:

Right now do you live in Connecticut?

P:

Yes.

K:

Do you know how your mother's legs were broken?

P:

No.

K:

Besides what we've talked about, have you done anything else that you're ashamed of?

P:

No.

K:

When you came home last night, did you talk to your mother?

P:

No.

K:

Last night do you know for sure who hurt your mother?

P:

No.

K:

Did you ever deliberately hurt somebody?

P:

No.

K:

Last night did you hurt your mother?

P:

No.

K:

Besides what we've talked about, have you done anything else that you're ashamed of?

P:

No.

K:

Do you have a clear recollection of what happened last night?

P:

Yes.

K:

Is there any doubt in your mind, Pete?

P:

Can you stop the test?

K:

OK.

P:

I didn't understand that last question.

K:

I think we've got a little problem here, Peter.

P:

That last question …

K:

I was just trying to probe your subconscious.

P:

But I wasn't sure whether you meant what happened to her, or whether I knew who did it to her and everything.

K:

Well, I think we got a little problem here, Pete.

P:

What do you mean?

K:

About hurting your mother last night.

P:

I didn't do it.

K:

You're giving me a reaction. Do you have any doubt in your mind?

P:

Can you reword the question in any way?

K:

Which question?

P:

About hurting my mother. We went over, and over, and over it, you know what I mean? When he told me I could have flown off the handle, I gave it a lot of consideration. But I don't think I did.

K:

But you're not sure, are you?

P:

That's right. Well, I could have.

K:

I think you possibly did. I don't think you're a vicious person. I think you and your mother had some kind of argument.

P:

What about the question that says, did I speak to my mother?

K:

That's bothering you too. You whipped out on that question.

P:

What bothers me is my yelling to my mom. When you ask me that question, that's the first thing I think of.

K:

But I explained to you what I meant by that.

P:

Right.

K:

When I ask you how her legs were broken, you react to that. Did you hurt her? Do you know who hurt her? We go back to this test, see. Then we go back to the last test, same thing again. Look what happened to you here this time when I said: Last night, did you hurt your mother? That's why I started asking you: Do you recollect everything that happened last night? Look at this reaction. See?

P:

Is that a no or yes?

K:

You said yes. But, the way you reacted shows me—

P:

I was unsure. That's the question—

You were unsure as to what happened in that house last night, aren't you? You're unsure as to what—

P:

What I did?

K:

Yes.

P:

I'm sure what I did.

K:

Then why did you say here a moment ago you're not sure if you hurt your mother last night?

P:

Wait a second, you got me confused now.

K:

No. I'm not trying to, Pete. But you said a moment ago that you had doubt in your mind if you flew off the handle last night and you don't recollect.

P:

It doesn't seem like me. I've never flown off the handle.

K:

There's always the first time.

P:

It still doesn't seem like me, because I remember coming in the yard, and I remember driving home, and I remember walking straight in that door from—

K:

Pete, we're missing the boat. Now, from what I read in the reports, your mother likes to walk around at night, in the yard or something.

P:

She likes to sit in the front yard and read.

K:

Now is there a possibility that you came in that yard like a bat out of hell last night and you hit your mother?

P:

No.

K:

And you become frightened and you said, “Holy Christ, what do I do now?”

P:

No, I'm positive.

K:

Accidents can happen.

P:

Right.

K:

And probably you're so ashamed to admit that this happened that you set it up to look like something real violent happened in the house.

P:

I see what—

K:

This is a possibility.

P:

—you mean. But it wouldn't have been like me. Honestly, if I had hit my mom, the first thing I would have done was call the ambulance.

K:

All right. But, what if your mother was dead after you hit her? This would scare the shit out of anybody.

P:

But, I also said on the report that she was breathing.

K:

Right. But maybe she died shortly afterwards. You see?

P:

I don't recall doing it. They can check the car.

K:

I'm just talking to you. From what I'm seeing here, I think you got doubts as to what happened last night. Don't you?

P:

I've got doubt because I don't understand what happened.

K:

Are you afraid that you did this thing?

P:

Well, yes, of course I am. That's natural.

K:

Is there any reason where you've had a lapse of memory before?

P:

No, no.

K:

For any reason in the past?

P:

No. None. Absolutely none, except once when I tied on a bender.

K:

Well, you certainly weren't drunk last night.

P:

No.

K:

No. The police officer said that. You're not sure, are you?

P:

What do you mean?

K:

In your mind, if you hurt your mother last night.

P:

I'm not sure. It scares me a little bit. You know what I mean?

K:

I think you need a little help. If you and I talk this out about last night …

P:

With the polygraph or without it?

K:

Without it. Just man to man. You tell me what happened.

P:

I drove home about forty, and I distinctly remember that because there was a car in front of me I thought was a cruiser. I walked in the front door. Both doors were not quite closed all the way. I yelled, “Mom, I'm home.” There was no answer. I looked up at the bed, the bed light was on and the bed was turned down. I did a double take, because first I figured I'd seen her, because I'm so used to her being up there, then I looked down and I saw her on the floor. There was some blood, and her T-shirt was pulled up. I remember she had no pants on. My first reaction was like, oh my God. As he said, I should have gone to her. But I went to the phone.

K:

What I'm talking about, Pete, is, do you have any recollection as to how she got hurt?

P:

No. I absolutely do not.

K:

Are there any blank areas? Could you have had an argument with your mother last night and not realized it?

P:

No. I don't know. I'm not the one to say.

K:

You were there, Peter. I see things here that I don't like. On the question about hurting your mother, you gave me quite a reaction to that.

P:

I know it.

K:

If something happened, let's get it ironed out so we can see what we can salvage out of this thing.

P:

I don't understand you.

K:

I think you hit your mother, from what I'm seeing here.

P:

I don't.

K:

Then why the reaction?

P:

I don't know. Maybe it's just nervousness. I mean, my mom
did
die.

K:

All right. I'll buy that.

P:

That's why I'd like to come in and take another test, rather than go by this one.

K:

You said you're not sure if you hurt your mother last night. Why aren't you sure?

P:

If I had a lapse of memory, I wouldn't remember. What I say I did, I'm absolutely sure of. If I had a lapse of memory, that's what I'm not sure of. Do you understand what I mean?

K:

Do you think you had a lapse of memory?

P:

No.

K:

That's what I'm trying to get at here, Peter. I don't know if you did or not. This is why I'm asking you these questions. Because you do give me a certain amount of response when I ask you, did you hurt your mother? See this one …

P:

How about on the first one, when you first ran the test?

K:

First test? We normally don't look at that. Right here, about your mother, you give me a reaction there. Your heartbeat changes right then. Exactly like your heartbeat changes on the number. We go into this test there. Right there you get the same type of change in your heartbeat when I asked, did you hurt your mother last night? Now on this test, there's a little bit there, and a great amount here, the last time. A
great
amount. Then I asked you, do you recollect everything that happened last night?

P:

That was the question I said I did not understand.

K:

The doubt.

P:

Yes.

K:

You answered yes. Then I said, is there any doubt in your mind? And you hesitated and, as you said, you didn't understand what I meant. And that's when I stopped. But that's the reason I asked you that at the end. Because I don't think you recollect everything that happened.

P:

Everything I say I mean. If I don't, it's not my fault. I'm not doing it on purpose.

K:

Is there any possibility, Peter, you're covering up for somebody?

P:

No, no. Absolutely none.

K:

Did anybody ever say you might need a doctor?

P:

No.

K:

I'm going to take these across the hall. I want Jack to look at them. If he feels the way I do, maybe we'll give you another test.

P:

Now?

K:

No, not today.

P:

Good. But if I did it, and I didn't realize it, there's got to be some clue in the house.

K:

I've got this clue here. This is a recording of your mind.

P:

But there has to be something in that house, someplace. If I did it. Or whoever did it. There's got to be something, somehow, somewhere.

K:

Right. Right.

P:

They must have found something by now.

K:

They're working on it, Pete. I'm not in contact with them up there. I'm only a little cog in the big wheel.

P:

Have you ever been proven totally wrong? A person, just from nervousness, responds that way?

K:

No, the polygraph can never be wrong, because it's only a recording instrument, recording from you. It's the person interpreting it who could be wrong. But I haven't made that many mistakes in twelve years, in the thousands of people who sat here, Pete.

P:

That's right.

K:

Is there any doubt in your mind, right now, that you hurt your mother last night?

P:

The test is giving me doubt right now. Disregarding the test, I still don't think I hurt my mother.

K:

But you have a doubt, don't you?

P:

Yes. I've been drilled and drilled and drilled.

K:

Did I drill you?

P:

No.

K:

OK.

P:

I don't know. The doubts—like, when they tell me—

K:

What? Tell you what?

P:

I'm trying to think of what he did say. I know he told me something. I'm losing all memory now because I'm getting tired. But he did tell me that I could have forgotten. That really shook me.

K:

I want my partner to look at these.

P:

Could I go out and have a cigarette?

K:

In about two minutes. OK?

P:

Two minutes. OK.