with bloody Mastermind here, not some fucking dumb shit arse bandit who's had a bit of luck so far. You don't need smartarses with bloody " doctor" in front of their name to catch scum like this. All you do is give the homicidal little fairy ideas above his station."
"It's fair to say, then, that you don't agree with the line the investigation's taking?" Penny asked.
Cross snorted. That's one way of putting it. You mark my words, if they let this little fucker back on the streets, we'll be looking at another body. "
To Tony's surprise, Carol proved to be true to her word. She sat at his desk, working her way through the pile of statements while he carried on working at his computer. Far from distracting him, he found her presence curiously soothing. He had no trouble picking up the profile where he'd left off earlier.
Like a roller coaster, each high needs to be bigger to compensate for the inevitable low that has preceded it. In this instance, there are three principal signs of escalation.
The wounds to the throat have become increasingly deep and assured.
The sexual mutilation has developed from a few tentative cuts in the genital region to full-scale amputation. And the bites he inflicts then cuts away have increased in number and in depth. Yet he has managed to stay sufficiently in control to cover his tracks.
It is difficult to assess whether or not the level of torture he is administering is escalating, since he seems to be using different torture methods in each case. The fact that he needs the stimulus of these different methods is, however, in itself a form of escalation.
Judging by the pathologist's report, the sequence of events would seem to be: i. Capture, using handcuffs and ligatures round the ankles.
z. Torture, including sexually motivated acts such as biting and sucking.
3. The fatal blow to the throat.
4. Postmortem genital mutilation. What does this tell us about the killer?
i. He has sophisticated and highly developed fantasies, which he is exploring through his torture methods.
i. He has a killing place. The amounts of blood and other bodily fluids generated by his activities could not be readily cleaned away from a normal domestic environment; it would be taking far more of a chance than his other cautious behaviour indicates. It will almost certainly have facilities for him to clean himself up after his killings, and power so he can run lights and a cam corder We should be looking for something like a lock-up garage, a building that is secure but probably has running water and electricity. It may also be in an isolated location, thus avoiding the possibility of his victims' screams being overheard. (He will almost certainly remove any gags while he is torturing them; he will want to hear them scream and plead for mercy. ) 3. He is obsessed with torture, and obviously has enough manual skills to construct his own engines of torture. He does not appear to have either medical or butchery skills, judging by the clumsy and tentative nature of the early throat-cutting and genital mutilation.
Tony turned away from the screen and glanced across at Carol. She was totally absorbed in her reading, the familiar frown line between her eyes. Was he being crazy to back off from what she appeared to be offering? More than anyone he'd ever been involved with she would understand the pressures of his job, the highs and lows that accompanied getting inside the head of a sociopath. She was intelligent and sensitive, and if she committed herself as thoroughly to a relationship as she did to her career, she might just be strong enough to work through his problems with him rather than use them as a stick to beat him with.
Suddenly aware of his eyes on her, Carol looked up and flashed him a tired smile. In that instant. Tony made his mind up. No way. He had enough problems dealing with the crap in his head without allowing anyone else to make it a hostage to fortune. Carol was just too sharp to let her any nearer.
"Going OK?" she asked.
"I'm starting to get a feel for him," Tony admitted.
"That can't be a very pleasant place to be," Carol said.
"No, but it's what I'm paid for."
Carol nodded.
"And I guess it's satisfying. And exciting?"
Tony smiled wryly.
"You could say that. I sometimes wonder if that makes me as twisted as them."
Carol laughed.
"You and me both. They say the best thief-takers are the ones