15

“I have a theory about the killer’s ritual,” Nico said quickly. “The Butcher of Paris—that’s what the reporters are calling him—cuts away part of the left shoulder of his victims because he’s bitten them but doesn’t want to leave any trace evidence.”

Gathered in his office, Claire Le Marec, Jean-Marie Rost, David Kriven, and Charlotte Maurin were listening.

“There’s a sexual component to this act,” he added.

“Have you talked with Dominique Kreiss?” Le Marec asked.

“I’ve just called her. She’s coming.”

“Good idea,” Kriven said. Nico stifled a smile. Kreiss had gently suggested that he consider working on his marriage, and even though Kriven had agreed that he loved his wife and would take to heart the psychologist’s advice, he still had a crush on Kreiss. No harm, no foul.

Kreiss came in, greeted everyone, and took a seat at the table with the others.

“Bites are most commonly associated with murder and sexual-assault cases,” she began. “We also see it in child-abuse cases. Some well-known serial killers, including Ted Bundy, have bitten their victims. A killer who bites tends to enjoy degrading his victim. He may pick any fleshy part of the body, such as the buttocks or the stomach. A female victim is often bitten on the breast or the inside of her thighs. When it’s a man preying on another man, the biting most frequently occurs on the back, arms, shoulders, face, or scrotum. Fritz Haarmann, also known as the Butcher of Hanover, murdered his male victims by biting them on the neck. Coincidentally, female killers have been known to bite, although it’s not as common. Stephanie Lazurus, a former Los Angeles police detective, bit her ex-lover’s new girlfriend before killing her.”

“Were the victims in these two new slayings gay?” Kriven asked.

“Yes, it appears that both of them were,” Maurin said.

“There’s actually some news about that,” Rost said. “This was online at SOS Homophobia, the antihomophobia association.”

He pulled a piece of paper out of his folder and put it on the table. Everyone leaned over to read it. “Safety alert—Parc de la Villette—Paris: SOS Homophobia has received reports of knife attacks in the Parc de la Villette and its immediate environs. Two have died. We ask people in the area to be extremely vigilant and to report anything suspicious to authorities. If you’ve been assaulted, call our hotline, or contact us through our website.”

“I don’t understand. Are we talking about an attacker who’s homophobic or an attacker who’s gay?” Kriven asked.

“It’s not so clear-cut,” Dominique Kreiss replied.

“Then explain it to us, please,” said Nico.

“The number of homophobic attacks against young people has been high these past few years. We like to believe that society is more tolerant today, that mores have changed. But unfortunately, homophobia is ingrained and difficult to root out. Some people justify it on religious grounds. Some people are more clinical, if you will, about it and call homosexuality ‘deviant.’ Even people who claim they are tolerant and don’t have a problem with homosexuality often still say they don’t want to see it flaunted. Homophobia, therefore, is easy for many people to rationalize. They really see GLBT choices as something that’s wrong and feel superior to gays and lesbians. It’s interesting to note that studies have shown that homophobia correlates inversely with education and is more commonly a rural phenomenon than an urban one. It seems to be more pervasive among old people, especially older men. But the majority of homophobes who commit violent crimes against homosexuals appear to be young, violent, and socially adrift.”

“So is it your opinion that the killer—or killers—is a homophobe who’s out to get gays, or should we be looking for someone else, perhaps a gay guy who’s just into killing other gays for whatever reason?” Kriven asked.

“I’m thinking that a garden-variety homophobe who’s violent wouldn’t be prone to biting,” Kreiss said. “At the same time, a homophobic murderer who’s repressing his own gay sexual orientation could very well bite during the commission of his crime. And let’s remember, crimes of passion take place between gay lovers, just as they do between heterosexual couples. Biting could be involved in these instances, too. Biting signifies a release of tension. I’m sorry, Commander Kriven, at this point, I can’t really answer your question.”

“At any rate, we’ll have to put out feelers in the gay community,” Jean-Marie Rost said. “We may find some leads in ACT UP, SOS Homophobia, or other groups.”

“Two murders in two nights,” Claire Le Marec said. “Mathieu Leroy and Florian Bonnet.”

“He’s in high gear,” Kreiss said.

“It’s highly likely that our killer could attack again tonight,” Rost said.

“We need to find out why these men were murdered,” Nico said. “And do their homicides have anything to do with Jean-Baptiste Cassian’s death? He had at least one gay encounter, and his fiancée discovered a bite on his shoulder, his left shoulder. I’ve confirmed it. The banquet was excavated, and his skeleton was found. Now young men of a similar age with similar physical characteristics are being attacked in the same area, most likely bitten on the left shoulder before being killed.”

“You’ve got your work cut out for you. You could wind up falling on your ass,” Michel Cohen had told him right before the meeting. “Or you’ll pull it off, and I’ll award you one of my Havanas.” Fat chance it’ll ever get smoked, Nico said to himself.