“In looking up information on Noah, you may have found out he was a neurologist before he entered politics. By all accounts—including my own, I’ll admit—he’s a brilliant man. It’s what he’s done with that vast intelligence that’s infuriating. Horrifying,” he added quietly under his breath.
He paused. While I waited anxiously, he took a sip of water.
“What you have to understand about Noah Madaster is that he’s an absolute control freak. It’s why he went into politics. He couldn’t stand the idea of being on the sidelines, allowing other people to influence his financial and private affairs. He’d inherited an enormous estate from his parents, a fact which allowed him to go to medical school and specialize in neurology without ever once having to think about expensive tuitions or paying a single bill. Medical school and practice were all a lark to Noah.
“The Madaster lineage and wealth goes back a long way. I’ve never known anyone who is as much of an ancestry freak as Noah. It was like he thought Madaster genes were purer than everyone else’s… greater, somehow. It was just one of many facets of his narcissism,” Evan continued, his manner grim.
I thought of that ornate Madaster family tree I’d found in the great hall. Noah Madaster must have inherited his snobbishness and pride from a long line of Madasters.
“The American branch of the Madasters made their fortune in real estate, oil, mining… a lot of extortion, graft, and shady dealings, as well, but Noah never talked about those things. Every generation compounded the family fortune, feeding its children more and more wealth. More and more corruption.
“Noah became the ultimate gentl
eman physician, rich in knowledge and skill, but scarily short on empathy for other human beings. Most doctors enter the medical field, at least partially, because they want to help and heal people. But that was never what motivated Noah.
“Once he became a physician, he never really treated patients. Not for their benefit, anyway. Research became his forte. He was obsessed with the idea of control, more specifically, the goal of perfectly revealing human lies. He created a lie detector that read brain waves, as opposed to monitoring other physiological responses, like a polygraph does, for instance. He called his machine the Analyzer. He used to say he put people ‘to the test’ with it.”
Evan paused, staring down at the flickering candle I’d lit for our dinner.
“Noah Madaster would be cast perfectly as the head of the Spanish Inquisition or the Gestapo. A cult leader,” he said.
“Cult leader?”
“The man never wavers in his belief of his rightness. Time passed, and Madaster continued to perfect this piece of equipment—or at least that’s what he believed. He peddled it at doctor’s conventions and medical conferences, and for a while, his invention was hailed as an exciting new option for criminal investigation, a significant improvement over current polygraph tests.”
“I wonder if that’s where Madaster met Tommy,” I said, referring to our mutual friend from San Francisco. “Remember, I told you that Tommy said he met him at a medical conference?”
“Maybe it was where they met. I didn’t even realize they knew one another until you told me.”
“Tommy didn’t like him much. I think he didn’t mention knowing Madaster to you, out of respect for the fact that he was your father-in-law, and he didn’t know how you felt about him.”
“Tommy must have seen him for what he was. A few people saw through Noah’s facade, but most were completely taken in by him. He was the ultimate snake oil salesman. He had so much money, and so much polish, and so many friends in high places, it took time for a few people to finally see through his act. Most never did. They’re still fooled by him today.”
“You don’t think the Analyzer worked?”
“Do I think it could tell if people were lying? Yes, I believe it did that, if inconsistently. It certainly wasn’t any more reliable than existing polygraph equipment that uses blood pressure or respiration as measures. The true power of the Analyzer was Noah himself. He had such a large personality, such charisma and magnetism about him, that when he informed people that they were lying—because he had the scientific proof in front of him, didn’t he, given his machine?—people believed him. He actually convinced them that he knew their truth better than they did, that he knew they were lying, even when they weren’t. Eventually, they’d confess to all manner of supposed lies, betrayals, and sins, all because Madaster said they’d committed them. All because it served his purpose.”
“He was practicing brainwashing,” I said softly. “Not lie detection.”
“Exactly. He would have created a slave race around him if he could have, their entire purpose being to prove that he was the rightful authority of whatever sick little world he’d created. I know it sounds like I’m being melodramatic, Anna, but I’m not.”
Emotion vibrated in his deep voice. For a few seconds, our stares locked. I almost tasted Evan’s disgust in that moment.
His hatred.
“The Analyzer was his downfall, though. It was the reason he eventually had to step down as governor,” Evan said after a pause. “He was absolutely paranoid about anyone who worked for him. But his need for complete control escalated to epic levels with his staff and advisors once he reached the governor’s office. He constantly suspected leakers, that he was being undermined by someone in his inner circle.
“That’s when he began to insist staff members submit to questioning, using the Analyzer. I know it sounds unbelievable, in this day and age. But I swear to you, it happened. He set up his own miniature Inquisition in the governor’s office. And he got away with it for years.
“From what I’ve come to understand, the working environment at the governor’s office was nothing less than pure misery and fear. Still… people did exactly what he wanted for years. It may have been hell, but Noah managed to always convince people things could be worse, if Noah decided you were no longer loyal to him.
“His authority wasn’t inviolate, though. He made the mistake of pushing too far, growing too bold… too drunk on his own power. A young—very courageous— female aide broke her silence to the press. She reported that Madaster had touched her inappropriately during the questioning process. After she spoke out, several other employees went public about both emotional and sexual abuse by Madaster, sometimes while he used the Analyzer on them, sometimes not.”
“What happened to him?”
Evan frowned. “All charges were eventually dropped.”
“You’re kidding.”