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Halifax, October 21
3:07 p.m.
It could be the last face Mary Driscow and Kate Saint-Pierre had seen before they died. Or it could be the face of any number of people out there. That was the problem with composite sketches; they almost never resembled the suspect.
The man in the hood had an angular bone structure—broad forehead and jawline, dimpled chin. Thick brows arched over deep-set eyes. A distinct philtrum formed a trench between the broad nose and oval lips.
Add a spit curl to the forehead, Allan thought, and you had a man who looked a little like Clark Kent.
He set the composite down, his mind anchored with pessimism. He couldn’t help it; he’d been down that road before. Once it was released to the public, he was sure the sketch would trigger dozens of calls from well-intentioned people. Allan foresaw a lot of valuable time and resources wasted chasing false leads.
If nothing else, the sketch might raise public interest in the case.
Allan opened his notebook and wrote down keynotes about the Kate Saint-Pierre case:
1. Victim strangled.
2. Ligature used. Brought to the scene by the offender. Removed after the crime
3. Fingertips severed. Not recovered. DNA of suspect?
4. No other trauma involved
5. No sexual contact
6. No restraints
7. No theft
8. Attack was outdoors. Public area
9. Murder was planned
10. Possible surprise approach with blitz attack
11. Possible con approach with blitz attack
12. Scene demonstrated control
13. Suspect possesses characteristics under the organized dichotomy
14. Process-focused, thrill killer?
15. Used precautions—concealed body in the trees
16. Left body displayed. Taunt?
Suspect’s behavior linking the Driscow/Saint-Pierre cases:
1. Same M.O.
2. Similar approaches to victims
3. Same weapon used
4. Same method of murder
5. Same geographic location
6. Murders occurred exactly one year apart—Oct. 17
Allan’s chair creaked as he leaned back from his desk. He shut his eyes, thinking.
The same questions he had with the Driscow case nagged his brain about this one. The answers, he knew, lay in front of him, somewhere beyond his vision.
The suspect could very well be into health and fitness. Just because Liam Clattenburg hadn’t seen him before didn’t mean the man never frequented the park at other times of day. These types of killers usually committed their murders within familiar territory. Maybe other park “regulars” knew who he was or at least remembered seeing him before. The physical description, and maybe even the composite, might be enough to jog their memories.
Allan logged into his computer. He proceeded to download the ViCLAS booklet. It consisted of over two hundred sixty questions covering all parts of the crime. Once he finished entering the details from the Kate Saint-Pierre case, he’d email the booklet back to the ViCLAS center, where it would all be put into the database of solved and unsolved cases. An analyst there would begin searching for potential links to other crimes.
As Allan worked his way into the victim information, his cell phone chirped. It was a text message from Melissa.
“Penningtons called. I got the job.”
Allan smiled, texted back. “Awesome!!”
“I know, right.”
“I’m happy for you. When you start?”
“Monday.”
“Congrats, sweetheart. I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks. I feel like celebrating. Are you going to be late?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Supper out?”
“Sure.”
“The Urban Grill? I always wanted to try it out.”
Allan checked his watch: 4:02. He had about an hour left of work to do in the ViCLAS booklet.
He texted, “5:30 OK?”
“Yes. Should I reserve us a table?”
“Might be a good idea.”
“OK.”
“See you soon.”
“OK. Bye. xoxo”
“Bye.”
Allan set the phone down and gave a fist pump. He smiled as he imagined Melissa’s face lighting up when she got the news. Good for her, he thought. Good for her.
He went back to work on the ViCLAS questions, moving on to the offender information. He was halfway through when Audra came into his office. She had a thin pile of composites in her hand.
“The presser’s scheduled for five fifteen,” she said.
Allan looked over. “Who’s doing it?”
“Thorne.”
“Okay.”
She indicated the composites in her hand. “I passed a copy along to all the officers involved in the initial canvass of Point Pleasant Park. Some aren’t on shift today.”
“Anyone recognize him?”
Audra shook her head. “Some of the guys said it looked like Brad Pitt. Smartasses.”
Allan smirked. “I was kinda thinking Clark Kent. Minus the spit curl.”
Audra’s mouth went slack. “What else do we have, Al?”
“Nothing. That’s just it.”
“We gotta try.”
“I think we should take the composite to Point Pleasant Park. Show it around. See what happens. Maybe even take it to the different gyms around in the off chance it does resemble this guy. Maybe he’s a fitness nut.”
“Good idea. What’re you doing?” She took a glance at the computer monitor. “Ah, ViCLAS.”
“Just a thousand questions to go.”
Audra laughed. “Jesus, you are in a mood today.”
“Was,” he said. “Melissa texted me half an hour ago. She landed a job.”
“No way.” Audra smiled. “Hey, that’s great. Where at?”
“Penningtons. Over in Dartmouth.”
“Right on. Bet she’s happy.”
“She is,” Allan said. “We’re going out for supper to celebrate.”
“Good.” Audra looked at her watch. “I have Steve Foster coming in. Hopefully, he remembers seeing this guy.”
“Any luck on the other fella?”
“Dustin Marks? I left a message for him to call me. Nothing yet.”
“Maybe he’s working.”
“Probably.” Audra turned for the doorway. “Have fun tonight. See ya in the morning.”
Allan checked the time: 4:46. By the time he finished completing the ViCLAS questions, the time was 5:20.
He promptly emailed the booklet off. Then he shrugged on his coat and headed out to have supper with his family.
