“No, it’s alright.” I handed my .357 SIG P229 to him. “I’ll be okay.”

“You sure?”

“If Mannie wanted to harm me, he had his chance yesterday out on the road. If he wanted to get away, he could have fled then. He wants something else, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

I located a legal pad and pen, and then the agent seated at the control panel pressed a button to unlock the interview room’s door. I passed through the hallway, entered the room where Mannie was, and then closed the door behind me. Its tight metallic click indicated to me that it had locked.

I took a seat across the table from him. He looked at me, then at the video camera tucked up in the ceiling’s corner. Finally, he gazed at the two-way mirror.

“They’re watching us,” he said, more as an observation than as a question.

“Always.”

“Alright, then. Let’s get started.”

19

Interviewing a suspect usually takes more patience and subtlety than I’m known for, so it’s not exactly my specialty. However, I did know three things.

First, showing interest rather than making threats is the best way to get someone to talk.

Second, the best questions are always follow-up questions. People lie themselves into corners all the time.

And third, when someone is confronted, he’ll typically do whatever he needs to in the interest of self-preservation. Lying is a natural, primal reaction. Nearly everyone who’s guilty lies at first. Law enforcement officers know they do, judges know they do, lawyers know they do. The secret is finding ways to help the person understand that telling the truth, not the lie, is the true act of self-preservation.

I set the notepad out of his reach on the table. “I was told you wanted to speak with me.”

“I do.”

“I don’t know your background, Mannie, but I’m guessing you’re familiar with how this works.”

“Establish rapport. Find common ground. Build trust. Empathize with the subject. Leverage the relationship for information.”

“Right from the manual. And I’m also guessing that neither one of us is interested in any games or in wasting time here today, so what do you say we skip that chapter?”

Maybe it wasn’t the ideal angle, but I figured it was worth a shot.

“I never was much for games.”

“Why did you ask for me?”

“I trust you. You’ll do what needs to be done.”

“In what way? What does that mean?”

“You’ll know. When the time is right.”

“Why now? Why did you decide to talk today? The ninety-minute window?”

“Timing always matters. Isn’t that your area of expertise?”