Suspect 3: Sophia Stone

"I'm here! I'm here!" You cry out as you walk into the polygraph room. The room was small and the moment you shut the door, all noises and distractions were immediately cut off.

Various equipments were all over the room, including computers, audio and voice equipments and a recording camera. The room was divided into two areas, a separate area for the polygraph examiner to operate the machines and a separate area for the examinee.

You look on, noticing Inspector Jones at the examinee's area, seemingly talking to the suspect.

Sophia, a blonde-haired, brown-eyed woman with a petite figure, catches your attention. She had several attachments on her, including a Pulse and Respiratory Sensor and an Electromyography sensor on both her arms and legs. Her nervous expression is evident on her face. You're not concerned, knowing it's a common reaction.

Inspector Jones glances at you, noticing your presence before waving, "Detective, you're just in time. James is about to begin the interrogation"

You nod, looking at the examiner, James Calloway. He was already at his desk, analysing the equipment.

"Good, let's start!" You take your sit beside the examiner just in time as he begins the questioning. Inspector Jones and the other two policemen all stand behind you and the examiner, watching on.

"Good morning Miss Stone, please make yourself comfortable while I explain the procedures of the examination to you" James begins.

"The polygraph examination is a non-invasive, painless procedure that measures your physiological responses to a series of questions. We'll be attaching sensors to your fingers, arm, and chest to record your heart rate, blood pressure, and skin conductivity"

Sophia glanced at the several wires attached to her body. Albeit nervously, she looks up and nods, "Okay"

"The purpose of this examination is to investigate the murder of Dr Sternly Sin on October 5th of 2020. We'll be asking you a series of questions, and your responses will help us determine your involvement or knowledge related to the matter"

"We usually start with some control questions to establish a baseline response. These questions are neutral and not related to the investigation. Then, we'll move on to relevant questions directly related to the matter. Finally, we'll ask some comparison questions to help us verify your responses. But today, we'll move directly to the relevant questions if that's okay with you"

"What if I fail?" Her face wore a concerned expression as she asks.

"It's important to understand that this examination is not a test of your guilt or innocence. It's a tool to help us gather more information. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask. We'll take a break whenever you need it"

"Okay" She smiled.

"Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes"

"Great. Let's get started"

You're ready, pen and notebook in hand, to jot down any important details.

"Where were you at the time of the incident?"

She took in a deep breath before swiftly answering, "I do not know the exact time he was murdered but I believe I wasn't in the hotel at that time"

"What do you mean?"

"That day was the hotel's twelfth anniversary, so a big party was being hosted. To make sure everyone got a chance to enjoy the party, the manager asked all the kitchen staffs to prepare the food before the event started. None of the kitchen staffs were busy in the kitchen at the time of the party. They all left their duties as early as 7pm"

She paused for a moment, before continuing, "That day, none of the hotel staffs were working except for the cleaners and the waitresses."

You momentarily glance at the heart rate monitor. It showed a consistent and rhythmic reading, albeit it shooting up a few times. Could it be that she was telling the truth?

"What about the food you served to the victim on the night of the murder? Investigation showed that it contained a high amount of sleeping pills"

You suddenly hear a loud beep. It startled you. You look and notice Sophia's sinus rhythm was going faster. She was going into Tachycardia.

"I swear I didn't do anything" She cried out.

"Answer the question Miss Stone!"

"Dr Sternly asked me to do it. He told me he was diagnosed with insomnia and he needed to take sleeping pills before he could rest. I asked why he couldn't buy for himself, he told me he couldn't swallow a pill, he preferred it crushed in his food. I just did what he instructed"

"Then how do you explain it being an overdose? Why did you give him an overdose?" You ask.

"I did not give him an overdose I swear. I put it in exactly as he had told me to. When I head to leave to use the restroom, I made sure Chef Rivera was there to watch the food and the pills" She was quick to answer.

You sigh, along with the examiner. "It's okay Miss Stone, no need to get all worked up" James says.

"We'll end the interrogation here, you'll just have to wait for the results." He continued.

"Can someone take these things off me?"

"Sure." He turned to one of the policemen. "Henry, help her take it off"

"Yes!" Henry walked off to the other side of the room to remove the attachments. You wait along with the others as the examiner analysed the data, comparing the responses to the baseline measurements.

After about to five to ten minutes, you hear James breathe a sigh of relief before saying, "Congratulations Miss Stone. You passed"

Sophia smiled, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding. The examiner handed you the report and smiled, "Here's the report, I hope this proves helpful to you"

"It's very helpful. Thank you Mr James" You shook hands.

You along with Inspector Jones and Sophia Stone walk out of the polygraph room and into the hallway. You pat Sophia in the back as you say, "Congratulations Miss Stone"

She smiled, responding, "I'm glad I could help you Detective" After a few exchange of pleasantries, Sophia excused herself, leaving you alone with Inspector Jones.

"This examination helped me clarify a certain amount of things" You say.

"Well, I'm happy for you. You're so close to solving this mystery"

"Yes I am" You smile to yourself.

You shake hands with the inspector before you both walked your separate ways.

You take out your notebook, opening it to a page where a list of names where written on it. Most where checked, some where blank. You head on to the line where one particular name was written boldly, Sophia Stone. You check on the name.

"Just one more" You mutter as you looked down on the only blank name on the page, Hayley Sin.

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