Condition of Grace by Anya Mora

Author:Anya Mora [Mora, Anya & Warrant, Without]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

The entire video feels off, like there’s something staged and mechanical about it, as if she’s been told exactly what to say. She keeps looking off toward the corner, her eyes darting as if taking cues from someone offscreen.

And she looks awful. I say that with as much respect as possible, but her eyes are hollow, and her skin is sallow, and her hair is stringy. She looks exhausted. The lighting makes her features even more startlingly severe.

I replay the video, looking again for anything I can decipher, and once I’ve taken it all in, I prepare to offer my opinion.

“You want to know what I think?” I ask them.

Holt nods. “That’s why we’re here. Please, anything you can share that might be helpful.”

“Well, first, based on the meter of Amy’s voice along with her posture and facial expressions when she was speaking, it’s clear that she’s been conditioned by her kidnappers.”

Smith perks up. “That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered her posture as being a part of conditioning.”

“You can tell by the way she is sitting upright, so rigidly as if she’s been directed.”

Smith nods. “What else?”

“I am sure you’ve heard of Stockholm syndrome? It’s effective in long-term confinement and obviously, it’s hard to tell from such a short clip, but if they’ve begun more intense conditioning, Amy might have already become unstable.”

“What do you mean unstable?” Holt asks.

“She might lose her ability to discern reality. Or maybe she already has. If that occurs then her thoughts could become cloudy, which would lead to unpredictable behavior.” I run a finger over my chin. “Unpredictable behavior can result in dangerous outcomes for anyone involved in this case. Herself included.”

“I’m impressed,” Smith tells me. “You clearly know your stuff. Holt was right in bringing you in on this.”

I look over at Holt, feeling a sense of pride that he thought my insight would be valuable. It’s an unexpected feeling, to want Holt to hold me in high esteem, but I do.

“Willow, what we know now is that Jackson Carter, Amy’s father, is planning on making an exchange for her.”

I bite my bottom lip, thinking it through. “This could become really complicated. If Amy’s already been conditioned to the point that she would make this video, then she could pose a risk to her rescuers. How devoted is she to her kidnappers? What will she do for them?”

“Or, Amy isn’t being conditioned,” Holt says, playing devil’s advocate. “What if she already thought those things of her father, and the kidnappers haven’t convinced her of anything?”

“Of course, that’s an option, but I think from the video you just showed me Amy is not in a sound state of mind. She looked both terrified and thrilled. As if she didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.”

“I know it’s a big ask,” Holt says. “But I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think you could add value here. Will you accompany us? If we can locate Amy, maybe you can be of help to her. With the perspective that you just shared, you’ve already given us better insight.

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