Killer Critique (14 page)
Authors: Alexander Campion
CHAPTER 20
A
s Capucine tried to busy herself at her brigade the next morning, she was on tenterhooks waiting for Tallon's secretary to call with the time of their meeting. The hours oozed by as sluggishly as an overcooked
sauce brune
. At eleven Dechery phoned.
s Capucine tried to busy herself at her brigade the next morning, she was on tenterhooks waiting for Tallon's secretary to call with the time of their meeting. The hours oozed by as sluggishly as an overcooked
sauce brune
. At eleven Dechery phoned.
“Commissaire,
we've finished our analysis. As I expected, the victim died from asphyxiation several minutes after he lost consciousness from the garrote compressing his carotid arteries. The suturing was definitely done after death. The substance in the buccal cavityâ”
we've finished our analysis. As I expected, the victim died from asphyxiation several minutes after he lost consciousness from the garrote compressing his carotid arteries. The suturing was definitely done after death. The substance in the buccal cavityâ”
“In the what?”
“Mouth. It was stuffed with the leaves of a cassava plant.”
“What kind of plant?”
“Cassava. Manioc. Yuca. It's a staple in Latin America and Africa.”
“Is it a poison?”
“Yes and no. Cassava contains two different cyanogenetic glucosides, which can be result in serious food poisoning or even death if eaten in sufficient quantities. The concentration is highest in the leaves. All the cultures that eat it regularly know the importance of removing the glucosides, and their recipes invariably involve some form of soaking, cooking, or fermentation, all of which will purify the plant effectively.”
“So the leaves
could
have been poisonous.”
could
have been poisonous.”
“I'm sure those leaves would have given the victim quite a tummy ache if he'd swallowed them. Maybe even killed him. Who knows? But that doesn't make any difference. The leaves were put in his mouth after he was already dead.”
At eleven fifteen a very testy Tallon called.
“Commissaire,”
he said through gritted teeth, “you and I have been convoked to the offices of
Monsieur le Juge d'Instruction
August-Marie Parmentier de La Martinière.” He rolled the syllables of the name off his tongue with a satirical snarl. “This afternoon at two thirty. Note that I did not say âinvited.' I said âconvoked' because that was the word monsieur le juge used with me.”
he said through gritted teeth, “you and I have been convoked to the offices of
Monsieur le Juge d'Instruction
August-Marie Parmentier de La Martinière.” He rolled the syllables of the name off his tongue with a satirical snarl. “This afternoon at two thirty. Note that I did not say âinvited.' I said âconvoked' because that was the word monsieur le juge used with me.”
“Does he have the power to convoke a
contrôleur général?”
contrôleur général?”
“Of course not. He can only request specific investigations from the police officers directly assigned to him. But the constraints of the law are insignificant when compared to the ambition of our good juge.”
“And you're going, sir?”
“
Certainement, Commissaire.
We're both going. This case is going to be difficult enough without a loose cannon rolling through the middle of it, and I intend to put chocks under the wheels of that cannon. Don't be late.”
Certainement, Commissaire.
We're both going. This case is going to be difficult enough without a loose cannon rolling through the middle of it, and I intend to put chocks under the wheels of that cannon. Don't be late.”
Â
Capucine arrived at Martinière's office punctually at two thirty, patting herself on the back for her diligence. She wondered if Tallon would be on time. He had been famous at the Quai for his love of dramatic appearances well into the process of whatever was going on.
Martinière sat, even more puffed up than usual with self-importance, with his back to his ministerially ornate desk. He was in his glory, listening intently to two men who resembled each other so closely they must have been twins.
“Ah,
Commissaire,”
Martinière said, consulting his watch. “You're on time for once. Let me introduce Professor Barnabé Caillot and Professor Dieudonné Caillaud. They're renowned worldwide as criminal profilers.”
Commissaire,”
Martinière said, consulting his watch. “You're on time for once. Let me introduce Professor Barnabé Caillot and Professor Dieudonné Caillaud. They're renowned worldwide as criminal profilers.”
“It must be very pleasant for brothers to work together,” Capucine said.
“Commissaire,
you have a foreigner's ear for our glorious language. Their names are completely different, CA-YO and CA-YOo,” Martinière said, lingering the merest hemidemisemiquaver on the final imagined phoneme of the second “YO.” “They're obviously not related.”
you have a foreigner's ear for our glorious language. Their names are completely different, CA-YO and CA-YOo,” Martinière said, lingering the merest hemidemisemiquaver on the final imagined phoneme of the second “YO.” “They're obviously not related.”
Professor Caillot bestowed a closed-lipped smile on Capucine. “People often make that mistake. I can't imagine why. Professor Caillaud and I both lecture on criminology at the Université Panthéon-Assas. We have published a number of books together, most recently a scholarly biography, accompanied by a critical bibliography, of the well known historical sociopath Eusebius Pieydagnelle.”
“And we are currently working on a reevaluation of Botul's famous work on Landru,” said Caillaud.
“Oh yes,
Landru, the Precursor of Feminism.
My husband was discussing it with me just the other night. He's a great reader of Botul.”
Landru, the Precursor of Feminism.
My husband was discussing it with me just the other night. He's a great reader of Botul.”
“A seminal work,” said Caillaud.
“I'd say even more, pioneering,” said Caillot.
Capucine, who had looked up the Botul in question, began to enjoy herself. Irritating as Martinière was, the sessions with him definitely didn't lack in entertainment value.
“These gentlemen have spent the last two hours sharing their insights with me, and our plan of action is now clear. Let me summarize,” Martinière said.
He turned to face the two professors, completely ignoring Capucine.
“You confirm that the perpetrator meets the formal definition of a serial killer. At least three murders at least three days apart. You have explained that there are two types of serial killers. One is uneducated and of less than average intelligence and kills haphazardly in what you have termed âunstructured' crimes. The other type is well educated and of above average intelligence and kills with premeditation in carefully structured crimes. You believe our killer is of the second type. Strongly driven by a delusion of some sort. The crimes are âordered' and the deaths have been carefully planned out and are carefully executed.”
That much was obvious, Capucine told herself.
“You also confirm that this type of killer cannot be apprehended by conventional police methods.”
“Why is that?” Capucine asked sweetly.
“Ah,” said Martinière, as if he had just scored a decisive point. “Because his motive will stem from a deranged perception of reality, which will be unintelligible to a normal person. He will also certainly be geographically unstable and will begin to hunt in a broader and broader territory, moving around France and possibly even abroad. This is why this type of serial killer often takes years to catch. Am I correct, gentlemen?”
“Perfectly,” said Caillaud.
“Absolutely,” said Caillot.
“So how do you propose to apprehend him?” Capucine asked.
“The technique is straightforward,” Caillaud said.
“Completely straightforward,” added Caillot.
“We develop a profile.”
“A detailed profile.”
“To publish in the media.”
“To alert the general public.”
“Who will inform the police if he is seen.”
“So he can be arrested.”
“This is how this type of murderer is apprehended.”
“Invariably.”
“And how do you develop the profile?” Capucine asked.
“Much of the work is already done,” Caillaud said.
“The killer is male, almost certainly with homosexual tendencies. Possibly effeminate, so he will dress outlandishly in bright colors,” said Caillot.
“How can you possibly know that?”
“Oh, it's really quite simple. Serial killers are almost invariably male. It's true there have been a few females but they always kill for moneyâyou know, owners of boardinghouses who have an eye on their boarders' possessions, that sort of thing. This is obviously a male,” Caillaud said.
“But he has a low masculinity coefficient. Males generally have a strong component of violence in their killings. There has been an element of poisonâa purely feminine choiceâin all of the three killings. That gives us a masculinity coefficient of about zero-point-six-five,” said Caillot.
“Specifically in a range between zero-point-six-three and zero-point-six-seven,” added Caillaud.
“And,” continued Caillot, “the profile will become more and more detailed as the crimes evolve.”
“By way of example,” added Caillaud, “the killer will almost certainly have shown signs of the Macdonald triad. As we progress, that will help in identifying him.”
“He is a fanatic of le triple-decker hamburger?” Capucine asked. She was now enjoying herself hugely.
“No, no,
Commissaire,”
Caillaud said with a show of great patience. “It has been noticed that this type of serial killer almost invariably has a childhood history of enuresis, animal cruelty, and pyromania. That is what is known as the Macdonald triad.”
Commissaire,”
Caillaud said with a show of great patience. “It has been noticed that this type of serial killer almost invariably has a childhood history of enuresis, animal cruelty, and pyromania. That is what is known as the Macdonald triad.”
“Enuresis?”
“Yes,” Caillot said. “Bed-wetting past the age of early childhood.”
“The other important feature,
Commissaire, ”
said Caillaud, “is that this type of killer is also almost invariably peripatetic. That is what makes him so hard to catch.”
Commissaire, ”
said Caillaud, “is that this type of killer is also almost invariably peripatetic. That is what makes him so hard to catch.”
“Precisely,” said Caillot. “They are intelligent, they have means, and they operate over a very broad territory.”
“There you have it,
Commissaire,”
said Martinière. “Our path is clear. There will be further killings, most likely in other cities in France. The police throughout the nation need to be alerted and the profile circulated and recirculated as it evolves. We will also liaise with Interpol to determine if the murderer is active abroad. We will need to appeal to the press. Perhaps even run advertisements if they are not sufficiently responsive. Suspects need to be brought in. Eventually, we will close in on the killer. That is why I have convoked
Contrôleur Général
Tallon. His role will be to coordinate the national effort. Under my direction, of course.”
Commissaire,”
said Martinière. “Our path is clear. There will be further killings, most likely in other cities in France. The police throughout the nation need to be alerted and the profile circulated and recirculated as it evolves. We will also liaise with Interpol to determine if the murderer is active abroad. We will need to appeal to the press. Perhaps even run advertisements if they are not sufficiently responsive. Suspects need to be brought in. Eventually, we will close in on the killer. That is why I have convoked
Contrôleur Général
Tallon. His role will be to coordinate the national effort. Under my direction, of course.”
As if on cue, the door opened violently and Tallon strode in, his back ramrod straight, his shoulders squared. When Capucine had worked directly for him, his bulk, his reputation, his rank were invariably enough to silence any group and suck up all the attention in the room. This time he was ignoredâutterly and completely. Caillot and Caillaud continued on with their statistics and Martinière barely glanced up at him, lifting an index finger for silence. When the two profilers had finished Martinière looked at Tallon and then at his watch.
“Monsieur
le contrôleur général
, you were convoked for eleven thirty. It is now after twelve. You have missed a very important exposé by our two profilers and my definition of the expanded role I expect the police to play in this investigation. We're now going to have to backpedal to bring you up to speed. That is unacceptable.
le contrôleur général
, you were convoked for eleven thirty. It is now after twelve. You have missed a very important exposé by our two profilers and my definition of the expanded role I expect the police to play in this investigation. We're now going to have to backpedal to bring you up to speed. That is unacceptable.
“Commissaire,”
Martinière continued, addressing Capucine, “could you run down the hall and see if you can find a chair for
Contrôleur Général
Tallon?”
Martinière continued, addressing Capucine, “could you run down the hall and see if you can find a chair for
Contrôleur Général
Tallon?”
Tallon lifted a hand, ordering Capucine to remain seated. As he advanced into the room he seemed to inflate. His anger was palpably that of a man who had spent a life awash in violence. Martinière recoiled in his chair, his physical fear of Tallon at war with his vanity and ambition. Physical fear won the first round.
“Enough of this nonsense, Martinière. There's going to be no expanded anything. These are crimes that clearly exceed your competence. I will allow
Commissaire
Le Tellier to keep you informed of the progress on the case, but you are not to interfere with her work in any way.”
Commissaire
Le Tellier to keep you informed of the progress on the case, but you are not to interfere with her work in any way.”
Affronted at the abuse of his surname, some of Martinière's arrogance returned. “But
Monsieur le contrôleur général,”
he began in a rush, “Professors Caillot and Caillaud, who have been appointed by me to the case, have explained that they expect the killer to expand his geography and that it will be necessary to mobilize the police throughout the country and most likely alert the population through the media.”
Monsieur le contrôleur général,”
he began in a rush, “Professors Caillot and Caillaud, who have been appointed by me to the case, have explained that they expect the killer to expand his geography and that it will be necessary to mobilize the police throughout the country and most likely alert the population through the media.”
“Martinière, be very careful here. There will be no mobilization of the national police and most certainly not the media. If that happens, we will be deluged with false confessions and possibly even copycat crimes. If you involve yourself actively in any way and there are any crimes of imitation, rest assured that I will have criminal charges brought against you and I'll damn well make sure that they stick. I would advise you to sit in your office and amuse yourself with your two
plaisantins
and leave the police work to the police.”
plaisantins
and leave the police work to the police.”
The disdain of the threat was too much. Martinière was red in the face. “Monsieur, we will see what we will see!”
“That we will.
Allez, Commissaire.
We have work to do.”
Allez, Commissaire.
We have work to do.”
Capucine followed Tallon as he marched down the hall, radiating animal energy. When he reached out to push the elevator button, his finger trembled. Noticing the tremor, he burst out laughing.
“Problem solved!”
Capucine hoped he was right.
In the street Tallon continued to pace on imperiously, sucking Capucine into the slipstream of his wake. He made for the nearest café.
“
Calva. Deux
,” he said to the man behind the zinc bar.
Calva. Deux
,” he said to the man behind the zinc bar.
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