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More than a few of them were, but Rapp simply nodded.
Lewis noted that Rapp was not jumping out of his chair trying to please him with earnest answers. Nor was he displaying the open disrespect that many of the candidates would employ as a defense mechanism. He was striking the perfect balance. Lewis decided to skip his standard twenty minutes of preamble and get to the heart of the matter. "Have you ever wondered what it's like to kill a man?"
Rapp nodded. He had spent more time wondering about it than he would ever admit to this guy, or anybody else.
"Do you think that's healthy?"
This time Rapp let out a small laugh.
Lewis noted the classic deflection technique, but didn't want to seem judgmental, so he smiled along with Rapp. "What's so funny?"
"I can answer your question six ways, and depending on your mood, you might find all of the answers acceptable, or none of them."
"How do you mean?"
"It's all in the context."
"Context is important," Lewis agreed. "Give me an example."
Rapp thought about it for a moment and then said, "If I'm lying awake at night thinking about killing the guy who broke into my car and ripped me off, it's probably safe to say that I have some anger issues, and a poor grasp of what constitutes just punishment." Rapp put his tanned arm over the back of the chair and looked out the window for a second, wondering how much he should admit. "But if I lie awake at night thinking about sticking a knife through the eye socket of a terrorist who's killed a couple hundred innocent civilians," Rapp shrugged, "I think that's probably not so far out there."
Lewis appreciated the blunt answer. Wanting a deeper reaction, he asked, "Do you miss your girlfriend?"
Rapp gave Lewis a disappointed look and shook his head.
"What's wrong? Did I say something that offended you?"
"No ... not really..."
"From the look on your face it would appear that I did."
"I volunteered for this, but I hate playing all these games."
"Games?" Lewis asked with an arched brow.
"You're a shrink, right?" Rapp didn't give him a chance to answer. "You've been watching me for the past three days. I've noticed that you seem to be paying a lot of attention to me. More so than the others. You choose your words carefully, and you've undoubtedly read that file that's sitting on your desk. You know why I'm here."
Lewis hid his surprise that Rapp had guessed his profession. "It's my job to ask questions."
"But why would you ask if I miss her? Don't you think that's pretty obvious?"
"So that's why you're here?"
"I'm not here because I miss her. I miss my father, who died when I was thirteen. I miss my grandparents, and someday I'll miss my mom when she dies, and maybe if I get to know you, I'll miss you, too. That's part of life. I'm here for a very obvious reason. One that I'm sure you're already aware of."
Lewis noted how he had taken charge of the conversation, but was willing to let this play out. "Revenge?"
"I prefer retribution, but it all depends on the definition you choose."
Lewis was pleased that he'd made the distinction. He was intimately familiar with the difference between the two words. "I'd like to hear your definition."
"Revenge is more wild, less calculated ... deeply personal."
"And retribution?"
Rapp thought about it for a moment and then answered in a very clear voice. "Retribution is a punishment that is morally right and fully deserved."
