A Criminal's Mind

New Case

We head back home, feeling like we wasted the day. But since Wendy gets back in town that night, we end up staying late at the office, knowing she'd want to know everything. "It's all about process now. Refining our methodology, making sure we're airtight and idiot-proof."

I nod, "we need more subjects."

"Ones just like Kemper please," Ford nods, looking at the table.

"Those were the days," Tench agrees.

Carr takes a deep breath, "you know, you're going to see people present with similar pathologies, but the way a person kills is as individual and distinct as the way they have sex."

"And just as complicated," I nod.

"Jerome Brudos. King of Souvenirs," Carr hands us files.

"Brudos? The shoe guy?" Tench shakes his head.

"Who's he?" Ford looks between Carr and Tench.

I chuckle, "six or seven years ago. Sometimes he wore women's dresses."

"Someone's been studying," Tench looks over to me.

I hold up the file, "or I can just read quickly."

Carr clears her throat, "he amputated the breasts of his first and third victims. Just like Benjamin."

"It's themed," I smile, "Wendy loves a pattern."

"It's all about finding patterns," Carr smiles, "except he went a little further than Benjamin. He plaster cast the breasts and made them into bronze paperweights."

"Alright. I grant you, that is a little weird," I nod.

"He's creative," Tench shakes his head.

Carr shrugs, "his second victim, he amputated a foot which he stored in his freezer. He had a collect of hundreds of women's shoes."

I chuckles, "sounds like a dream."

"I agree," Carr nods, "except he used them for masturbation."

"Everyone has their thing, right?"

"I think we can learn a lot from this guy."

"I'm in," Ford shakes his head as he almost smiles down at the files.

"This time we use the questionnaire."

"Did we settle on that?" Ford looks up to Carr.

"I agree with Wendy," I nod, "we have to be able to distinguish the fractal similarities and differences so we can codify it clearly."

Carr nods, "otherwise, we're just wasting our time."

"Sure, but sometimes you got to go with your gut," Ford shrugs.

"And when you first walk in, you can trust your instinct. But once you get your subject talking, we need the protocols so we can build a consistent data set." 

"Makes sense," Ford nods.

"What else do we know about Brudos?" Tench looks up to Carr.

"Well," Carr starts, "as a teenager, he started grabbing lingerie from clothing lines. Soon he was breaking into homes, stealing women's underwear, shoes, and dresses. And then eventaully, he escalated to kidnapping and murder."

I shake my head, "wasn't he married with two kids?"

"By the time the murders started, yes."

"This file is as thick as an encyclopedia." Tench shakes his head, "you think we're gonna get something from this guy that isn't in here?"

"Absolutely," Carr nods.

I shake my head, "ever the optimist."

"In all that paperwork, there's' not a single word that illuminates what he was thinking or feeling, before, during, or after the crimes. There's nothing on his operation principles, his logic."

"Logic?" Tench scoffs.

"His internal logic, yes. Which, hopefully, one day we'll be able to decipher." Carr looks around to us, "so, we all agreed. Brudos is next."

"Yes," Ford nods.

"Do you mind if I take that room?" Carr looks over to an empty room.

"For what?" Tench looks up to her.

"My office."

"Oh, sure, fine. Go ahead," Tench nods.

"Do you need help?" Ford looks up to Carr.

"No, I actually enjoy this part, organizing my space."

"She's staying," Ford smiles.

"Carver was right," Tench chuckles, "you really are Sherlock Holmes."

We go back to looking over the files, reading into the night. I shake my head, as I rub my eyes, "it's clear this guy was is fetishist. But what stressor would have caused him to kill?"

"Maybe someone caught him, threatened to call the police?" Ford shrugs.

"Maybe..." I shake my head, "I get to interview him with you, right?"

Tench looks up, "I don't see why not. You held your own with Rissell."

Ford shakes his head, "but Rissell is vastly different then Brudos."

"And Rissell is vastly different from Kemper, but you still went to both interviews," Tench looks over to Ford.