Kim’s eyes glistened furtively.
CHAPTER 18
Oxen’s Birthday
FOR ONCE THEY CHANGED the established routine and met on a Friday instead of a Thursday. It was Oxen’s birthday and they had decided to meet in a pub instead of at the shooting range as usual. Things were different now. One by one they had been losing members of the group. However, Bosse, Oxen’s loyal friend, had decided to invite other old friends to ensure that the celebration still went ahead and, luckily, most of the lads were positive about the idea of a celebration.
Bosse had toyed with the idea of contacting Aron Alvik but eventually decided against it. The pair of them had recently fallen out after Oxen had surreptitiously used Aron’s cottage on Ingarö as a meeting place for his underworld gang.
Although the birthday boy was flattered by the attention he wasn’t that keen on going to Stockholm on a Friday. However, after a series of earnest phone calls from the guys he had finally allowed himself to be persuaded. There was no point in denying that there was more to do in Stockholm that in his hometown of Umeå.
IT WAS TWELVE THIRTY by the time they entered the noisy pub. Guests clustered around the bar and the newcomers were forced to shout to make themselves heard over the loud background music. Everyone seemed to be in a great mood. After an excellent celebratory dinner in Södermalm they were now at their favourite pub. It was the turn of the birthday boy to select their target, even though he always had the last word anyway. Oxen had a weakness for blondes and for the last twenty minutes or so he had been eyeing a tasty little number whom he was very keen to get his hands on.
After a couple of beers his patience ran out. He caught her eye with a look of such intensity that even though she wasn’t particularly interested she found it hard to ignore him.
The man from Norrland made a bee line for his target and before long she was powerless to resist his smile and seductive glances.
“What are you drinking?” asked Oxen, noticing her half empty glass.
“Something non-alcoholic,” she replied with a constrained but polite smile.
A teetotaller. Typical, he thought.
“You don’t drink?”
“I just don’t feel like it tonight.”
“What do you normally drink?”
“White wine.”
The other men walked over to them.
“What type of white wine do you like?” asked Oxen with a twinkle in his eye.
The lads glanced at each other and smiled.
“I only drink vintage wines…” she replied flirtatiously.
“Okay,” said Oxen hesitatingly.
They ordered a bottle of Riesling d’Alsace, which was far too expensive but they were pumped and looking forward to a fun evening. They spiked the drink with the usual substance. One individually spiced bottle of wine should do the trick. It might take a while but there was no rush.
“The best things in life are worth waiting for,” whispered one of the men.
Unfortunately, nothing went according to plan. After the third glass of wine the drug started to take effect and the woman rushed to the bathroom with her hand pressed against her mouth.
The men moved hurriedly aside to let her pass.
“Bloody hell! Disgusting!” snarled Oxen with his strong Norrland accent.
The others looked at each other in disappointment. It was too late to target a new woman.
“What do we do now?”
“Let’s go to Malmskillnadsgatan,” fumed Oxen.
“I don’t feel like paying for a bloody prostitute,” said one of the men.
“Who said we were going to pay?” added Oxen smugly.
“They have their pimps…”
“Not everyone has a pimp, anyway what does it matter if she has one or not?” continued Oxen. “We’ll pick a Swede, they usually work solo.”
“How do we find out?”
Oxen stared at his mate but didn’t reply.
“We’ll talk to her first and if she has a foreign accent, we’ll move on,” answered one of the men.
“Shall we drug her first?”
“Fuck it, whores are whores, they get what they deserve!” laughed Oxen.
A FULL MOON SPARKLED in the clear night sky. When they finally arrived at Malmskillnadsgatan it was quarter past three. The group moved in on the first woman they saw.
As the men approached she stepped forward. “I don’t do group sex,” she said with a forced smile.
“There’s always a first time,” insisted Oxen.
The woman moved out of the shadows and into the moonlight. At the same time her gorilla like minder emerged. Oxen stared at the man pugnaciously. Suddenly, out of the darkness another two men appeared.
“Fuck it, let’s go,” said one of the guys, grabbing Oxen by the jacket.
SANNA CLOSED HER LAPTOP and yawned. It was two o’clock on Saturday afternoon. She got up from the armchair and went to the kitchen. She looked inside the fridge. It was almost empty so she opened the larder and took out a bag of noodles and threw them into a pan of boiling water. She wasn’t a fussy eater – it was just a question of filling her stomach.
The phone rang. It was Kalle.
“Is this a bad time?”
“No. How are things?”
“I’m fine, the kids are at the neighbours. Their son’s having a birthday party and Mia is resting.”
“How is she?”
“It’s hard to tell, she doesn’t want to talk about it. She says she’s just a bit tired but I can tell she’s in pain.”
Sanna stirred the noodles.
“Oh yes, something’s been bugging me…” he continued. “The victims were all found staring up at the ceiling. I think the killer opens his victim’s eyes after they’re dead. Maybe his fingerprints are on their eyelids?”
Sanna smiled.
“I was thinking exactly the same thing. Just before you called I sent an e-mail to Forensics asking them to check it out. With a bit of luck, even if there are no fingerprints, we’ll at least get a DNA profile.”
“Good. By the way did you read The Evening Post yesterday?”
“Yup. I’m dying to know what creep is leaking information,” replied Sanna.
She heard a voice in the background.
“Sanna, let’s talk more on Monday. Mia’s awake…”
“Okay, see you then.”
Sanna poured the noodles into a bowl and sat down at the kitchen table. She opened yesterday’s paper and read Lorena Pascalini’s article again:
‘Sweden has been rocked by a series of brutal murders targeting homosexual men. So far the police have no clear leads.
The first murder occurred three years ago in Gothenburg and there was a similar case in Stockholm the following year. And the murders continue! A new victim has recently been discovered on Värmdö.
Rumour has it that the police are about to appeal to the general public for help in solving the string of murders…’
CHAPTER 19
The Criminal Profilers
THE ENTIRE TEAM WAS ALREADY ASSEMBLED by the time the Criminal Profilers entered the investigation room. The first to walk in was Karl-Magnus Henström, the head criminal technician. He was followed by Aron Lloyd, the psychiatrist and Jaime Salmiak, the court appointed doctor.
After an extensive four-week review of the case the group of experts was finally ready to present their conclusions.
After the customary greetings and general small talk, Henrik Blom directed everyone to a table to the left of the door, which was laden with coffee, tea, water and cinnamon buns. Copies of the Criminal Profile Report were placed on the conference table.
The criminal profilers’ assignment was to create a psychological profile of the murderer by studying the crime scene, the victims themselves and the nature of their injuries as well as the killer’s modus operandi. The task involved comparing observations from the crime scene with results of the pathology examination and hopefully narrowing down
the search for the serial killer.
There were plenty of obstacles. The murders had occurred in different parts of the country, the victims shared no physical characteristics and they all came from different backgrounds – two were Swedish and the third was an immigrant, or New Swede, which is the accepted terminology for an immigrant granted Swedish citizenship. All they seemed to have in common was their sexual orientation, which was classified as heterosexual.
The profilers had puzzled long and hard over why there were such protracted intervals between the murders. It would normally be a straightforward process for a group of experts like this to come up with a range of possible theories but in this case they had been unable to reach a sustainable conclusion.
However, the group did concur that the murderer either lived abroad or travelled frequently. Therefore it was quite conceivable that similar murders had occurred in other countries. Another theory bandied about was that the murderer was a psychopath who, during periods of leave, grabbed the opportunity to satisfy his perverted desires.
“I would like to begin by saying that our job is to make the bizarre intelligible and to help you narrow the search focus,” began Karl-Magnus Henström, who was a specialist in sexual abuse. “As you already know we can’t give you the name, address and telephone number of the perpetrator but we can build up an impression of the type of person who might commit a crime like this.” He adjusted his spectacles and continued: “Something that you have already mentioned is the fact that we are dealing with a serial killer. The three murders bear similar hallmarks. The victims are apparently heterosexual but we can’t rule out the possibility that they were living double lives and had other sexual orientations.
After analysing the killer’s modus operandi we believe that he suffers from a compulsive disorder. His aim is not just to murder but also to torture his victims. After each murder he spends a great deal of time arranging the crime scene. These are ritualistic and signature murders. A unique detail is the piece of paper inserted into the victims’ penises.”
The investigator’s presentation style was concise and to the point. As he spoke he gazed slowly around the room at the participants.
“A practiced killer usually has some kind of personality disorder and limited social skills. Typically, this type of criminal will enjoy watching their victim suffer and will deliberately inflict wounds before killing them. It could be a person with extremely low self-esteem.” He pushed his glasses up and peered at the group down the bridge of his nose. “There could be a number of different reasons for this, perhaps he has been humiliated or mistreated at some point and this has aroused a strong desire for revenge.”
Arne Falk, who was also there, nodded in agreement.
“Our conclusion is that the killer is a male. We mustn’t forget that, according to the statistics, a woman rarely commits this type of brutal murder.”
Blom leaned back in his chair and sighed. Thorén munched the rest of her cinnamon bun and continued to write on her notepad while Javier glanced over at her notes. Kalle struggled to keep his eyes open after a sleepless night with his youngest child who had come down with Strep throat. Sanna sat with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on the speaker.
“As you know, serial killers are rare in this country,” said Henström, coughing gently before continuing. “The most famous serial killer in Sweden is Thomas Quick. He originally confessed to several murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment but now denies everything. We also have John Ausonius. Although he only murdered one person in the end, he had intended to murder more. Then we have possibly the most macabre case of all, at Östrasjukhuset in Malmö where a nineteen year old man poisoned twenty seven patients with corrosive chemicals.”
“When was that?” grimaced Thorén.
“If I remember correctly, he started his killing spree in 1978 and was finally exposed in 1979,” he answered. “There are a number of historical serial killers, including Hilda Nilsson – the so called Angel Maker (Änglamakerskan), who, in 1917, was convicted of murdering no less than eight children. However, we don’t have any records of female serial killers specifically targeting men.”
“Mattias Flink… he murdered a number of men,” interrupted Allan Jonsson.
“He’s a mass murderer, not a serial killer,” explained Javier.
Sanna picked up the jug and poured herself another cup of coffee. Blom filled his cup too.
“To get back to your case… we have concluded that the killer is a very methodical person. This type of sex attacker often comes from a fairly stable family background and, at least on the surface, they appear highly unlikely killers. They plan their murders carefully and leave little or no evidence behind. It’s common for them to tie up and torture their victims before taking that final step and killing them. I should also add that this type of murderer tends to look for their victims in places they themselves can’t be connected to.”
“Yes, that’s the problem,” interjected Sanna. “We’ve nothing to link the killer to any of the crimes. I understand that you’ve got good grounds for assuming that we’re dealing with a man, but I’m not entirely convinced. We need to keep an open mind and not rule out the possibility that the killer could also be female.”
The criminal profiler looked at Sanna and nodded slowly. “That’s right, we mention that in the report. To be on the safe side we’ll keep our options open, but I have to say the statistics are against us.”
“What does the crime scene tell you?” asked Kalle.
“That the victims enjoy rough sex and playing sadistic games. But the murders aren’t a result of something going wrong or getting out of hand. The murderer plans the attacks down to the last detail. He leaves nothing to chance. Each murder scene has to look exactly like the others.”
“Of course the victims have similar sexual preferences! There’s no doubt about that. But how and where do they meet?” added Blom.
“Yes. That was a hard nut to crack but one theory is that he arranges a date at the intended victim’s home. They have most likely met before and the attacker already knows their sexual proclivity.”
“He’s also a homosexual,” added Segelström with a condescending smile.
Javier and Thorén smiled at each other.
The criminal profiler glared at him.
“As I said earlier, they’re either bisexual or homosexual,” he said eventually. He sounded annoyed at having to repeat something that he thought had already been clarified. He looked at the participants one by one, waiting for their reaction.
“Bisexuality is more common than you might imagine,” he continued, removing his glasses and polishing them with a napkin.
“Yes, it may well be that they arranged a date but not everything that happened was consensual. Drug traces were found in all the victims, suggesting they may have been deliberately rendered defenceless,” interjected Javier in an attempt to return to the main issue.
“Ah, I was just going to mention that,” admitted Henström, raising his finger into the air. “There are a number of theories about where and how they met and none of them can be ruled out. They could have met at a bar or similar place and, as you already know, it isn’t that unusual for people’s drinks to be spiked. Of course women are usually the targets but nowadays this kind of thing also happens to men. The rapist or murderer then poses as a knight in shining armour by offering to take them home.”
He reached across the table and picked up coffee thermos, emptying the remaining liquid into his cup.
“The killer knows exactly where to go. He stalks his victims for quite some time and prepares his plan of attack down to the smallest detail. He knows who they are, where they work and what they do in their spare time.
Another thing the victims seem to have in common is the fact that they all had sex toys at home. In addition, their bodies were found in places previously used for sex encounters. It’s highly likely that the victims knew each other. Perhaps through a club; a physical or vir
tual one. ”
The team muttered in agreement around the table.
Blom suppressed a yawn.
“We’ve got far too many potential theories to follow. You claim that the killer comes from a stable background,” said Javier, glancing at his notes. “And that he is unlikely to conduct himself like a murderer. This means that he or she could be more or less anybody. Someone who looks normal on the surface but in reality is an ice cold killer.” He looked at Henström squarely in the eye.
The team of profilers concurred.
Javier glanced at Sanna and Kalle. His expression said it all: How the hell were they going to fix this?
“Although I’m basically in agreement with your analysis, we’re stumbling around in the dark,” said Sanna. “We’ve got absolutely nothing concrete. We need to find out how and why the killer chooses his victims. Is there any clear connection between them?”
“We’re working on the premise that there’s a link between most serial killers and their choice of victim,” replied Henström. “This link could be demographic. According to victimology studies on the interaction between victims and their attackers, the victim isn’t always completely blameless. On the contrary, sometimes their behaviour can instigate the crime itself.”
“That sounds insane!” exclaimed Thorén.
The psychiatrist glared at her, then removed his glasses and looked away. In his capacity as an expert in his field he wasn’t used to being second-guessed.
“I understand your scepticism. But these conclusions are the result of extensive research.”
“So you mean that women who are raped while out jogging, for example, should blame themselves, since, according to your theories they are in some way responsible?” argued Thorén.
The psychiatrist cleared his throat.
“Serial killers tend to attack women more often than men,” he said, keen to avoid getting stuck in a discussion that would lead them round in circles. “Their actions are often sexually motivated. It’s the driving force behind their choice of victims and it’s exactly this type of selection process that separates serial killers from other types of murderers. However, this linkage is hard to establish in your investigation since the victims come from different walks of life and have different educational backgrounds and outward characteristics…”
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