17 The Reason for His Failures (1/2)
It was amusing watching Mr. Butler answering passive-aggressive questions from law enforcers from Town X and City Y, who had never collaborated with a criminal psychologist or handled a case like this. Obviously, there were a lot of doubts about the method through which he had estimated the location of the killer's residence and the areas where the bodies may be disposed of.
”The killer is male, between the age of twenty-five and thirty, rents his house, but is single and not living with any family member. He is of average build and is unassuming in looks, but he is a good conversationalist and has a job which required him to talk to a lot of people on a regular basis.” As he made the profile, the general reluctance to believe him was evidently high. When asked how he came to the conclusion, he smiled and changed the slide on the screen.
”All the victims frequent the farmer's market and internet cafes to play videogames. The location of contact between the victim and killer is in the market, where he works at the stall or behind the scenes. This is where he scopes out his victims and lures them. He makes them comfortable and accompanies them to the cafes after which he invites them to his place and kills them. Even though he is organized and intelligent in his approach, he lacks confidence, especially on his first kill. He shouldn't have ventured beyond his comfort zone, therefore, the location of disposal of bodies should be one of these locations,” he pointed.
”Any questions?” He asked generously.A couple of people raised their hand.
”Could the place of contact have been the cafe and not the market?” One asked. Mr. Butler shook his head.
”The farmer's market is full of adults and usually teenagers accompany their family there. It would be difficult for the killer to lure the kids away if they were in such an atmosphere. Cafes, on the other hand, are frequented by younger people who are immersed in the game and somewhat familiar with one another. The killer would find it easier to accompany the victim to such a location.” His explanation eased some of the distrust.
”Why do you think the killer lacks confidence?”
”He kidnaps male teenagers who can be considered capable of making their own life choices. If you notice the timeline carefully, all the disappearances were called in days after they actually happened, because there was a chance that the kid had run away or left the home temporarily.” This shocked me. I had not noticed this. ”This shows that he is deeply insecure about his masculinity and feels the need to reinforce it through such a fantasy. He feels that he lives an unremarkable life for someone his age, that his mediocrity is the reason for his failures.”
'That explains the age estimate he gave,' I thought.
The room grew silent after that.
”From my estimates, there should be at least eight bodies. The number may be more as most cases go unreported.” He looked around the room once more to ensure no one else had any questions.
”Meeting adjourned,” he stated. He shoved his hand in his pocket and left the room. The police officers started discussing the plan among themselves, negotiating the task force to be asked for, crime scene analysts and such. I took the time to arrange the documents and leave the premises.
It was fortunate that he had waited for me at the car. When I got inside, I saw him wearing sunglasses.
'Who wears sunglasses in their car?'
He noticed my stare and took it off.
”It makes me look cooler,” he said, replying to my unasked question. I shrugged, almost used to his uncanny behavior.
”I'm sorry for offending you,” I mumbled.
”Don't act docile, it doesn't suit you. I wasn't offended.” He looked over at me. ”You'll learn in time.”
I almost snorted. We won't be seeing each other after the case is closed. I'll have to go to my intended company and work where I actually want to.
But I didn't say anything. As we drove, the silence became stifling.
.
”How long do you think it will take them?”