Tracy awoke like a bolt very early the next morning, almost before the light had risen. She rushed to the shower to get dressed and ready for the day. The emergency meeting at the FBI office would be pivotal today. Tracy had to give a profile of the possible killer and there were several ideas tossing around in her mind. She was also interested to hear more about the theories and evidence the FBI had gathered so far.
Tracy put on a beautiful, well-fitting navy woolen dress with a painted scarf and expensive boots. She not only wanted to make a strong impression on those who attended the meeting, but on Aldon as well. Their encounter last night gave her a sense of both well-being and anxiety. It was good that she hadn’t let it go any further. In the clear light of day, she was sure Aldon would be glad as well.
As Tracy jumped into a cab to get to the FBI offices, she couldn’t help dwell upon her meeting with Ashley’s parents last night. It was far more disturbing to her than she had realized. What had gone on between Ashley and Wendell? Why was Marlene so negative about her? Had there been some kind of covert romance? These things took place all the time in families. In each case the consequences differed, but none of them were ever good.
*
Tracy walked into the FBI offices on the twenty-ninth floor. To her surprise, most of those attending the meeting, about twenty-five assorted officers, had already arrived, with the exception of Aldon. Tracy looked around, wondering where he was.
“Good morning.” Hunter came over to greet her. “You’re right on time. You’re actually early. We all are.”
Tracy was relieved, not only to be here, but to see Hunter once again. As usual he looked crisp and dashing, completely ready for the meeting. Tracy knew that Hunter had been working on the case diligently and could be even more objective than she or Aldon right now.
“You stayed at the hospital late last night, didn’t you?” Tracy asked.
“Yes, I did,” Hunter replied. “It’s a mess over there. The longer you stay the more suspects turn up. However, I’m never sure if what patients say is real or something they imagine.”
Tracy had to agree. “Their perceptions can be confusing,” she said.
“I’m glad you got away for a bit,” Hunter went on warmly. “It’s important to get distance and perspective.” His simple, stalwart manner gave Tracy a sense of balance and calm. “What did you do last night, Tracy?” he went on.
“I actually went to the home of one of the patients’ parents,” Tracy said, relieved to be talking about it.
Hunter looked surprised. “Which one?”
“Ashley,” said Tracy.
Hunter seemed perplexed. “Is she a suspect?”
“No, not a suspect,” Tracy said. “Ashley’s a patient who keeps begging me to get her out of Ashton. I asked her family to take her back home.”
“Really?” Hunter was startled. “That’s quite a step to take.”
“I know it’s not protocol, but I had to do it,” said Tracy. “I’m worried about her.”
Hunter nodded. “I can well understand,” he murmured. “I’m worried about all of them. Everyone’s in danger after this last killing. Things have gone way too far! And I don’t know if you heard, but Hanna’s parents are enraged. They’re making it as public as they can, calling local congressmen and senators for help.”
“Oh God,” Tracy murmured.
“The very existence of Ashton Pillars can be jeopardized if we don’t get the killer fast,” Hunter added.
Just then Aldon walked into the room, looking tired and somewhat disarrayed. Tracy wondered what he did after he left her last night.
“Aldon, here we are.” Hunter beckoned him over. “Great to see you.”
Aldon smiled at both Tracy and Hunter, carefully not meeting her eyes. “Long night,” Aldon murmured. “You heard about Hanna’s parents?”
“I was just mentioning it to Tracy,” said Hunter.
“I was on the phone late with hospital officials,” Aldon said. “We have a lot to do fast. Research on this case has been made a top priority in Washington.”
The overall urgency of the situation hit Tracy hard.
“Okay, we’re going to begin the meeting immediately,” Aldon continued. “Glad you’re here with us, Tracy.” He spoke to her as though she were a distant official whom he hadn’t seen for days.
“Glad to be here,” Tracy replied officially as well.
Aldon walked to the front of the room and held his hands up. “Okay, let’s begin,” he said, calling the meeting to order.
Everyone sat down quickly and became still.
“We can’t start with forensics,” Aldon began speaking firmly, “as we do not have fingerprints or DNA. The last victim was killed in exactly the same manner as the others, her neck slashed. The only difference in this particular case is that Hanna was dead quite a while before anyone found her. And, as we all know, she was shoved under her bed.”
A large officer sitting in the first row rubbed his hand over his forehead. “Damn lousy maniacs,” he grumbled loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Were the wounds to all the victims exactly alike?”
“Good question,” Aldon answered immediately. “Yes, they were.”
“Okay, so we got one killer on a rampage,” the large officer said.
“Hunter is in charge of the search for the weapon in the hospital,” Aldon went on.
“The search is still going on,” Hunter spoke up, looking strong and unruffled. “We are also still looking for the letter Dr. Jarnow received, warning him of another killing. The janitor, Ned, has been extremely helpful, going through all the garbage bags with us.”
“Why the hell did Jarnow throw that letter out?” Another officer with squinty eyes stood up quickly. “I’d say that makes Jarnow a prime suspect.”
Hunter shook his head. “We have to be very careful about declaring people suspects. It scatters our forces. Apparently Dr. Jarnow routinely gets all kinds of crank letters from patients. His nurse, Enid, said it’s not unusual for him to throw them out.”
“Let’s hold that point for a minute,” Aldon interrupted. “We’ve done quite a bit of research on Jarnow and also his nurse, Enid.”
The room became quiet again.
“Okay, let’s have it,” the officer who was standing said.
“Well, for starters,” Aldon began, “I have a further report on their background. Obviously, Jarnow and Enid both worked in Anguilla at the same hospital, at the same time. They left together and then came to Ashton Pillars.”
“So?” The officer was getting restless.
“Hold on,” said Aldon, “it’s important. For one thing, they have some kind of relationship going on that nobody knows about. They play it cool in public, but they’ve been involved for a long time. Seems Jarnow secretly worships the ground Enid walks on.”
“So what else is new?” the officer shot back. “A secret relationship going on under our noses! What’s the big deal?”
Aldon paid no attention to his remarks. “Enid was the one who got fired from the hospital in Anguilla and Jarnow left along with her,” he said.
Tracy was startled to hear this. “What did she get fired for?” Tracy piped up.
Aldon finally looked at Tracy directly then. “Something strange went on between Enid and some patient in Anguilla. Report says excessive force was used. It was hard to dig this report up because it’s buried down in the Caribbean. We all know about their recordkeeping.”
“What exactly do you mean by excessive force?” Hunter looked disturbed.
“We’re getting more details on that as we speak,” Aldon continued. “As I said, the information’s sloppy and buried down there. We’re digging it out, though.”
Tracy took a deep breath, thinking of all the complaints the patients here had about Enid, as well.
“Like it or not, Enid is one of our suspects now,” continued Aldon.
“I like it,” the large officer called out. “We need to give administration and reporters at least a couple of suspects we’re looking at.”
That was code for saying they had to zero in on a few people fast, Tracy realized.
“Enid also distracted the attention of law enforcement.” Aldon seemed to be building a case against her. “She gave us a fictitious name of a visitor who came too often. No one like that can be located. And we’ve spent plenty of time looking.”
“The records at Ashton could have been fudged,” another officer remarked. “Hospital cover-up?”
“We talked to all the regular visitors we could find,” Aldon went on. “No one saw any visitor who came too often, or was there all the time.”
“What else do you have?” the large officer continued. “Who else is a suspect?”
“Along with Enid, we’re looking at a patient, Kaylna,” said Aldon.
Kaylna? A chill went up Tracy’s spine. Of course Kaylna was a natural choice. But there was no evidence that she was violent. She was much too wrapped up in her dream world to kill.
“Kaylna’s been telling everyone that more killings are coming,” Hunter seemed to agree. “And our best guess is that she’s the one who wrote the note to Jarnow. When I asked her about it, she denied it, of course. She’s sane enough to know that she didn’t write a note, but claims to hear voices and have visions.”
“There are always times of clarity and sanity in between seeing visions and hearing voices.” Tracy was moved to defend Kaylna. “It’s never one way or another. I know that can be very confusing.”
“I spoke with Kaylna at length last night,” Hunter interrupted. “She seemed strangely unaffected by the deaths. That bothered me, as well. I didn’t know what to make of it.”
“That goes with her illness,” Tracy responded.
“You’ll give us a profile in a second, Tracy,” Aldon interrupted. “I just want to complete our list of suspects. We do have one other possibility for a suspect right now. He’s also a patient at the hospital, Sam. Sam’s been involved with several of the female patients. Who knows what he’s got going on?”
“Good, good.” The large officer liked that.
What’s good about it? thought Tracy. You know nothing of Sam, just want to grab a bunch of suspects to appease the public glare shining on the hospital.
“Tracy, it’s your turn to speak now.” Aldon turned to her directly, looking more deeply into her eyes.
“Thank you.” Tracy stood up and went to stand in the front of the room beside him. As time passed she felt more comfortable with Aldon than she had when she first saw him today.
“Okay,” Aldon continued, “we need a psychological overview of what we’re looking at here. The hospital is still calling the deaths possible suicides. By now, I’m sure we all feel that’s absurd, a transparent cover-up. Let’s not forget we have not found a weapon as yet. No one kills themselves and then disposes of the weapon. In my view, whoever killed these women knew exactly what they were doing. They’ve also hidden the weapon brilliantly, probably in plain sight. ”
Tracy took a deep breath. Whatever she said would be open to question and she fully realized that. She had to plunge in anyhow and give a sense of the mind of someone who could be on a killing spree of this kind.
“The killings are coming more quickly now,” Tracy started. “The killer is feeling more and more empowered, invincible, and justified. They have the entire hospital and law enforcement community searching for them and yet they are continuing to kill right under our noses. This is the thrill the killer is after! This points to someone with temporary feelings of omnipotence. Right now they feel there is nothing they cannot accomplish.
“Otherwise, this killer is someone who feels basically weak, unrecognized, and deeply wronged. It is particularly noteworthy that the victims are not members of the establishment, not the doctors or nurses, but patients who are much less able to defend themselves. This points to the fact that the killer is not as confident as they would seem. Are they standing up to the strong ones? Are they trying to get revenge on authority or those who are more powerful than them? No. Essentially, the killer is a bully, attacking those who are weak and defenseless, those who have been locked away.”
Tracy watched Hunter listen intently, while Aldon shifted back and forth in his chair. She continued.
“These are victims of opportunity, each very different from the other. What they all share is that they are living together in an environment they cannot get out of, and are all considered mentally ill. Whoever is doing this killing is also taking pleasure and power out of creating chaos at the hospital, along with destroying their helpless prey. This gives them an additional sense of strength and power, which becomes like a drug that they need more and more of. Without it they would fall back into their old identity of being wronged, weak, and incompetent.”
The large officer sighed loudly. “Rotten bastard,” he muttered.
Tracy kept focused. “Although the nature of the killings is extremely personal and vicious, slashing of the throat, the motive of the killer isn’t to get personal revenge on each victim,” she continued. “As I see it, these victims have not given the killer a personal reason to kill. And, unlike most serial murders, there is no sexual motive here either.
“Psychologically speaking, the killer is harboring deep hatred and vendettas, but not necessarily against the people they kill. Indiscriminate malice has taken hold. Their killings are balancing the scales for the killers. They are organized, malicious, and able to plan and preplan beautifully. They’ve left no evidence at all. Including the weapon, as Aldon mentioned. These are not impulsive killings. They are not the result of an impulse disorder. The victims were overpowered and killed quickly. They did not suffer a great deal during their deaths. The killer was not getting pleasure out of victims’ suffering or from tormenting them. The pleasure and power the killer received was in knowing they are now in charge and in control not only of other lives, but of what is going on in the environment.”
Tracy looked out at the room, which was silent, listening intently. Hunter especially was deeply focused on her.
“The most significant feature we have to focus on,” Tracy continued, “is the ability of the killer to plan and execute these killings so precisely, and then slip away. Who in the hospital can do that? Who has the opportunity to strike and then flee?”
“How does this profile fit Kaylna?” another one of the officers in the room asked.
“Not well,” Tracy responded. “These types of repeated, planned killings are not what a delusional patient can usually manage to do. They might think about it, dream about it, but the act requires too much planning and focus on detail.”
“Could Kaylna have lured someone in?” the officer continued. “Could she have gotten someone else to execute her plan?”
“That’s certainly possible.” Tracy had to concede that.
“I heard Kaylna has quite an influence over the others,” the officer pushed forward.
“Yes, she does,” Tracy admitted. “It’s possible Kaylna was the inspiration for the killings, knowingly or not. That still doesn’t tell us who did them.”
“Enid’s the one! I have no doubt about it.” A female officer stood up fitfully. “If that nurse has a history of disliking patients, and even using excessive force, this could be her perfect chance to strike again. That gives her both motive and opportunity. She’s always in the vicinity of the patients and could easily hide the weapon as well. Why look any further? Take her in.”
“Wait a minute,” Aldon joined in forcefully. “It’s too soon to focus on just one suspect. Sam was close to two of the recent victims, Maggie and Deidre. We can’t overlook that. He’s been interviewed by several male officers, but might speak more freely with a woman. Tracy still has to speak to him.”
“I’ll speak with Sam as soon as possible,” Tracy agreed.
“Good,” said Aldon, standing closer to Tracy then. “Thank you very much, Tracy. Your comments were very helpful. Now I’d like to have Officer Darrin Furst speak to us. He’s made a special trip to be at this meeting. As we all know this case has received tremendous public scrutiny. The outcome could affect not only Ashton Pillars but other mental hospitals as well. Officer Furst would like to give us more information regarding killings at institutions, in general.”
A small, round, powerful man came to the front, as Tracy sat down.
“Okay,” Officer Furst started. “I’m just filling in the picture here, giving you guys some context about what we’re up against now. As you know, the family of the most recent victim, Hanna, is already trying the case in the public forum. This is bad for everyone, the last thing we need. Cases like this are rough enough as it is. Not only do homicide inquiries in mental hospitals rest on irrational foundations, they have grave consequences for everyone, including patients, staff, and community.”
Tracy wasn’t entirely sure what his point was.
“When the family of a victim confronts the hospital publicly, the emotions that are generated are intense,” he continued. “Naturally the hospital seems responsible. Of course families have a right to know what’s happened, but rather than going public, there must be immediate intervention to keep this from happening. Families require instant counseling and professional help. It’s imperative that you guys reach out to Hanna’s family immediately and calm them down.”
Tracy realized that Officer Furst was the spokesman for FBI administration, sending a veiled warning to all of them. Shut up Hanna’s family and get some suspects in custody, ASAP.
“As patients go public,” Furst continued, “public fears of the mentally ill are fueled. The stereotype of the ‘dangerous lunatic’ is reinforced, as is the stigma associated with mental illness. Public confidence in mental health services is undermined. Morale drops, confidence is lost.”
“Okay, we get it,” the large officer in front called out. “We’ve got to do our best to keep the families of the victims quiet. At least until the perpetrator is found.”
Officer Furst grimaced. “You got it,” he replied. “And at the very least, it’s imperative that a suspect be brought in, ASAP! Just bring someone in and question them, for God’s sakes!”
Hunter walked over to Officer Furst’s side. “We are all doing our best,” he said strongly.
Aldon got up and joined them. “Don’t worry,” he said to Furst. “We’re closing in. We’ll have a suspect by the end of the day.”
Tracy was shocked to hear that. Who would it be? she wondered.