Gallery of the Dead

Sixty-Five

The reality of what Hunter had just suggested hit everyone square in the face.

‘There’s only one way the killer could’ve placed that call at the exact time Owen Henderson stepped into Timothy Davis’s house,’ Hunter said.

‘He was still there,’ Agent Williams said.

Hunter sat back on his chair.

‘I don’t think that he was still inside the house,’ he said. ‘Too risky, but he was certainly close enough to have seen Owen Henderson arriving. Once he was sure that Owen had entered the house, he made the 911 call, probably also knowing that Tucson PD’s response time would be under five minutes.’

‘Wait a second,’ Agent Fisher interrupted. ‘If the killer really waited for the reporter to enter Mr. Davis’s house before making the 911 call, then I think you might be wrong, Robert. You said that you think that the killer did all this because he wanted the press conference to happen, but I don’t think so. Let’s try to look at this logically. If the killer called 911 as soon as he saw the reporter entering the house, obviously it was because he wanted the reporter to be picked up by the police. If he wanted the reporter to be picked up by the police, it was because he wanted the reporter to talk to us. Clearly he knew that we would be interrogating anyone found at the crime scene. So, if he wanted the reporter to talk to us, it was because he wanted the reporter to try to get as much information out of us as he possibly could, which was exactly what happened.’

‘Yes and no,’ Hunter replied.

Agent Fisher stared at Hunter blankly.

‘Yes,’ Hunter explained. ‘The killer wanted Owen Henderson to be picked up by the police and he wanted him to talk to us, but no, the intention wasn’t for him to get information out of us. The cold-reading idea came from Owen Henderson himself, not the killer. There’s no way the killer could’ve predicted how the interrogation would play out. Owen Henderson wanted to get information from us because he’s a reporter and that’s what they do. The killer’s intention was to make us aware that now an ambitious reporter knows about the murders.’

‘What that means,’ Garcia jumped in, ‘like I’ve mentioned before, is that now there’s no way we can keep this whole thing under wraps anymore — if we don’t say anything, Owen Henderson will. To put it simply, Agent Fisher, the killer has just forced us to call a press conference.’

Agent Fisher considered everything for a long moment.

‘So you think that this killer is your typical, textbook, attention-seeking serial killer?’ she asked. ‘He did all this because he wants to be on the news?’

‘Nothing typical about him,’ Garcia countered. ‘But why not? From the level of emotional detachment this killer has shown toward other human beings, even animals, there’s no doubt that he is a high-grade psychopath and, as such, I’m sure he truly believes that he is indeed superior to everyone else around him... in every sense.’ Garcia paused, allowing his words to sink in for an instant. ‘People like fame, Agent Fisher. They like to be remembered. Revered if possible. It’s a fact. To some, it doesn’t even matter if that fame is good or bad. Fame and notoriety can both be very powerful motivators, especially for people who believe that they are much more than what they really are.’

It was Garcia’s turn to hold Agent Fisher down with a serious stare.

‘You said so yourself, remember?’ he continued. ‘Certain killers want not only us, but the whole world to know how great they really are.’

‘He’s got a point, Erica,’ Agent Williams commented.

‘Is it really hard to believe that a killer who goes through all this trouble and preparation with every single one of his murders,’ Garcia added, ‘would want recognition for his work? Think about it — the professional removal of body parts, the Latin clues, the completely crazy way in which he drained one of his victims of all his blood, the canvas-like staging of the crime scenes, everything. He’s showing off. What good is creating works of art if no one is able to appreciate them? This guy wants to be recognized for his... “talent”.’

While trying to organize their thoughts, all three FBI agents regarded the two detectives sitting opposite them.

‘All right, that’s a valid argument,’ Agent Fisher finally accepted. ‘But if this killer is after notoriety, why not go straight to the press with everything? We already agreed that he probably photographs his crime scenes for his own pleasure, for his “gallery of the dead” or whatever, so why not send a copy of everything to a newspaper or a TV station? That would guarantee him prime-time viewing, wouldn’t it? Why go through such an elaborate plan, sending a reporter to the crime scene so he could get arrested... so we could talk to him... and so on? Doesn’t all this sound too nuts to anyone?’

‘Once again,’ Hunter replied. ‘Credibility.’

‘Excuse me?’

‘If he contacts the press himself,’ Hunter explained, ‘his story would lack credibility — he could be just another psycho looking for attention. Whatever photos he sends in could’ve been created using image-editing software. But even if they want to believe his story, any newspaper or TV station would have to confirm it either with the FBI or local police departments before printing or broadcasting anything. The story could very easily be played down by law-enforcement agencies and instead of prime time he would get a bottom corner on the fifteenth page.’

‘But if the Federal Bureau of Investigation breaks the story in a national press conference,’ Garcia said, jumping into Hunter’s train of thought, ‘he gets the credibility, the prime time and the ego boost he’s after because this would be you, the FBI, admitting that you’re struggling with the case.’

Garcia’s words seemed to enrage Agent Fisher.

‘Well,’ she countered, ‘the FBI certainly won’t be admitting struggling with anything. Not in this press conference. I will not inflate this freak’s ego in any way, shape or form. Actually, for this conference, we think that it would be best if the two of you stayed away from the cameras and let us do all the talking. After all, this is primarily an FBI investigation.’

Garcia fixed his ponytail while consulting Hunter with a simple look. Not that he needed to. Hunter hated being in front of cameras.

‘Sure,’ Hunter agreed. ‘That’s absolutely fine by us.’