“Honestly, Jon, I really don’t know. I sit behind a desk all day, fiddling with my keyboard. You’re the one in the real world. You tell me. Are these techniques being used?”
Payne knew the answer was yes. Torture has been around for as long as there’s been pain and wouldn’t stop anytime soon. The problem is that torture has proven to be unreliable because all prisoners eventually talk, although what they say is often fabricated, a way for the brain to protect the body from further abuse.
That’s why men like Dr. Sheldon conducted their research.
They’re looking for better ways to obtain information.
Recent studies have shown that some of the simplest techniques—exhaustion, sleep deprivation, prolonged exposure to heat or cold—are the most effective. Yet in recent years, the one technique that’s been in the news the most is waterboarding. It was even mentioned by Vice President Dick Cheney in a White House interview, who called it a “very important tool.”
Prisoners were immobilized with ropes or cords. Feet slightly inclined. Head below legs. Cellophane was wrapped around the subject’s face and water was poured over him. Almost instantly the gag reflex kicked in and the subject panicked, terrified of drowning and certain death. Rumor has it that several CIA officials volunteered to go through the ordeal to understand its physiological devastation. Their average endurance time was fourteen seconds.
Payne was familiar with all this information. What he didn’t know was Dr. Sheldon’s role in what was going on. Had he been called in as an expert to assess the crime scene? Or was the cave one of his experiments gone wrong? And if so, who was the intended victim?
“Bear with me,” Payne said as he changed the direction of their conversation. “Last time we spoke, I asked for the names of prisoners in black-op facilities. Unfortunately, you were unable to help. So let me approach this from a different angle. One of my sources recently gave me the name of a known terrorist who we think might be part of this. If I mentioned his name, would you be able to confirm or deny his capture?”
Raskin chose his words carefully. “Technically, I couldn’t confirm anyone’s capture without proper clearance. But I’d be happy to deny any rumors that I felt could hurt your mission.”
“Fine. The name we heard is Hakeem Salaam.”
Raskin said nothing for the next fifteen seconds.
“Thank you,” Payne said, reading between the lines. “That’s a big help.”
“My pleasure. Now unless you have something else, please put the sergeant major back on the phone. I want to mess with him some before I get back to work.”
Whatever Raskin said to Crawford was effective, because from that moment on he was on his best behavior. He led Payne and Jones to a private computer terminal, where they were able to download Dr. Sheldon’s file and print several photographs they had requested.
Armed with this new information, they were escorted across the facility grounds to where the Parks were being detained. Kia was called out of the room for a quick briefing, filling them in on the past few hours, describing what was said on the boat, in the helicopter, and in the holding cell. Amazingly, just like Mr. Kim in the village, the Parks had warmed to her in a short time—incredible, considering the circumstances.
“Is the boy talking?” Payne wondered.
“Not about the cave, but he is talking about other things. He’s a great kid who’s been through a whole lot. I’m stunned he’s even coherent.”
“What about the dad?”
“Scared. Angry. Anxious. Emotional. Everything you’d expect from a guy who lost his family and doesn’t know why.”
“What do you recommend?”
“About what?”
“About talking to them. We need to know what they know. ASAP.”
“But Jon—”
“I know,” he said, not letting her get started with an emotional plea. This was one of those situations where he wouldn’t be dissuaded. “Trust me, I realize they aren’t ready to talk and won’t be ready for some time. Unfortunately, this interview can’t wait. We got some new intel that we need to act on immediately, and the only way to do that is by talking to them. So whether it’s you, me, or all three of us combined, this conversation needs to take place right now.”
33
Kia led the Parks into an interview room and prepared them for what was about to happen. She assured them that Payne was a decent man who would do them no harm, that he’d lost a good friend during the violence at the cave, and needed their statements to find the people responsible. When put in those terms, Chung-Ho was more than willing to help—even though he knew it would be painful for him and his son—because it was the honorable thing to do.