Profile of Evil (16 page)

"Were any of the postings suspicious?" asked Brody.

"Not really. The savvy predators, like our killer, want to move the online relationship off-line as soon as they can. I'm not surprised I didn't find much."

"Why is that?" asked Cameron.

"Internet predators prefer kids who have instant message accounts. Although some of the creeps use email, many predators prefer communicating with their victims through instant messages. They know that while emails are saved automatically and have to be manually deleted, instant messages tend to evaporate once the instant message window is closed."

"Damn it," Brody cursed. "Can we not catch a break?"

"Don't give up yet. There is a hell of a lot of information I can get, but I'm going to need a warrant for their Internet service providers."

"Not a problem," Brody said. "I got one signed from Judge Carlson early this morning. It's on my desk."

"Thanks," Gabe said, as he closed his file. "I'll see what I can find out about our four new victims, too."

"Good job, Gabe," Brody said, and then asked who would like to present next.

Carly straightened in her chair and said, "I volunteer. I want to share my analysis."

"This is my first opportunity to hear a psychological analysis of a killer
before
he's caught," Bryan remarked as he watched her gather her folders. "I'm looking forward to it."

Walking to the front of the room, Carly grinned at him and said, "I'll try not to disappoint you."

With all eyes in the room on her, she began, "I created a PowerPoint program, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to talk to you informally about my findings."

"Sounds good," said Cameron as he put his arms behind his head and rested back against his hands.

"Okay, let's get started. There is a folder in front of each of you with a detailed analysis and comparison of similarities between the victims that you can read later. Let me give you a quick summary before we talk about our killer.

"Considering victims Amanda Jenkins and Sophia Bradford, our killer is targeting lonely, vulnerable preteens, who are having trouble either at home or at school or both."

Walking back to her seat, Carly sipped from her water bottle, and then continued, "I believe our killer is a white male, who may be married, and he's in his twenties or thirties. He's in good enough physical condition to handle two victims without a problem. I say this because he carried their lifeless bodies to the car and put one in the trunk and one in the back seat before setting the car on fire.

"I think he works a five-days-a-week job and he's available on Saturdays. I don't think it's an accident that both Amanda and Sophia ran away on a Saturday."

"Our unsub is an online predator who knows exactly what to say to young girls to gain their trust. He's patient enough to develop the relationships and savvy enough to move them offline as soon as he can, just like Gabe described. He maintains the online relationship until he gets them to the point where they'll agree to meet him in person here in Shawnee County."

"How do you think he is talking them into traveling here to meet him?" Cam asked.

"He's offering them something they want. Some predators use promises of modeling. Others use promises of romance or adventure. Our victims were lonely girls with problems at school and at home. I'm sure he honed in on those things."

"Tell us more about the psychological aspects of our killer," prompted Brody.

"We're dealing with a sadist. When he killed Amanda and Sophia, he had them watch. One had to watch while the other one dies, knowing she'll be next."

"No one should have to die that way," said Bryan.

Carly nodded in agreement. "Our killer looks 'normal'. Later when he's caught, friends and neighbors will be shocked he committed the crimes he's accused of. It is quite possible one or more of you know this killer, since he likes to hang around crime scenes and talk to officers. He's eager to know what we know."

Bryan interrupted, "The CSI techs took a lot of photos at the car fire crime scene. He may have been there and we didn't notice. Cam, I'll get some additional photos to you."

Carly went on, "It is likely he was sexually abused as a child, since research suggests a great majority of sexual criminals have been childhood victims of sexual abuse. He's a big fan of pornography, both women and children, but his
preference
is preadolescent girls. When he is captured, pornography in digital and hard copy formats will be found. Much of the pornography will center on sexual bondage."

Looking at Bryan, Carly added, "The vaginal tearing, abrasions, and scarring you found in the autopsies of Amanda and Sophia suggests our killer is a sexual sadist, as do the dog collar marks around the girls' necks. The collars also suggest sexual bondage, which is a hallmark of the sexual sadist. He's attracted to and sexually excited by the helplessness and vulnerability of the bound victim."

"But isn't he raping them for sexual release?" asked Bryan.

"Sexual sadists get excited by the physical and or psychological pain they can cause a victim. But the
suffering
is the most important thing to them. That's what gets them off. Our killer rapes his victims to achieve gratification, not from the sex, but from his power over them. It is likely he photographs or videotapes his rapes, so that he can relive the attacks later. You will find videotapes or DVDs when you capture him. In addition, he may be collecting souvenirs from each victim."

"What a sick freak," said Gabe with disgust.

"Our killer may be using the girls as sexual slaves. Did you read James Patterson's
Kiss the Girls
or see the movie? In this book, the killer lived out his fantasy by abducting women and using them as sexual slaves. Those who disobeyed were killed. Our killer may have the same fantasy. It is very possible Amanda and Sophia disobeyed or were caught trying to escape."

"Just a guess, but I bet they were trying to get away. Who wouldn't?" asked Gabe.

"Exactly," Carly said. "Our killer is organized; the victims were chosen and stalked online by him. Nothing about his actions is random. He went to great pains to hide his crimes by burying them in shallow graves, which brings me to a problem I have."

"What's that?" asked Brody.

"Putting victims in a car and setting it on fire is not characteristic of this unsub, and not something our careful, organized killer would do. He would have carefully buried them with the others. This suggests to me another unsub is involved." Carly ended her discussion with, "I hope you will use this profile as a tool to focus your investigation so you can apprehend this killer."

"Thanks, Carly. Well done," Brody said.

Cameron spoke up, "I have something to show all of you that backs up Carly's theory that our killer is not working alone. Amanda Jenkins did not have a car, so one of the only ways she could have gotten to Morel was on a bus so I got surveillance tapes from the Greyhound Bus Station."

"Wait a minute," Brody butted in. "Since when does the bus station own surveillance cameras? I've advised Ernie McBride for years to get security, but he always refuses to spend the money."

"I know, but a month ago, after a break in, his son, Terry, had a new security system installed, complete with surveillance cameras." Cameron moved to the laptop and pulled up some footage.

"This footage is from the Saturday Alison Brown ran away. In a second you will see her in a long line waiting to enter the station."

"I see her," Carly exclaimed. "She's the fifth person in line."

"Right. Now watch what happens when she enters the lobby. See the figure in the black hoodie and gray sweatpants approach Alison?"

"Is it a man or a woman?" asked Gabe.

"It's hard to tell in this shot, but you'll see in a little while it's a woman," stated Cameron. "She says something to Alison and they leave together."

"Damn it," said Brody, his frustration increasing. "She's hidden by the hood, and you can't see her face."

"Careful, isn't she?" asked Carly. "See how she looks around as they leave through the door. She's nervous and afraid to be seen or caught."

Brody asked, "Doesn't that door lead to the parking lot? Can we see what kind of car they got in?"

"No," said Cameron. "Unfortunately, the parking lot camera is a fake until Ernie shells out more money to get a real one."

"What about witnesses?" asked Carly.

"I've got two detectives working through a list of passengers who were on Alison's bus from Indianapolis that day."

"Oh, shit," said Brody. "We were right. Alison Brown is here in Shawnee County."

"We've got to find her before it's too late," said Carly.

"Hold everything," Gabe said excitedly. "When was the last time the county did an online predator sting?"

Brody thought for a second, and then looked at Cam, "Has it been two years?"

"At least that," said Cam.

"Let's do another one and see if our killer responds."

"I think it's an excellent idea," added Carly. "When I was in the Bureau, we did a child sex sting in Florida and nabbed fifty child sex predators. It was highly successful."

Bryan asked, "Don't we have to be careful about how we set this thing up? I mean, if the net is too wide, we'll attract perverts from all over the country."

"I agree. So we'll set up this one specific to Indiana."

"How about this for a tag line: Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Seeking Indiana Boy?" Carly offered.

"Good one," replied Gabe, with a grin. "Obviously, this is not your first rodeo."

"We can set up the sting in a home here in Morel, just like last time," said Cam.

"But this time, our goal is different," Carly began. "We want our guy to suggest she travel to him in Shawnee County."

"Who are we going to get to be our preteen girl? Our female deputies are maxed out," said Brody.

"I volunteer," Carly announced. "Like Gabe said, this is not my first rodeo. I know exactly what to look for and how to draw this guy out."

All four men agreed with her, and a meeting was set up for the next day to discuss details.

<><><>

After work, Brody led Carly to the employee parking lot, but she didn't see his sheriff SUV anywhere.

"Where are you parked?" she asked.

"I went home after my meeting this morning and changed vehicles. I figure if you're going to drive it, you need to get familiar with it," Brody said with a grin.

Brody led her to a shining, new Jeep Wrangler Sport S. It was cherry red and looked like it had never been driven.

"This is what you want me to drive if I need a vehicle?" She asked with surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because this looks like one of those car babies that men keep in their garages and never let anyone touch."

Brody flashed a sexy smile at her, and it was all she could do not to melt at his feet. Carly smiled right back, but the curve of her mouth had nothing to do with humor.

As he handed her the keys, he opened the driver's door for her, and said, "You driving or not?"

Without a word, she jumped into the car and noticed it still had the new-car scent she loved. Draping her long fingers around the leather-wrapped steering wheel, she pressed her foot on the brake and put the key in the ignition to start it.

Getting in the passenger seat, Brody closed his door and draped his arm on the back of her seat. "So what are you waiting for?"

"I have a question."

"What's that?"

"How do you feel about Italian food?"

"Love it. Who doesn't?"

"How about a home-cooked Italian meal at the cottage tonight at seven?"

"Who's cooking?"

"That's very funny," she said as she jabbed him in the side. "I am. It just so happens that my Italian grandmother was a chef and gave me a mouth-watering chicken parmigiana recipe."

"I'd say that's too irresistible an offer to turn down."

<><><>

Adjusting his mirrored aviator glasses, he focused on Brody Chase and Carly Stone who entered the sheriff’s office parking lot, heading toward a new red Jeep. The grapevine was burning with talk about the consultant the sheriff had hired to create a profile of the killer. Like big-shot former Federal agent, Carly Stone, knew anything about him. Such bullshit. He was bullet-proof. Undoubtedly, she was as stupid as the bitch slaves in his basement. What he wouldn’t give to hang Carly Stone from his basement ceiling and beat her raw while she screamed. His dick throbbed at the thought, hot and hard.

Through the scope of his assault rifle, he’d watched her for hours the night before. He’d gained a new appreciation for homes with a multitude of huge, uncovered, glass windows like the cottage on the sheriff’s property. He watched as Carly Stone worked in the front room most of the night, reading and re-reading papers and typing notes on her laptop. The bitch didn’t have a clue he stood behind a tree in the woods, aiming his assault rifle at her, fighting an urge to blow her away. He’d learned long ago that timing was key. The right time would come to snuff out Carly Stone. Being a patient man, he’d wait until the perfect circumstances arose and then Little Miss Profiler would be history.