Who: Alecto, open to others in law enforcement/at her precinct What: Doing her job When: Thursday afternoon Where: Police station Warnings: Mention of rape, nothing explicit
The forcibly cornered almost never willingly confess. Alecto had figured this out early on in life, and had gone on to have a similar sentiment drilled into her at the police academy. Her instructors had labeled her gift as having a knack for interrogation, and she'd gone on to quite a successful career as one of the NYPD's best interrogators.
However, that didn't always mean she was called right away. Some of the older detectives (mainly men) on the force were hesitant to call in who they perceived as a young woman who stared at people to make them talk. And while Alecto's piercing gaze definitely was a weapon in her arsenal, that wasn't the only tool she had at her disposal. But she couldn't come in until she was asked, and in this case, she wasn't even aware she might be needed.
A young man had been arrested on suspicion of a series of rapes. But the evidence the police had was circumstantial at best, and they couldn't get him to talk. They'd had him in a tiny room for ten hours, and he hadn't said a word. The unit chief was about ready to tear his hair out: without a confession, they had next to no reason to hold him. Which meant he'd be released, and might possibly attack another woman.
The unit chief had requested some time with their captain. "I don't know what else to do," he sighed. "We've tried bribes, threats, letting him stew, good cop bad cop, everything we can think of, and he still hasn't cracked."
"You know what you should do," the captain countered. "What you should have done six hours ago. Call Dira. If she's not busy, see if she'll come down."
The chief groaned. "She creeps out the rookies. And some of the beat cops, too."
The captain just laughed. "She's intense, I'll give you that. But she's also the best. And if you want this closed quickly, I'd suggest getting her on the phone, because the sooner you do, the sooner he'll be on his way to lock-up."
The chief groaned. "You're right, you're right." Then he laughed. "I'll make Alvarez escort her in. He'll love that."
When Alecto arrived half an hour later, escorted by a very nervous looking Officer Alvarez, the chief met her at the door of the unit. "Thanks for coming, Detective," he said, shaking her hand.
Alecto nodded. "Of course," she replied. "I'm happy to offer my assistance."
He passed her their case file. "If you can get him to admit to anything, anything at all, we can use that to keep him longer while we investigate."
Alecto took about 15 minutes to look over the notes, and her eyes narrowed the more she read. Without a word, she passed the file back, and let herself into the interrogation room. The suspect looked up at her and still said nothing, merely smirked and looked off to the side, as if dismissing her. And Alecto was not going to let that slide. Everywhere he cast his gaze, she followed, until he finally stopped and simply glared at her.
"Caught on, have you?" she asked, giving him a smirk of her own as she sat across from him. "I'm Detective Dira, and I'm what's known around here as a last resort. Or a first line of defense, take your pick. When people won't talk, that's when they call me. I make them talk. Your face tells me you don't believe me. Well, you should. Because I always get them to confess, in the end." She sat back, folding her hands over her stomach. "And we both have nothing but time, and I am a reigning champion at the waiting game."
For a long time, there was nothing. And then a flicker of discomfort passed over the suspect's face. Alecto felt a surge of triumph, because that was the first crack in the shell. She sat forward, leaning on the table as she surveyed the man. "Come now," she said softly. "We both know there has to be a lot on your mind. And it's going to eat at you until you give voice to it. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but it will. And it will poison your whole life. Give me something. Something to work with."
He still didn't speak, not for a long while. And then, once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. Names, dates, places, things only the criminal could have known. Alecto just sat and listened, asking questions every once in a while as the microphones in the room recorded everything. Once he was finally finished, she got up and let herself out, and went to find the unit chief.
"I still don't understand how you do that," he said, shaking his head. "But I can't fault it, because it works like gangbusters."
Alecto's smile was genuine, if a bit thin. "I just give them a push in the right direction," she said, pulling on her jacket. "You and your men can take it from here, I assume."
He nodded. "Thanks again. We'll have to buy you a drink sometime, to say thanks for helping us out."
"It's no trouble," she told him. "But I may take you up on that soon."