"Yeah, someone who doesn’t take life too seriously," Alison agreed.
"All right, all right," Dalton said, sitting forward."No need to be facetious."
"No?"Hartley asked."Then what shall we be?"
"You’ve been very vocal about the profiling methods, not only in the city, but across the country," Alison cut in.
"I’ve done a lot of very sound consulting work for local law enforcement," Dalton said.
Hartley leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table."That wasn’t the question," she corrected."We’re aware of the work you do with local police, but you're very vocal about the established methods.Both of those statements can be true."
"They are true," Dalton said."What of it?"
"What is it you’ve been critical of?"Alison asked.
"I’m not going to get into it again."Dalton shook his head and sat back again, his arms folded and his legs spread wide.He sat slightly angled to them.
"That’s not really an option, Dr.Dalton," Hartley informed him."Are you not willing to answer our questions?Should we call a lawyer for you?"
"Don't put words into my mouth," he complained."I’ll answer any questions you have.I know how this works.What I mean is that whenever I talk about our profiling methods as a whole, people seem to think I’m some bitter and jaded psychologist who’s going against the grain."
"Is that true?"Alison asked.
Dalton turned to glare at her."You’re not bad at this," he said, his upper lip twitching."Do you just keep going at people until they get angry and snap?"
"Are you feeling angry?"Alison asked innocently as she tilted her head.
Dalton smiled, then bit his bottom lip."My main criticism of modern profiling is that it’s still stuck in the past.A lot of what we base our techniques on is from scientists from the sixties and seventies.There are so many modern experimental psychologists whose work is discounted because they are still in the early stages of experimentation.We can't rely on what has worked in the past because criminals adapt to how we catch them.This evolution is currently moving faster than we can research.We will catch up, and for a time, we’ll be better, but crime and criminals will evolve again, and we’ll be playing catch-up."
"Then, what do you suggest?"Alison asked, leaning forward.
Dalton sighed."That’s the biggest question we face."He took a moment to ponder it, his eyes narrowing a little."It’s hard to implement changes, I’ll admit that.A lot of what I’m reading is experimentation, but we can't confirm it until it’s used in real-world scenarios."
"Which means potentially using methods that don't work," Alison said.
"It’s a short-term loss for a long-term gain," Dalton pointed out.
"It could be a very big short-term loss," Alison told him."I’ve sat on this side of the desk numerous times, and there’s no chance that I would use an experimental method that was more unreliable than the established method that might be limited.No one would take that risk."
Dalton smiled."And that’s why I brand you all cowards."
"Have you been using these experimental methods when consulting with local police?"Hartley asked.
The smile dropped from Dalton’s face, and he sat back in his chair, folding his arms once more."I have to stay in line, but the more I prove myself, the more freedom they give me.I will update our methods in this city, but it takes time."
Alison tapped her finger on the table."Time that you told us is already running out."
"I do what I can," Dalton replied.
"That must be hard," Alison admitted."You’re forced to use methods that you don't believe are the best methods, and when you are not consulting, you’re very vocal about the methods in your writings.That has to create a feeling of distrust between you and the people you work for.Perhaps you don't want to admit it, but that must cause some anger and resentment."
"I’ll admit it freely," Dalton countered."I am angry with them, and I do hold a lot of resentment, but if I’m to change the way we do things around here, I just have to be patient."
"Are you patient?"Hartley pushed.
Dalton rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Hartley."I didn’t kill anyone.I understand exactly why you brought me in.You have someone running around killing people while criticizing the way cases were handled in the past, and then you have me, who is critical of the way cases are handled in the present."
Dalton mimed trying to fit two ends of a cable together.
