destroyed. Why did this happen to me? What did I do wrong ?”
Mark leaned forward on his elbows. “Let’s get one thing straight, Jordan. You didn’t invite this attack, no matter what you did.”
She watched him intently, and Allison could tell she was clinging to every word.
“He’s very skilled. We think he has a sophisticated method of luring women into his trap, which is how you can help us. We need to know more about his MO so we can find him before he does it again.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you want me to say that I haven’t already said to police. You’re the expert on human behavior.”
“No, Jordan, you’re the expert.” He paused until shelooked up at him. “You sensed the danger that day, probably from the moment you saw him.”
She didn’t reply.
“You know when you’re in the presence of danger. It’s your most sharply honed survival skill. Think back.”
She gazed away, at the windows.
“What were your instincts telling you when he first approached you?”
She took a deep breath and nodded, as if she knew what he was getting at. “It just felt . . . off, I guess. From the beginning.” She looked at Mark. “He said he was having car trouble and he needed help, and he kept smiling. It seems like nothing, but looking back, I see that I didn’t trust it. Something about his smile.”
Mark watched her, but didn’t say anything overtly encouraging. It was all in his face, in the utter focus he was giving to her.
“And then he acted like it was assumed I should help him. Like, ‘Hey, we’re stranded here together. What are the odds we’ll get a tow truck?’ ”
Mark nodded. “Forced teaming.”
“What?”
“It’s one of the most sophisticated methods of manipulation: Create a shared purpose where one doesn’t exist.”
Her gaze sharpened. “That’s just how it was. And then when I hesitated, he said something like, ‘I bet you don’t have time to play Good Samaritan,’ and suddenly I’m agreeing to help him, trying to prove him wrong about me.” She blew out a breath. “I mean, how stupid was that? Why did I care what some total stranger thought of me?”
“He’s an expert manipulator.”
Another deep breath. Jordan stroked Maximus between the ears. The dog seemed to be providing her some sort of comfort so she could keep talking.
“And then there were little things, too. They seemed minor at the time, but they just, I don’t know, seemed off. He kept mentioning his wife. And then he started talking about his mechanic. I remember thinking it was odd.”
“Interesting.”
Allison looked at Mark. “You think he’s married?”
“It’s possible.” His gaze went to Jordan. “It’s also possible he was saying that to put you at ease. And the detail about the mechanic . . . that’s part of his effort to deceive you. When people are being truthful, they don’t feel the need to throw in extra details to support what they’re saying. But if they’re deceiving you, they think they need that to make themselves more believable. Those extra details are a sign of deception, and you picked up on it.”
Allison watched Mark, fascinated. She used that signal all the time in suspect interviews, but she’d never pinpointed what it was.
“I’ve been over it and over it,” Jordan said. “There were so many little warnings I let myself ignore.”
Mark watched her, and Allison caught an intensity in his gaze that she hadn’t seen before. This woman was a treasure trove of information about someone he’d been hunting for more than a decade.
“Just . . . he looked so normal , you know? He had a minivan. He wore glasses and a Rice University sweatshirt. God, that’s my alma mater. I mean, I was wary at first, but I kept telling myself I was being paranoid.” Shestopped talking and stared at her lap. Tension hung in the air, and Allison knew they were coming to the tough part. “Then he attacked me. I turned my back and he was on me. I
Mark leaned forward on his elbows. “Let’s get one thing straight, Jordan. You didn’t invite this attack, no matter what you did.”
She watched him intently, and Allison could tell she was clinging to every word.
“He’s very skilled. We think he has a sophisticated method of luring women into his trap, which is how you can help us. We need to know more about his MO so we can find him before he does it again.”
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you want me to say that I haven’t already said to police. You’re the expert on human behavior.”
“No, Jordan, you’re the expert.” He paused until shelooked up at him. “You sensed the danger that day, probably from the moment you saw him.”
She didn’t reply.
“You know when you’re in the presence of danger. It’s your most sharply honed survival skill. Think back.”
She gazed away, at the windows.
“What were your instincts telling you when he first approached you?”
She took a deep breath and nodded, as if she knew what he was getting at. “It just felt . . . off, I guess. From the beginning.” She looked at Mark. “He said he was having car trouble and he needed help, and he kept smiling. It seems like nothing, but looking back, I see that I didn’t trust it. Something about his smile.”
Mark watched her, but didn’t say anything overtly encouraging. It was all in his face, in the utter focus he was giving to her.
“And then he acted like it was assumed I should help him. Like, ‘Hey, we’re stranded here together. What are the odds we’ll get a tow truck?’ ”
Mark nodded. “Forced teaming.”
“What?”
“It’s one of the most sophisticated methods of manipulation: Create a shared purpose where one doesn’t exist.”
Her gaze sharpened. “That’s just how it was. And then when I hesitated, he said something like, ‘I bet you don’t have time to play Good Samaritan,’ and suddenly I’m agreeing to help him, trying to prove him wrong about me.” She blew out a breath. “I mean, how stupid was that? Why did I care what some total stranger thought of me?”
“He’s an expert manipulator.”
Another deep breath. Jordan stroked Maximus between the ears. The dog seemed to be providing her some sort of comfort so she could keep talking.
“And then there were little things, too. They seemed minor at the time, but they just, I don’t know, seemed off. He kept mentioning his wife. And then he started talking about his mechanic. I remember thinking it was odd.”
“Interesting.”
Allison looked at Mark. “You think he’s married?”
“It’s possible.” His gaze went to Jordan. “It’s also possible he was saying that to put you at ease. And the detail about the mechanic . . . that’s part of his effort to deceive you. When people are being truthful, they don’t feel the need to throw in extra details to support what they’re saying. But if they’re deceiving you, they think they need that to make themselves more believable. Those extra details are a sign of deception, and you picked up on it.”
Allison watched Mark, fascinated. She used that signal all the time in suspect interviews, but she’d never pinpointed what it was.
“I’ve been over it and over it,” Jordan said. “There were so many little warnings I let myself ignore.”
Mark watched her, and Allison caught an intensity in his gaze that she hadn’t seen before. This woman was a treasure trove of information about someone he’d been hunting for more than a decade.
“Just . . . he looked so normal , you know? He had a minivan. He wore glasses and a Rice University sweatshirt. God, that’s my alma mater. I mean, I was wary at first, but I kept telling myself I was being paranoid.” Shestopped talking and stared at her lap. Tension hung in the air, and Allison knew they were coming to the tough part. “Then he attacked me. I turned my back and he was on me. I
Similar Books
