Tracking the Butcher

by William Joiner

  “Alright, Father, if that’s all you can tell me, I guess that’ll have to do. Thanks for coming in, but why didn’t you go to the task force office?”

  “I thought I could trust you. The other guy might try to bug the confessional or something.”

  “You’re probably right,” Elgie said. “So, tell me, what does the Butcher say to you?”

  “He tells me about his kills and about his childhood, but that’s all I can tell you. I cannot violate the sanctity of the confessional. I’ve already said more than I should. Peace be with you, Lieutenant Reynolds.”

  “Thank you, Father.”

  Elgie decided to call for some help with deciding what to do with the information the priest had given him.

  “Hello, this is Doctor Connors.”

  “Hey, Lucas, can you come to the tip line office for a minute, please.”

  “Certainly, sir, I’ll be there, momentarily.”

  Lucas arrived in the tip line office in less than two minutes.

  “Hello, Lieutenant, may I ask what is the purpose of this unscheduled meeting?”

  “I just got a visit from a priest, Father Timothy. He says the Butcher is one of his parishioners. He says that the Butcher goes to confession and tells the Father about his crimes. What do you think, is that really the Butcher?”

  “Yes, probably so—it seems logical that someone in need of overtures and acolytes like the Butcher would go to confession. It’s not really because he wants to atone for his sins, on the contrary, he wants to boast about what he considers his accomplishments. The same way he entertains himself by engaging you and the media in his twisted sense of self-importance. That indicates that he considers himself powerless or unacknowledged in his everyday life. He needs the attention as much as he needs to kill. He also goes to extremes to shock you and probably does the same with the priest.”

  “Thanks for the information,” Elgie said. “Does Lieutenant Gray know you’re here?”

  “No, we don’t have to have permission to leave the dugout.”

  “The dugout?”

  “Yes, that’s how Lieutenant Gray refers to the task force office.”

  “What’s with all the baseball metaphors?”

  “He went to college on a baseball scholarship. I suppose he mentally adjusted to seeing everything in terms of its relation to baseball.”

  “I guess that makes sense. Well, anyway tell him about the priest and tell him not to contact Father Timothy, he can’t tell us anything. In fact, he’s already said more than he should. He doesn’t need to hear a bunch of baseball bull.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell him. I’ll alleviate the baseball bull comment.”

  “Since you’re here, can you tell me about your profile?”

  “It’s basically the same as before only with a little more detail. First of all, I think he’s telling the truth about practicing on prostitutes and hiding the bodies. I think he wanted to unveil himself when he was prepared for a battle he believed he could win. He wanted to be fully prepared to challenge you or whoever he chooses. That’s why he hasn’t acknowledged Lieutenant Gray, he doesn’t perceive him as a challenge.

  “In light of these new bodies and the accompanying revelations, I have had to adapt my profile accordingly. I thought he may have had some life-changing event that prompted him to change victimology. Now I know that was erroneous. He’s been in control of his killing all along, and that orderliness may be something that shows in his life.

  “I think he chooses prostitutes simply because they were easy, although he probably had some negative experience with a prostitute. Perhaps his mother was one. She also would have been cheating on his father, and the father failed to react to the Butcher’s satisfaction. That explains his current choice of victim. If he has a spouse, she is probably subservient and responds appropriately to his demands and doesn’t question where he goes. He may also physically abuse her.”

  “If he dominates his spouse, how does that figure in with him feeling powerless?” Elgie asked.

  “Often times men who feel powerless in other parts of their lives demand that power at home. It’s that powerlessness that motivates them to seek out mates that are subservient. His powerlessness probably stems from his work. He feels the work is beneath him as are his superiors, but he has to hold that in so as not to be fired. He could also feel powerless in other relationships if he has any. He may be a loner most of the time.”

  “What about picking up women from bars, how is it that he has enough self-esteem to do that?”

  “It’s not a case of self-esteem, it’s self-efficacy. He believes he is capable of picking up these women because he is comfortable with how he looks, but not with his ability to continue a relationship. Also, these women he sees as easy to pick up. He thinks they’re so desperate for sex outside of their marriages that they’ll go home with anyone they find marginally attractive. He doesn’t really have to do much to get them to leave with him. For example, Mrs. McMullen was known to leave with whoever was buying her drinks.”

  “One other thing, since he probably has a spouse he has some other place where he takes his victims, but it must be somewhere that he has to keep them quiet, which is why he gags them.”

  “Why didn’t he gag this last woman?”

  “Because he strangled her. She couldn’t holler out.”

  “When do you think he’ll strike again?”

  “I hope I’m wrong, but I think he’ll pick up and kill a woman this weekend. Now that he has a new way of killing that he likes he’ll want to try it out again. There is one thing he might add. He might not strangle and kill but have her in and out of consciousness to torture her before killing her. He wants them to be terrified and strangling them doesn’t fully accomplish that. Not like restraining them and killing them slowly.”

  “So, he could strangle her into unconsciousness, bind her, wake her up, then stab her in his usual pattern. Is that basically it?”

  “Yes, that’s the next illogical step.”

  “Do you think he would use the website that he used to contact Roxanne Whiteford? That would be easier than picking up a woman in a bar and more reliable. It would also provide less exposure.”

  “Yes, that sounds logical.”

  “I think I have a good idea. Let’s go see Lieutenant Gray.”

  “Before we go I want to inquire about you encouraging Lieutenant Gray to follow up on Deorader, Rodson, and Reader. Do you really believe one of them is the Butcher?”

  “No, but I could be wrong. Of all the suspects we’ve contacted so far they are the most likely. However, I believe the Butcher is closer than that.”

  “Do you mean in physical proximity?”

  “Yes, but that’s as far as I can go. I don’t want to implicate someone without proof, especially someone who hasn’t been identified as a suspect.”

  Elgie and Lucas went to the task force office. Lucas went to his desk, and Elgie went into Lieutenant Gray’s office.

  “Hello, Elgie, what brings you to the dugout?” Lieutenant Gray asked.

  “I have an idea on how to catch the Butcher,” Elgie said.

  “Great, what’s your play?”

  “Lucas thinks the Butcher is going to try to strike this weekend. I think he’ll probably use that website again. We can try contacting him through that email address he used with Roxanne Whiteford.”

  “Didn’t you say he would’ve abandoned that address?” Lieutenant Gray asked.

  “Yes, he would be using another one, but he may still be monitoring the original address. If not, we can monitor that site and check up on any woman that contacts a man that wants to meet that night. He would also want to meet her someplace he wouldn’t be seen with her. All we have to do is get a decoy to meet with him instead of the woman. If there’s more than one, we can have several decoys to find the right person.”

  “How are you going to know which one is the Butcher?” Lieutenant Gray asked.

  “He said I’ve seen
him, I just didn’t know it was him,” Elgie said. “That means I should recognize him. He should look familiar.”

  “Okay, we can use Detective Kim as the pinch hitter. I’m sure she can hit it out of the park.”

  “No, we can’t use Quinn,” Elgie said. “The Butcher knows too much about the investigation, it stands to reason he knows what Quinn looks like. Even if he hasn’t seen her in person, she’s been on TV with me enough that he should recognize her.”

  “Then what do you suggest. Who’s up to bat?”

  “I think we should use women from the vice squad,” Elgie said. “They have experience being decoys, and they can handle themselves in case the Butcher tries to attack them. We’ll need a warrant to monitor the website’s incoming and outgoing communications.”

  “I’ll take care of it. The ball’s coming to my field.”

  “While you’re taking care of that, I’ll write up an email and send it to the Butcher’s email address.”

  “Good call, ref,” Lieutenant Gray said.

  “I’ll need Quinn to help me with the email. I think I need a woman’s touch to lure the Butcher.”

  “Detective Kim,” Lieutenant Gray yelled, “would you come in here for a minute?”

  “Sure, I’ll be right there, Lieutenant,” Quinn said. “Hi, Boss, I didn’t have a chance to speak to you when you came in. I was on the phone.”

  “No problem,” Elgie said. “I need you to help me put together an email to send to the Butcher. Or at least the email address I suspect he’s still monitoring.”

  “Good idea, Boss,” Quinn said. “Let’s use my desk.”

  “Before I go, I need to tell you something right quick, Lieutenant Gray. I got a visit from Father Timothy from the Catholic Church downtown, and he says the Butcher comes to confession there. He thinks the Butcher is one of his parishioners.”

  “Is one of your suspects Catholic?”

  “Yes, Alan Reader.”

  “We already have him under surveillance by GPS during the day, and Weinberg and Harkness will be following him at night if he leaves home plate. Bywater and McBean can help you with the website thing.”

  “What about Deorader?”

  “We got a bad call from the ref. We didn’t get a warrant to track his vehicle, but I requested a team to watch him at night. Captain Greer approved it.”

  “Good call, Lieutenant Gray.”

  Elgie and Quinn left Lieutenant Gray’s office.

  “So, Boss, what did you have in mind for the email?”

  “Well, I want it to contain the words discreet and husband or marriage, whichever you think is best.”

  “Okay, just off the top of my head, ‘Married woman looking for discreet sex. I have a husband, and I don’t want him to find out so I would like to meet somewhere private.’ How’s that?”

  “It’s okay, but it reads more like an ad than an email. Can you make it more personal and not say married and husband too?”

  “Okay, how about this,” Quinn said, “‘Hi, handsome, I saw your ad last week but was too timid to email you for a date, but I’ve drummed up the courage. So here goes, I would like to meet with you in a private place, and I need you to be discreet because I’m married. I have an idea, let’s be real. I know what we both want, so why play games about it. Why don’t I meet you at a motel? I can check in by myself and email or call you with the room number, and you can just meet me there. Or we can meet at your place if you have a secluded spot. Don’t leave me waiting too long.’ How’s that?”

  “Perfect, slutty but sweet, that’ll work,” Elgie said.

  “Slutty but sweet, I like that expression. It fits exactly what I was trying to convey. When do you want to send it?”

  “Why not send it now?”

  “Okay, Boss, we can do that. What email address should we send it from?”

  “That’s a good question. Why don’t we call vice and ask them if they have one we can use?”

  “Sounds good,” Quinn said.

  “Okay, I’ll call down,” Elgie talked to the vice squad commander.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Sergeant Harding?”

  “This is Harding, what’s up, Lieutenant Reynolds?”

  “I need a clean email address, like from a woman.”

  “I’ve got just the thing for you, let me look it up on my computer…here it is, got a pen and paper?”

  “Hold on a second,” Elgie said. “Quinn, could I have a pen and a piece of paper, I don’t want to put it in my notebook.”

  “Sure, Boss, here you are.”

  “Okay, Sergeant Harding, go ahead.”

  “It’s a web-based email address, hot4u@gmail.com. The password is vice squad, no space, of course, you already knew that.”

  “You never know, I’m an old guy I might be out of touch with technology.”

  “But you’re only forty-something.”

  “Yeah, but at forty-something, a lot of people aren’t tech savvy. That doesn’t apply to me, though.”

  “I didn’t think so—bye.”

  “Alright, bye. Quinn, would you just type up the email and I’ll send it and monitor the email account. I figure it may be wiser to send it closer to the time I suspect he’ll be checking the email address. If we send it too early, he may not respond, thinking the woman is no longer available. He may also get suspicious and not respond to someone who was waiting for him. Keep that to yourself. As far as anyone else is concerned, you sent the email.”

  “Right, Boss, I’ll let them know I sent the email if anybody asks.”

  Within the hour, Elgie got a message regarding his email. It read: “Thanks for the email, but I’m not falling for something so transparent. I’m surprised at you, Lieutenant Reynolds, I thought you would have had more respect for me than to think I would actually reply and meet one of your officers. No thanks, the Butcher.”

  Friday night at ten McBean, Bywater, and Elgie were monitoring the website for cheating spouses. The other members of the task force who weren’t on surveillance were gone for the night. The group had yet to find any ad responses that met their criteria. All of the responses to ads were for men who wanted to meet in public, usually at a bar. Elgie and Lucas thought a bar was unlikely because eventually, someone would remember seeing him with a woman that ended up dead.

  “What if he went to a bar where he’s not known,” Elgie said. “Someplace he’s never been before. No, that wouldn’t work, people are paying more attention and are more careful knowing that the Butcher is out there trolling for victims. Someone would remember seeing him with a woman that ended up dead. If he is going to kill tonight, he may have used another casual sex website.”

  “That’s a possibility,” McBean said, “it’s also possible that he’s busy tonight. Maybe tied up at work. Too busy to go hunting for cheating whores.”

  “You might be right McBean,” Elgie said. “Say, don’t you go to Father Timothy’s church? It is right downtown—convenient for you. You can go on your lunch break.”

  “I go to whatever church is close to me where I’m at,” McBean said. “I might be in court or on a stakeout or out in the field doing interviews. If I have time to go to a service, I’ll go to the nearest one.”

  “Did you know that Father Timothy came to see me?” Elgie asked.

  “Yeah, Lieutenant Gray told us,” McBean said.

  “That’s right,” Bywater said, “he said that the Father told you that the Butcher goes to confession at his church. Is that true?”

  “Yes, that’s true—tell me, McBean, do you know people at that church?”

  “I know some, but I don’t know any that could be the Butcher if that’s what you want to know.”

  “No, that’s not it,” Elgie said. “I know the Butcher is going to be the last person I’d suspect. Like he said, he’s been right in front of me, and I didn’t know it. But he fails to consider that I might recognize his voice even though he disguises it by sounding like a cartoon villain. At
first, I thought that the voice might be electronically altered, but that wasn’t the case.

  “Still if he keeps calling I’ll figure out who he is if he’s bold enough to come in my face again. Then again, he might be in my face a lot more than he’s said. I’m beginning to think he’s right here in headquarters. That’s why I had those clerks changed. Then it occurred to me that he may be getting information or be right in front of me all the time and I’ll figure out who he is. Do you know what I mean, McBean?”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve got the message loud and clear.”

  “I thought you might.”

  “The only thing is, how are you going to prove it?” McBean asked. “That hair they found in the grave may not even belong to the Butcher.”

  “What about the hair at the last crime scene that matches the one from the grave?”

  “Come on, Lieutenant,” McBean said, “you know as well as I do there’s no such thing as a hair match. All they can say is it’s microscopically similar, just like Doctor Brooks said.”

  “That’s true, but it becomes better evidence when you consider that the hair with the root came from the grave. He’s going to have a hard time explaining that. Won’t he?”

  “I guess so if you catch him. You have to have someone to compare DNA with first, and you don’t have that and only a limited time. He said he would kill fifty people. We know he’s already killed twenty-eight. The ten since your investigation began, the thirteen in Griffith Park, and the five he strangled. He says there’s more buried and you don’t know how many. It could be another ten or more. That would mean at least thirty-eight murders. He’s about three-quarters of the way there so far. That’s if he only has ten more bodies buried.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to challenge me just like the Butcher wants to do.”

  “It’s a good thing you know better. Otherwise, I might be in trouble.”

  Saturday morning thankfully there had been no Butcher killings. Alan Reader and Alexander Deorader were both under surveillance, and neither left home on Friday night going into Saturday morning. At six-forty-five Elgie was in the tip line office thinking about the conversation he had with McBean the night before. The conversation indicated to Elgie that he may be on the right track.