Margaret Truman's Experiment in Murder Read Online Free

friends. The behavioral sciences was a discipline about which he was passionate, and he enjoyed imparting what he knew to these young men and women no matter to what use they put it.
    â€œLook,” he told a student who questioned what benefit there was in knowing how hypnotizable someone was, “it doesn’t have to do with hypnotizability. I’m not suggesting that you hypnotize a client to get to the truth. What I am saying is that if you pick up on the subtle clues about how that client processes life, you’ll be in a better position to judge whether he or she is telling you the truth. The same holds true when questioning witnesses in a courtroom. Once you’ve discovered how a witness tends to react to various stimuli and then acts upon them, you know the best approach to breaking through whatever barriers he or she has put up.
    â€œLet me go over the basic premise again. Each of us is born with a natural wired ability to be hypnotized, and it correlates directly with personality style and how we function. There are three basic types of people—Dionysians, Apollonians, and Odysseans, named after the mythical Greek gods Dionysius and Apollo, and the not so mythical Odysseus.
    â€œDionysus was the fun-loving god. He worshipped freely and with abandon, his approach to life based upon freeing one’s natural self through madness, ecstasy, and wine.”
    Laughter erupted in the room and fingers were pointed.
    Tatum waited until the merriment had ebbed before continuing. “People who are known as Dionysians tend to trust others. They’re intuitive and make many decisions based upon feelings rather than cognitive thought. Apollo, on the other hand, was the god of logic, reason, and order. Apollonians tend to want to lead rather than follow. Put a Dionysian and an Apollonian in a car, and the Apollonian will want to drive while the Dionysian will be content to let him.
    â€œDionysians are prone to being influenced by others more readily than are Apollonians. And then there are the Odysseans. They form the middle ground between Dionysians and Apollonians. They tend to fluctuate between action and despair, between feeling and thinking. Most people are Odysseans. Now, which group do you assume is more hypnotizable?”
    â€œThe Dionysians,” three students answered in unison.
    â€œCorrect,” said Tatum. “Dionysians are more easily led than Apollonians or Odysseans, more open to suggestion. They often prefer to follow rather than to lead. Apollonians are the opposite.”
    Tatum checked his watch. “We’ll take a fifteen-minute break. When we come back we’ll get into how you can determine which category a client or witness falls into based upon some easily visible signs and traits. See you in fifteen.”
    Tatum exited the classroom and went to the faculty lounge, from which Mackensie Smith was just leaving.
    â€œAre my best and brightest getting your message?” Smith asked, chuckling.
    â€œNot sure, Mac, but it’s easy to tell which ones are.”
    â€œThe Dionysians,” Smith said.
    Tatum nodded. “Not hard to spot them. How’s Annabel?”
    â€œFine, just fine. Available for dinner Saturday?”
    â€œSaturday night? Sure. The weather forecast for Saturday is good so I thought I’d get in some flying time, but I should be finished by five.”
    Among Tatum’s many hobbies was piloting a vintage aerobatic aircraft, a Micco SP26, which he housed at Potomac Airfield in Fort Washington, Maryland.
    â€œSeven? Annabel is suddenly in the cooking mood. She’s whipping up her signature veal martini. Bring a guest.”
    â€œSounds great. Cindy and I had planned to get together for dinner.”
    â€œLooking forward to seeing the two of you. Fly safe, Nic. Do you ever worry that the wings on that aerobatic plane of yours might fall off one day?”
    Tatum laughed. “Every time I go up.”
    â€œI