SOLVED. YA dark short story about a secret room with a lie detector. Robert Westall? [s]

[Rachel]

I read this short story as part of a collection in the mid-1990s. I got the impression it had been published in the 80s or 90s, but this story may have been set slightly earlier. The author might be Robert Westall or a writer with a similar style, but I can't find descriptions of many of his stories online.

The story was about a policeman who was called to an abandoned house where he discovered a secret room. In the room he was forced to take a lie detector test and had to list all of the bad things he had done in his life. The lie detector test was all automated somehow, there was nobody else in the room (though there may have been a video link to someone talking or giving instructions).

The ending:

(view spoiler)[ It turned out that the owner of the house had a relative who had been murdered (his daughter?) and had set up the room in an attempt to catch the murderer, hoping that someone would eventually confess to the crime. (hide spoiler)]

[Rachel]

bump

[Tab]

Rachel, do you remember anything about the collection? Were the stories by different authors? Were all of the stories suspense/thriller? Anything about the cover?

[Andria]

I haven't read it, but my search turned up this:

Robert Westall - The Trap: A story which begins with a woman butchered to death in her own home and takes innovative torture by lie detector as its theme hardly sounds like the stuff of escapist children's supernatural fiction and The Trap would easily hold it's own in a Black Book Of Horror.

The story is in this anthology: On The Edge

[Rachel]

Thanks Andria, that sounds very plausible - I will check it out and get back to you!

[Rachel]

It was indeed The Trap - thank you Andria - never thought I would track this down so quickly!

[Andria]

You're welcome! Happy to help. :)