A Killer's Mind (Zoe Bentley Mystery #1)(73)

Zoe tried to concentrate. That all indicated, as she had previously assumed, that the killer had tried to hurriedly embalm the victim, even skipping his sexual abuse of the body. She was satisfied, knowing they had prevented Lily’s body from being defiled that way.

Martinez glanced at his paper again. “There were scratches on the victim’s back, which have been attributed to her being dragged into the alley. Also, both of her heels were bruised.”

“Why?” Dana asked.

“I don’t know.”

“If she was dragged out of a vehicle’s trunk, that could cause it,” Tatum said.

Everyone looked at him.

“When people grab bodies, they mostly do so by grabbing under the armpits,” he said. “If the killer got her out of the trunk that way, assuming no one helped him, both her feet would hit the ground forcefully. She was barefoot, so it would cause a bruise.”

Martinez nodded slowly. “That sounds like a probable explanation,” he said. “Mangled wrists, as you all saw in the crime scene pictures. The victim was probably handcuffed, and she struggled against them. No results from the toxicology tests yet. That’s about it for the autopsy.” He looked around the room. “Questions?”

A second of silence followed.

“All right. Let’s talk about the crime scene. Some cigarette butts, a candy wrapper, and a piece of string found at the crime scene, all sent for testing. There were multiple tire marks from vehicles driving in reverse to the opening of the alley, at least two of them recent. The rain was unfortunate, but we still have some decent photos, and we’re trying to match them. Also, once we have a suspect, this will be useful as evidence. Both vehicles have wide tires and are probably vans of some sort. We’re trying to match the tire marks to the vehicles parked nearby, to eliminate them. There was also a smudged footprint—not really useful for the investigation, but again, might be useful for court. Right. Now . . . security cam footage. Tommy?”

Tommy cleared his throat. His eyes were red rimmed. “We’ve procured some footage from nearby establishments. Nothing in the immediate vicinity of the alley. I’m going over the footage, but without any indication of what I’m looking for, it’s like looking for . . .” He seemed to be searching for a fitting analogy.

“A needle in a haystack?” Scott suggested.

“No. If I had a haystack and a needle inside, I’d eventually find it. You just have to be methodical. This is more like finding hay in a haystack . . . except this hay I’m looking for is a bit different, but I don’t know what’s different about it.”

His brain was probably half-dead from staring at security cam footage for hours.

Martinez coughed. “An apt description. Right . . . we’re doing a door-to-door investigation of the entire segment of Huron Street where we suspect Lily Ramos was held. Dana?”

Dana nodded. “The relevant stretch of Huron Street is one point one miles long, and the search is conducted by me and three additional patrol officers. So far, no one has seen anything that pertains to the case. We’ll double back on doors where no one opened, and hopefully we might eventually find the place where Lily was kept. Though it’s like looking for hay in a haystack.”

Martinez raised an eyebrow. “See that, Tommy? You’ve coined a new phrase. I hope you’re pleased with yourself. Okay. Dr. Bentley, any progress with the profile?”

The question jolted her. Ever since the reporter had handed her the three envelopes, any attempt at profiling the killer had been forgotten. What was the use of creating a profile when she was almost certain she knew who the murderer was? She just had to tie the case together better. For now, she frowned, trying to remember her last notes.

“The fact that he decided to practice his preservation techniques on animals, and that he kept at it for a long time, indicates a methodical person. When he decides to pursue his fantasy, he doesn’t improvise. He plans ahead and then executes the plan patiently and carefully. This stems from the leading attribute of his personality . . .” She bit her lip.

“Which is?” Martinez prompted her after a second.

“An obsession with control. We can see it in everything he does. His victims are tied up. He preserves them in a way that enables him to pose them however he wants. He chooses high-risk, weak victims and takes them to a location where he has absolute control over them. Even his strangulation method has absolute control. A noose tightened by twisting it from behind, probably while his victims are tied. No messy blood, no physical contact with the victim, no chance for the victim to cry out . . . total control.”

The room was silent.

“I believe this is a man who had little to no control over his life as a child. When we finally catch him, we’ll find he had an abusive parent and an unstable childhood. He’s making up for it now.”

Zoe became silent, thinking over her own words. She’d pegged him completely.

“All right,” Martinez said. “Now, as most of you know, Dr. Bentley linked those murders to the murder of Veronika Murray in 2014. Dana is in charge of investigating that case with the new facts we have, once she’s done with the door to door. Scott is still in charge of the Susan Warner case, trying to establish suspects from her acquaintances. Tommy is on the security feeds, and Mel is checking the missing prostitutes—”