Sins of the mother (Chapter-19)

Three days after Lukas was stabbed, he was back on the job. He’d worked the case as much as possible from home by running down leads by phone and conferring with other agencies about serial killers targeting prostitutes. He checked and rechecked his case files, especially those concerning Razzy, to see if he could make any plausible connections. He spent hours poring over the files and reorganizing the murder book, going over the pictures again and again. The caveat to being back in the office was that he wasn’t allowed to get out except for mundane paperwork details, but he was not going to let what little momentum they had to stagnate. He was seated at his desk going over the reports from Friday night’s sting when his cell phone rang. It was Danny Smart.

“Hey, Danny, what’s up?”

“Not a whole lot with me, but word on the street is you’ve had an interesting few days. Do you care to confirm or deny?”

“There’s no way the truth could possibly compare to what’s been going around, and I’d hate to spoil your fun.”

Smart chuckled. “Seriously, how are you?”

“I’m good. A little sore, but every day it’s a little better. Got any good news for me?”

“I need to return your jump drive and I’ll be happy to share what I think. Unofficially, of course. Can you swing by?”

“Sure. Be there in an hour.”

Lukas was anxious, so he arrived at the FBI field office early. Smart met him at the rear entrance to the building.

“Let’s do this out here.” He pointed at his car, which was parked close by. Smart handed over the jump drive as they climbed in.

“So?” Lukas said.

“I read the case notes and looked over the photos, read the bios of the victims, the whole deal. Now, before we go any further, remember, this is off the books. It’s in no way official or binding. And, as with all profiles, it’s only accurate to a degree, and—”

“I know, I know. Hell, Danny, I’m not asking you to sign a prenup. Just tell me what you think.”

“For starters, a black male doesn’t fit the profile.”

“Okay. Who does?”

“I believe you’re looking for a white male, mid-thirties, give or take five, above-average intelligence, has a steady job he likes and is good at. Probably not married. He obviously doesn’t care much for women or at least prostitutes.”

“Are we looking at a lone wolf killer?”

“I think so. He might have some help, it isn’t unheard of, but this is probably the work of one man. The increased violence and mutilation of the bodies show an escalating psychological disorder.”

“What about patterns?”

“Not much there, really, other than the vics are all prostitutes along with one other thing I’ll get to in a minute. This guy had some serious problems in his childhood or early adolescence. My guess is his mother was a hooker. And a lot of these serial killers survived attempts on their lives by one or both parents. That anger turns to rage, the rage smolders over time, and eventually, it boils over, and they act out. This guy is escalating, which tells me his psyche is deteriorating at an accelerated rate. The body at the mayor’s house was a grandiose gesture. He thinks he’s smarter than you guys, and he’s toying with you. That was pure contempt for law enforcement. That was a sign that he thinks he’s invincible.”

“Which means he’ll make a mistake soon. He’s becoming overconfident.”

“Maybe, but there’s something else you missed that might play into catching him.”

Lukas thought about the patterns he’d examined, all the evidence he’d gone over and over and over.

“What did we miss?” Lukas said.

“All of the victims had children.”

Lukas leaned back. Children? What could that mean? He reached into his pocket and started rubbing the jump drive between his fingers as though the information contained within it would magically reveal some answer. But what Smart was saying was true. All of the victims had children, and he and Brooke hadn’t made the connection. It was right there.

“What’s it mean?”

“I’m not sure, but there’s one thing I’m sure about. He isn’t through. I don’t know when or where he’ll strike next, or how, but he won’t quit. He can’t. He’s on a high right now. He’s enjoying this.”

“Maybe he’s enjoying it too much,” Lukas said. “Maybe enough to get careless.”

“I hope so,” Danny said, “but I hope you don’t have to wait until he kills again to find out.”

Lukas shook his head and let out a long breath. “Mama said there’d be days like this. Thanks, Danny. I won’t say a word to anyone.”

The drive back to the station gave Lukas more time to think. He dialed Brooke’s number, and she answered almost immediately.

“How’s the arm?”

“Better. I talked to Danny Smart.”

“Is he done with the profile?”

“I don’t want to go into it over the phone. Can you meet me somewhere?”

“Sure. I’m hungry. How about Lucky’s in thirty?”

“I’ll be there.”