The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 329 No problem

California.

Pendleton Camp.

In a simple office.

“I am Special Agent Samuel Kingston of the Naval Crime Investigation Service. I am meeting with FBI Special Agent Tiffany Allison at Camp Pendleton with Lieutenant James Reese of SEAL Team Seven.”

Regarding the quest "Odin's Sword" (number 644).

The calm voice came from a man in a suit, who was looking at James Reese, who was sitting upright and had a strong build, across the table.

“Lieutenant, given the casualties and losses caused by this mission, you, as the direct participant and commander of the operation, have a responsibility to give us a detailed account of the situation at the time. Lieutenant, every detail is crucial.”

Reese's gaze remained steady, but his eyes swept over the female agent sitting in the corner to his side again. She was holding a pen and paper, as if she was taking notes and assessing his situation.

This woman was as exquisite as a sculpture by a master artist, completely out of place with the masculine, cold, and bureaucratic atmosphere that permeated the office.

Seeing the female agent nod and smile at him, Reese spoke.

"Our mission is to support the Shulia Democratic Forces, arrest Dr. Jahan Qahani, and obtain intelligence on his chemical weapons program."

"The tip we received two weeks ago"

Samuel interrupted, "From whose intelligence?"

“Tabarimusa, an arms dealer from Aleppo, is the highest-level information source for the Shulia Democratic Forces.”

Samuel: "The person who's in charge of this breakthrough mission with you is..."

“Major William Cox,” Reese said.

Samuel: "Is there anything suspicious?"

Reese shook his head and said, "No, Musa's intelligence is very reliable and has never been wrong. In the past two years, he has given us two pieces of information that could kill Kahani."

At this point, Rhys paused, then suddenly asked, "Excuse me, did the rapid response team find any trace of Kahanni in the compound?"

Samuel glanced at the file: "No." He then looked at James Rees.

"According to the audio recording, communication was lost approximately four minutes after you entered. Why did this happen?"

“This is a counter-surveillance tactic. They have improvised explosive devices near the entrance, and cutting off communications is standard operating procedure,” Rhys replied, then asked again, unwilling to give up.

"Is there any indication that Carhani ever went to the compound?"

Samuel pursed his lips and said, "The rapid response team has found a mobile laboratory, Lieutenant. We'll only talk about this operation."

So, can you point out the area where an improvised explosive device (IED) is located?

Samuel said, shifting the notebook in front of him, "Lieutenant, tell me, where is the improvised explosive device?"

Rhys took a deep breath, looked at the map on the screen, and used the touchpad to select the area.

"It was just an improvised explosive device, nothing special. But there were armed loyalists lying in ambush for us there. They knew we were coming. Something must have gone wrong."

Samuel reset his notebook, looked at the map, ignored the question, and said, "Lieutenant, when did you notice that Special Operations Private First Class Donnie Mitchell was acting strangely during the operation?"

Rhys frowned and said, "Excuse me, what did you say?"

Samuel said, “Special Operations Private Donnie Mitchell, the youngest member of your team, malfunctioned during the mission, shortly before he detonated this bomb.”

Reese said in a deep voice, "Agent, it seems like you're missing something. The person who panicked and accidentally detonated the bomb was a soldier from the Shulia Democratic Forces who was with us, not Donnie!"

Samuel took a deep breath, glanced at Tifa, and then said, "The mission log says it's Donnie Mitchell."

However, before he could finish speaking, Reese interrupted him: "No, I was there at the time, not Donnie."

“Don’t get agitated, Lieutenant,” Samuel reassured him. “Just tell us what you know.” With that, Samuel pressed the Enter key on his laptop, and the recording of the operation began playing a second later.

"Donnie needs help!"

"Donnie, calm down!"

"."

Every line of dialogue reveals that Donnie is in a state of panic.

Ries was a little confused and bewildered.

Tifa narrowed her eyes slightly.

Rhys frowned and said, "That's not how it happened. I never said those things!"

I know the situation very well. The place was full of explosives and armed loyalists. Our Shulia Democratic Forces soldiers were terrified and then accidentally detonated a bomb.”

Samuel shook his head and continued playing the recording: "All the audio indicates that Donnie Mitchell detonated the bomb. Lieutenant, please take a few more minutes to review the operations log and then tell us if you want to change your testimony."

You know how to contact us.

Reese pressed his lips together, his chest heaving slightly with suppressed emotions. He looked at Samuel, then at Tifa, who had been quietly observing, as if trying to find even the slightest sign of their belief in him.

However, Samuel closed his laptop, indicating that the questioning was over.

"That concludes today's questioning, Lieutenant. Thank you for your cooperation."

We understand how you feel right now. As I said, please go back and carefully review your action log and your own memories.

Reese gave Samuel a deep look, then glanced at the woman who remained silent and somewhat enigmatic to him, before getting up and striding out of the office.

The door clicked shut behind him.

"Agent Allison."

Samuel loosened his tie, his businesslike serious expression relaxing slightly. He looked at Tifa, who had closed her notebook, and spoke in a tone reminiscent of a private discussion between colleagues.

"Putting aside all the superficialities, from your professional perspective, what is Lieutenant Reese really like?"
Is his memory reliable? Or are we dealing with someone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder who is even deceiving himself?

Tifa pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "When a person who has experienced trauma begins to confuse fictional memories, it is accompanied by characteristics such as blurred details, contradictory narratives, emotional detachment, or over-dramatization."

From my observation, he did not; his narrative details were very specific, and his emotional reactions were highly consistent with the events he described.

When he insisted that it was local soldiers, not his own men, who detonated the bomb, he displayed an anger and confusion stemming from a distorted version of events.

This is an instinctive reaction based on a distorted version of a real experience; it is very strong and real.

Samuel frowned, carefully processing Tifa's words, and his gaze towards her changed slightly.

"You mean there's a problem with the action log?"

"I didn't say that."

Tifa said calmly, standing up and neatly putting her notebook and pen into her handbag. She looked up, meeting Samuel's slightly downcast gaze, and continued:
"I only judged from the perspective of behavioral science and my professional judgment that he did not have the intention to deceive when he made the statement, and that he firmly believed in the authenticity of his memory."

After saying that, Tifa picked up her handbag and walked towards the door. She paused as she grasped the doorknob, turning her head slightly.
"As for the objective facts, whether the action log is accurate or Lieutenant Reese's memory is closer to the truth, that is not within my scope of evaluation."

Agent Kingston, that's something you need to investigate and verify. My job is just to assist you in assessing his condition.

My assessment is that James Rees is most likely fine psychologically and mentally.

As soon as she finished speaking, Tifa didn't linger. She opened the office door and disappeared from Samuel's sight, who was frowning.

(End of this chapter)