R. E. Bradshaw - Rainey Nights (3 page)

“We think he lives on this highway, maybe even close by,” Rainey said, pointing at a map of the area on the wall behind her. Nine red pushpins marked the places where the victims were found. “He is familiar with local trails into the woods and secluded areas where he takes his victims. He needs time to do what he does and he must know he will not be discovered there. He has studied each of these communities. He knows the habits of people in these rural areas, what the locals do for fun, and where to catch these young women alone. He most likely stalks them for some time to establish their routines and takes them when he knows they are most vulnerable. He probably watches more than one victim at a time. People have seen him with these young women, but like Agent McNally said, he had a legitimate reason for being there.”

Detective Martin asked, “That could be anybody. How do we know what to look for?”

Rainey answered, “The guy you are looking for would be appealing to these girls. Remember he is probably good-looking and charming. I believe he is in his early twenties or appears younger than he is. That’s young for this type of killer, but he has to be attractive to these teenage girls. He is also probably in good physical condition. These were not tiny girls and he would have to be large enough to gain control over them. There will be no reason to suspect him and that will be your first clue. This is not an outwardly disturbed person. He will fit in socially. He will not be awkward in any way. He possesses above average intelligence. He is organized and planned his crimes for years. When you question him, he will show the appropriate emotional concern for the victims. He may even offer to help with the investigation.”

A uniformed cop in the back said, “This guy has to be insane to do what he does to these girls. How can he hide that?”

It was Danny’s turn to answer. “He’s not insane in the legal sense of the word. You are not looking for a mental patient. This guy is a true psychopath. Outwardly, he has learned to mimic normal human emotions. These guys learn the words but not the music, so to speak. The music of emotion has no power to move him. He has learned to mask his true personality and desires, in order to get what he wants. Above all, he sees nothing wrong with his behavior. He has no remorse, no guilt.”

Rainey continued, “He may have exhibited psychopathic behaviors at a younger age, but often these behaviors are misinterpreted as common ‘boys will be boys’ situations. He may have been caught peeping in a window, or accused of going too far with a girl, but through charm and maneuvering, he escaped punishment. Some psychopathic behavior is thought of as simple alpha male assertiveness and applauded in athletes or successful businessmen and women. Not all psychopaths are murderers. What you need to look for is a guy who can talk his way out of or in to anything. This type of UNSUB is a master manipulator.”

Another officer spoke up. “What about the crosses and the praying position? What does that tell you?”

“Because it took three to five days to find his victims, the distance he travelled with them, and the fact that he doesn’t want them found right away suggests a controlled killer,” Danny answered and continued, “He brought ropes, a weapon, and instruments to torture the victim. The planning, stalking, and his obvious social skills all point to an organized offender. This also backs up the theory that he may appear younger than he really is, because his maturity as a killer is fairly advanced.”

Rainey completed Danny’s answer, as they often did for each other. One could pick up the other’s thoughts in mid-sentence and never miss a beat.

“This type of serial murderer gets off on controlling his victim, instilling as much fear as possible. He is sadistic in that his reward is his victim’s terror. He may be impotent, substituting her fear for his sexual gratification. The posing of the victim and the religious connotations we believe are this killer’s attempts to make us look for a disorganized, mentally ill person, a smoke screen as it were. The beating these girls took might indicate a disorganized killer caught up in a rage, but it may just as well indicate how hard he had to fight these girls to control them. He must dominate them and get them to submit. He picks victims he knows will fight. He gets off on that. He takes the cross from one victim as a trophy and places it on his next victim. This act has strong meaning to the UNSUB. It is his signature. He wants us to know it’s him, but beyond that, he is no ‘hand of God’ killer, not a mental patient who hears messages from God. He does all of this to fulfill his narcissistic fantasies. He may belong to a church, but his real deity is himself.”

A young female deputy, Rainey guessed not more than five years older than the victims, read from the notes she had taken. “So, I’m looking for a good-looking, well built, charming young man with a narcissistic personality. Sounds like my boyfriend.”

The room erupted in laughter.

Without cracking a smile Rainey said, “It could be. Where was he on the night Crystal went missing?”

The laughing ceased.

Danny reiterated Rainey’s point. “That’s what we’re telling you. This guy is slick. He moves among you without notice. Do not discount anyone. You’ve probably already talked to him or someone that knows him.”

Detective Martin stood up and began giving assignments to the officers. Rainey went back to the conference room to pack up the files, while Danny stayed behind to give Martin their written suggestions for how to proceed with the investigation. Rainey was looking forward to getting back on the helicopter for home. She already made up her mind that this was the last case she would work until she took a much-needed rest. She was drained of energy. It had been a long day and a longer year. Re-charging her batteries was in order.

The young deputy stuck her head in the open door. “Hey, I’m sorry about the boyfriend comment,” she said.

Rainey looked up and smiled. “Sorry to be so hard on you. It’s just that’s the point really, this guy is the last person you would suspect and that makes him exceedingly dangerous.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The ma’am made Rainey feel old. She knew it was simply a sign of respect. She heard it at the academy often, but it stung just the same. She deserved the “ma’am” because of the tone she was using, her instructor voice reserved for the wayward trainees. In a much friendlier manner she asked, “How long have you been in uniform?”

“It’ll be a year in July. I went to UVA, got my Bachelors in Criminal Justice, and then I signed up here. I grew up just a few miles out of town. I knew Crystal’s family. I go to the same church, when I go that is.”

Rainey pulled out a chair and sat down. She motioned for the officer to join her. “Well, it’s nice to meet a fellow Cavalier,” she paused, peering at the nametag on the other woman’s shirt, “Deputy Knox.”

Knox pulled out a chair, saying as she lowered herself to the seat, “Please, call me Gillian. You went to UVA?”

“Class of ’93. I went straight into the Academy after graduation.”

Gillian brightened. “That’s my goal, to do what you do. I know I have to get some experience under my belt, but I’ve applied already. I’m just going to keep trying until I get in.”

Rainey had this conversation often. In almost every place she visited, someone wanted to be a Behavioral Analyst. She had the spiel down to a few sentences. “Once you’re in the Bureau, you’ll need at least five years of field service. Your time here could count towards that, depending on what types of investigations you experience. Then it’s back to the Academy for sixteen weeks and up to two more years of mentored training before you can work in the unit. Be aware that there are few positions exactly like mine, but working within the NCAVC is a challenging and rewarding assignment in itself.”

“You sound like you’ve said that a few times,” Gillian said, grinning at Rainey.

Rainey couldn’t help but return the grin. “Yeah, it’s a pretty frequent topic when we hit the road.”

“You can’t blame us for wanting in the BAU. You guys are rock stars.”

Rainey’s smile slipped. “Just remember, there is a price to pay for being a rock star. This job is not for everyone. You will make sacrifices. People who love you will make sacrifices. Make sure the person you become romantically involved with in the future, and I’m assuming you’ll be dumping the narcissist, knows what your career goals are. It takes the right kind of relationship to make it work with this job.”

Rainey felt the pain of losing Bobby once again. She heard it in her voice. She didn’t usually open up to people as she was with the young deputy. Rainey kept her life in mental boxes, only opening the ones she needed to function at the time. It was the only way to survive a job like hers. Something about Gillian made Rainey want to warn her about the losses she might suffer. Rainey was tired, emotionally raw at the moment, and her boxes were opening without her consent.

Rainey gathered her emotions in, pushed the box lids back down and stowed them away, as she usually did. There was no room for self-pity or regrets in Rainey’s life. In the young deputy’s enthusiasm, Rainey recognized the fledgling cop she had once been. Silently, she wished Deputy Knox a happy life far away from Quantico and the losses a career in the BAU would bring her. Instead of saying what she was thinking, Rainey pulled the picture of Crystal Lynn from a folder and slid it across the table to Gillian.

“What can you tell me about this girl? You said you knew the family. Did you know Crystal personally?”

Gilliam looked down at the picture, studying it, and then looked up at Rainey. “I’m five years older than she is… was, so I was out of high school before she got there. I remember seeing her and I knew who she was, but we didn’t travel in the same circles. I know that she was very active in the church youth group.”

Rainey prodded Gillian. “What was your impression of her? Just tell me what comes to mind, anything you can think of.”

“Well, like I said, she was heavily into the youth group. I was at church the Sunday before she went missing. She stood up during the service and told everyone about the youth revival scheduled for… I think it would have been tomorrow. I don’t know if they’re still having it. Anyway, she was very sweet and enthusiastic. I remember thinking she looked like a kid going places, you know. Self-confident and very pretty, she just seemed to have it all together.”

Rainey added what she knew. “She had a job cleaning the church on Saturday nights. That’s where her parents found her car when she didn’t come home.”

Gillian nodded in agreement. “Yes, I was the one who answered the call. I went to the church and checked out the car. I didn’t touch anything, but I did look in the windows. The car was locked. Nothing indicated she was taken by force.”

Rainey already knew that. She wanted to know more about Crystal. She needed to know why a girl like Crystal would get in a car with this guy. “What did you see in the car?”

Rainey watched as Gillian closed her eyes, trying to recall the scene. This cop has good instincts, Rainey thought to herself. Officer Knox probably would make a good agent, in time.

Gillian began to speak. “I saw Chapstick in the tray on the console, with some change, and a few colored hair ties. One of them was yellow. There was a box, like a Kinko’s box you get copies in, on the passenger seat. A sheet of paper was stuck on the top of the box. I know now the box contained abstinence pledge forms the kids were going to fill out at the lockdown.”

Rainey was intrigued. “Do you have one of those copies here?”

“Yes, there’s a copy of one in the squad room.” Gillian started to stand.

Rainey stopped her. “Wait, we’ll get that in a minute. What else did you see?”

Gillian refocused on her memory of the car. “I remember thinking how clean the car was. She took really good care of it.” The deputy paused to think. “Oh, and there was a dress hung up in the backseat… and a pair of black pumps on the floor. She attended the athletic banquet before she went to work. Her mother said Crystal changed clothes at the high school. The church doors were locked and her keys were missing. I had the preacher open the church and we searched it thoroughly. No sign of her anywhere. It looked like she just evaporated.”

The religious angle of the UNSUB’s signature and the fact that all the victims were extremely active in their churches made Rainey’s skin crawl. When she got that feeling, she knew she had to keep digging. The answer was near, if she could just put the pieces together.

Rainey continued her inquiry. “What do you know about this abstinence pledge and the lock down?”

“I attended a few lockdowns in high school. It’s just what it sounds like. They locked us in the church overnight with a few adults. No one could leave or come in after the doors were closed. We played games and ate food. Some religious stuff went on, but not much. It was basically something we could do to be away from our parents overnight with their approval.”

“And the abstinence pledge?” Rainey asked.

Gillian laughed. “I had to read up on that one. Certainly didn’t take that pledge myself.”

Rainey laughed with her, putting the younger woman more at ease.

Gillian visibly relaxed back against the chair. She went on, “That last time in church, Crystal said she visited a youth council where she’d taken the pledge. After that, she arranged for a representative of the group to come here for the lockdown. She was so excited about signing up more kids in the congregation.”

Rainey could see the sadness begin to creep across the deputy’s face and decided it was time to wrap it up. Although she didn’t know her very well, Crystal’s death had shaken Gillian. Rainey knew the facts would begin to blur when the emotion entered an interview like this, and that’s what it had been, whether Gillian realized it or not. Rainey had one final question.

“Is there anything else that comes to mind? Let your instincts do the work. Close your eyes. What do you see?”

Gillian obeyed and shut her eyes. She squirmed in the seat a little, and then her eyes popped open. “The ring. She wore an abstinence ring. She held up her hand in church to show us. I saw the autopsy report. The ring was not on her hand.”