Killing is easy; even a five-year-old can take your life with a momentary lapse in attention. But what sets a killer apart is the method, an art that represents thoughts, feelings, and emotions. If the killer is intelligent, he will think through things much better than an average person.
Larry immersed himself in all kinds of killer minds, from the most masterful to the most disturbed.
Many kill using those feelings, and others, emotions. Needless to say, those who do it with feelings are the most dangerous.
But all killers leave traces; there are many things left behind to be analyzed.
Larry, holding a sword, plunged it forcefully into his target. Right now, he was recreating a series of emotions and feelings, something that could rarely be mixed in murders.
On the table, a mannequin specially prepared for this test received a new wound.
"The killer is much more special than just a doctor, it seems he enjoys the sensations, but doesn't kill for pleasure, rather out of necessity." Larry walked toward a whiteboard and began writing down information he had arrived at with just a little observation.
"This killer is not only highly intelligent, but also possesses a cultural refinement that places him in the higher echelons of society. His anatomical knowledge is deep, suggesting medical or surgical training."
"There is a possibility that the killer has studied other serial killers and adopted elements from their methods, making it difficult to categorize him into one specific criminal typology. The variability in his murders could be seen as a form of challenge or as evidence of an evolution in his modus operandi."
"His ability to disappear without a trace indicates a high degree of control and an impeccable public life. He is not a conventional psychopath; his behavior reflects strategic intelligence and extreme self-control. This individual does not kill on impulse; every murder is a masterpiece designed with a purpose we have yet to fully understand."
After saying that, Larry stopped what he was doing and walked toward his landline, dialed a specific number, and once the call was connected, he asked, "This is Larry, do you have time?"
"Of course, do you have something?" Jack stopped what he was doing and began recording the call.
"I've been researching your case..." Larry said, his eyes fixated on the experiment he had made, leading him to certain conclusions that could help Jack solve this case.
"Although we still don't have a specific suspect, even after analyzing the profiles of killers, the accumulation of evidence suggests that this killer has been active for much longer than you have records of and has perfected his technique. It's imperative to review unsolved homicide cases from the last ten years to identify possible connections. The key to catching him lies in his narcissism: the perfection he seeks in his art could lead him to make a mistake."
"If this analysis is correct, we're dealing with a serial killer with over thirty confirmed victims over the years. The problem is, I won't be able to find out who he is while I'm in Miami. But I feel like he's there, in your circle, watching, as if he knows every move the police are making before committing his next crime."
Jack, on the other end of the line, went silent for a few minutes and then asked, "Are you suggesting the killer is in my environment?"
"The Chesapeake Massacre Killer didn't choose Peter Calloway by chance. Every move, every incision in his flesh, had a meticulous purpose, an intention beyond just murder. For him, death wasn't an act of brutality; it was a manifestation of art and knowledge."
"The killer, the figure behind the massacre, saw the human body as an open book, a story told through each muscle, each artery, and each bone. His fascination with the Wounded Man wasn't born from a desire for senseless mutilation, but from a philosophical interpretation of suffering and healing. For him, the Wounded Man wasn't just a medical illustration; it was a metaphor for the human condition: we were all destined to be wounded in one way or another, and only through pain did the true essence of being reveal itself."
"Peter Calloway was his canvas. An ordinary man, a mechanic whose only sin was his banality. The killer chose him because he represented the mundane, the predictable, the lack of a higher appreciation for life. By replicating the Wounded Man in his flesh, the killer gave him a new identity, turning him into something more than just a man: a symbol of human fragility, of the thin line between life and death."
"But this murder wasn't just a work for his own delight. It was a message. A challenge for those who would try to understand him. For the FBI agents, for the criminologists, for you, Jack, if you decide to continue investigating. The killer wants to be understood, but only by those worthy of unraveling his art."
The question wasn't who his next victim would be. The question was who would be able to see him as he saw himself: not as a killer, but as a surgeon of the soul, an artist of death.
"I'm not on his level." Jack, nor any criminal profiler, had seen the Chesapeake Massacre Killer from that perspective.
"But you'll catch him, I'm sure of it."
"Thanks, I'll investigate."
Larry, who had remained silent, closed his eyes, then opened them in the direction of his experiment and murmured, "Another one who doesn't think like I do, could I be that unique?"