To Solve

Chapter 5: Natural Born Killer

Parker and Spencer walked with the others down the hallway of the house where, just a few hours before, horrible things happened. 

"I was teaching an in-service at the Baltimore Field Office when this came in. Baltimore PD's saw some grim stuff, but never anything like this," reported Derek.

"We've got two bodies ID'd as William and Helen DiMarco. Retired, lived here for 37 years. No kids. Neighbor reports a white male, 20 to 40 years old fleeing the scene. And I quote, 'Hopped up on those damn drugs.'"

"Eyewitness accounts are notoriously unreliable," Gideon commented.

"So far, sounds like a standard double homicide. Why are we here?" Hotch wanted to know.

The profilers reached the bedroom and the sight was actually answer enough.

Blood spatters right from the vanity to the wall.

"Massive overkill," Derek replied, emphasizing the word 'massive'.

"Helen DiMarco was found here tied to the chair in front of the vanity. No defensive wounds. Ligature marks around the wrists. One clean laceration from ear to ear."

"Looks arterial. Probably the carotid. She went quickly."

"The husband William was found in the shower, but he wasn't quite as lucky."

'Wasn't quite as lucky' wouldn't be the expression Parker would have chosen.

Whatever had happened to Mr. DiMarco, the result was that the entire shower was covered in his blood.

"Ligature marks on the wrists and ankles and one long laceration up the abdomen through both layers of muscle."

"Evisceration? That's typical of disorganized behavior."

"Despite all the blood, this crime scene shows method, order, control. I'd say it's pretty organized."

"There was also evidence of torture with the husband. Burns, contusions, lacerations. You name it, this guy tried it."

"If torture is the UnSub's signature, the methodology's usually unique. A person who burns someone doesn't normally use a knife," Spencer pointed out.

"So we have more than one killer?" Parker asked.

"That or we have one killer with more than one personality," said Hotch.

"We also have three victims," Gideon spoke up. "Blood on the vanity, wife's body was found there. The husband was in the shower. From the looks of the level of the ring in this tub, whoever was in it lost their entire blood volume."

"Approximately 10.6 pints," Spencer muttered.

"Which means the victim was dismembered."

"It looks like our guy took all the parts with him."

~~~~

Hemingway wrote

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it never really care for anything else."

A short time later, Hotch, Elle, Spencer and Parker were standing in the fireplace area.

"Okay, what do we know about the UnSub based on the two bodies we do have?" Hotch asked

"Typically, torture falls into two categories, sadistic and functional. Functional torture is used to extract information or to punish. It's measured, impersonal, completely disinterested–"