Discerning Retribution

vii

The Good Thing About Assumptions

PENELOPE WAS THE FIRST TO COME IN at the homicide division that morning. She was starting to feel a bit bored watching the recognition software run for the past two days. She knew it would take a while to go over millions of people's faces, even for a high-speed computer, but her patience was starting to wear thin. It was time to think of way to narrow down the search - assume some parameters.

Nothing had turned up when she searched the police and the bureau's databases, which meant the woman hadn't been arrested before. It was a long shot from the beginning, but they needed to start somewhere before she could use the missing persons list. They had to wait at least twenty-four hours after the incident to ensure the woman has been reported missing. It was basic police logic.

She switched on the monitor and frowned at the different faces still flashing on the screen. She was finally able to switch to the missing persons database the night before, and had left the software running until morning. The only filter she had used was for sex, knowing that the victim was female. She wondered then how many women could possibly be reported missing that it was taking so long.

At the back of her mind she knew though, that women still made up a large percentage of victims of kidnap, salvage, domestic violence, rape - possibly all types of crimes. Obviously, the country still had a long way to go on that account. She doubted her filter even managed to cut down the numbers significantly. But what else could she use to narrow down the list?

An idea hit her like a stray fast ball. Deducing people's circumstances and actions wasn't her thing, but she knew somebody who was living off of it.

She pulled her phone out from her pocket and quickly scanned her contacts for the right name. She hit the green glowing phone and waited for the call to connect. It rang about seven or eight times before she heard the other end pick up.

"Yes, Penny?" The voice that answered was a bit high and inflecting.

"Mags, where are right now?"

"On my way to the station. Why?" The sound of a few horns blaring echoed in the background.

"I'm doing a run on the facial recognition software, and I need help figuring out what to filter for." Penelope went straight to the point. She and the profiler, Maggie Dela Cruz, had worked several cases together, and had developed a friendship based on similar rational, rather than emotional, decision making tendencies, unlike most, typical women. They had often asked each other for favors without much reservations when it came to their respective jobs.

"O-kay." Came the sing-song reply. "Whose identity are you trying to figure out, and what do you know about him so far?"

"Her." She corrected, transferring the phone to her other ear. "Our victim is female and estimated to be about twenty to mid-thirties." She racked her brain for more information, but came up with nothing. "That's pretty much it at this point."

"Seriously?" Maggie chuckled. After a few seconds of nothing but the sound of traffic coming from her end, she spoke again "Is this for the Cerberus case?"

"Uhuh. Why? Was it handed to you?"

"As a matter of fact." Penelope could practically see the other woman smiling.

"Why do you sound so happy about it? It's nothing but a frustrating case." She argued.

"What?" Maggie dragged the word out. "You know I love guesswork."

"Uhuh. Which what makes you so weird."

"Says an equally weird person." The profiler laughed. "Anyway, I suggest you go by cities in the metro first. Look for statistics on rented apartments and condominiums, and age demographics; use your victim's assumed age range. Do your cross-referencing magic and tell me what it says."