A Killer's Mind (Zoe Bentley Mystery #1)(9)

“So you have nothing substantial so far,” Tatum said.

He could sense the atmosphere in the room tensing. He got dirty looks from two of the detectives, and Martinez’s mouth pursed. Tatum made a mental note to be careful with anything that might sound like a criticism. “I mean, the killer covered his tracks very well.”

“On the contrary,” the throaty voice of Dr. Bernstein interrupted. “I’d say the killer has left us a very clear path.”

Tatum folded his arms and looked toward the doctor. “I take it you have a lead?”

“Well, I have a description,” Bernstein said. “And using that description, the detectives can find the killer.”

“All right,” Tatum said. “Let’s hear it.”

The doctor stood up and walked over to the whiteboard. Martinez sat down, giving the doctor his full attention.

“The killer is male, white, in his late twenties or early thirties,” the doctor said. “He—”

“How do you know?” Tatum interrupted him.

“What?”

“How do you know he’s a white male in his late twenties or early thirties?”

“Well, I don’t really know anything. But the probability is very high, and we need to narrow the pool of suspects.”

“Okay. What makes you think he’s likely to be a white male of that age?”

“Well . . .” The doctor seemed to be warming up. “He’s male because—”

“I know why you think he’s male. Fine. Why white?”

“Almost all serial killers are white,” the doctor said. “And the sexual assault of white women is very indicative.”

Tatum’s face remained fixed, but his heart sank. “I see,” he said. “Why early thirties or—”

“This murder couldn’t have just popped into the killer’s mind overnight,” the doctor answered patiently. “It’s the result of a very intricate fantasy. It has likely taken years to reach the point where the killer had to act it out, so he can’t be too young. And if he were older, we would have seen other similar murders.”

“Okay,” Tatum said, feeling tired. “Go on.”

“He’s leaving the bodies in very public places, clearly demonstrating his superiority over the police and enjoying his moment in the spotlight. It is likely he either talked to the police, pretending to be a witness, or has involved himself somehow in the cases—by approaching the families of the victims, coming to their funerals, and so on. He is intelligent, with a high school and even possibly a college education. He owns a car. He is clearly well acquainted with embalming practices, which leads me to assume he has worked in a funeral home or perhaps still does. He plans everything meticulously, choosing his victims in advance. The fact that he keeps the bodies for longer periods each time displays an impressive amount of patience. He is single, though he might be dating quite often, and may be quite charming and manipulative.”

“That’s a very detailed profile,” Tatum said.

“It has been my experience that this kind of murder—”

“What experience?”

“Excuse me?” The doctor looked insulted.

“You said it has been your experience. Where did that experience come from?”

The doctor’s face flushed in anger. “Young man,” he said, “I’ve spent years studying the practices of serial killers. I’ve been an expert consultant on the matter for more than a decade. I—”

“I’m sorry.” Tatum raised his hands. “Like you, it’s my job to be a consultant to the police. I tend to doubt everything I’m told. It comes with the job. I didn’t mean to imply that I question your impressive credentials.”

The doctor frowned, clearly suspecting he was the butt of a joke, but Tatum had already turned to face Martinez and the rest of the detectives.

“So what are you all doing now?” he asked.

“According to the psychological profile, the suspect is likely to have worked in a funeral home,” Martinez said. “We’ve begun searching through the records of funeral homes in the areas where the killer has struck, looking for someone who matches the profile.”

“Okay.” Tatum massaged the bridge of his nose. “What about staking out the crime scenes where the bodies were dropped?”

Martinez shrugged. “These are very public places,” he said. “Thousands of people go there every day.”

“But they’re empty at night, right?” Tatum said. “I assume that’s how the killer managed to drop the bodies.”

“Well . . . yes. But why would he . . . ?”

“Serial killers sometimes return to the scene of the crime,” Tatum said and added, “I’m sure Dr. Bernstein can tell us why.”

“Of course,” the doctor said. “It’s a very common phenomenon. Serial killers often subconsciously want to get caught—partly out of guilt and partly to receive the fame they desire.”

Tatum sighed. “Lieutenant, thank you for filling me in,” he said. “Is there somewhere I can sit down, go over your recent case notes? I need to write up a report. You know how the bureau is.”

Martinez smiled. “Of course. There’s an available desk in our task force room. Let me show you the way.” He turned to the rest of the detectives. “Dana, can you split today’s locations between you? I want to get some progress on those funeral homes.”