The Needle and The Damage Done

HEAT

Chapter 9 - Part 1


Jenade and Fill were being questioned almost daily now  - if it wasn't the Lee County Sheriff's office, it was the FBI. They had made up their minds that Jenade and Fill knew more than they were saying, and in fact, they had arrested Jenade for public drunkenness and put him in jail.

Fill offered to take a lie detector test and the FBI jumped at the chance. Fill said they could do it anywhere they wanted and the FBI took him up on that as well. It was scheduled to be done in Barnhills Restaurant where this whole mystery started - they would do it in the morning before Barnhills opened.

So at 9 AM on a Wednesday, Fill walked over to Barnhills, waltzed right in, saw where everything was set-up and sat in the chair provided for him. There was one agent and a tech to run the test. The tech hooked Fill up with the electrodes and then after about 50 questions to set a reference, and once the tech was satisfied that it was running properly, the agent handed the tech a list of questions that had been prepared for the session.

The questions used in the set-up were repeated and then a quick question asking if Fill knew the location of the ambulance that had disappeared - no; back to the initial questions again and then; do you know the whereabouts of the ambulance attendants - no; more of the set-up questions and then; do you know the whereabouts of the missing woman - no.

The test went on this way for about 45 minutes or so and then the tech went through the litany of initial questions again to establish a reference for the end of the test - is your name Fill - no. The tech almost missed this as the polygraph needle never budged - he started to ask the next question and then perplexed asked again - is your name Fill - no.

The tech looked at Fill and realized that Fill hadn't passed out but was definitely in a state of - for want of a better word - hypnosis. 

The tech went off script - what is your name - 'it' -and that moment the polygraph went wild, seeming to randomly sweep back and forth across the graph paper - but as the tech watched and the FBI agent awoke from a catnap in his chair - it looked like something was being spelled out on the paper by the polygraph needle.

The needle kept sweeping across the page and suddenly Fill simply fell out the chair onto the floor - at that exact moment the needle stopped completely. 

The agent rushed to help Fill who was coming to - the tech grabbed the graph paper role from the machine and held it up - sure enough written on the page were the words, 'soul raker' followed by the phrase, 'four door' ...