Andrew set his bag in the foyer and kicked off his shoes. Homecoming was always bittersweet. It was nice to get off the road and relax at home, but the emptiness of his condo was a reminder that his life was his work. He set his laptop on the coffee table and headed into the shower. A shower was always the first thing he did when he came home from a case. It was a symbolic washing away of the horrors he dealt with as well as washing off the ick of travel. Public transportation was something Andrew never cared for. He knew the wide variety of germs and bacteria that you encounter in airports and airplanes, trains and buses. As with every homecoming, Andrew showered until the hot water ran out. Stepping out of the shower and grabbing a towel, Andrew walked into the kitchen. He pulled a frozen dinner out of the freezer and put it in the oven.
He headed into the bedroom and pulled out a pair of sweats and finished drying off. He pulled on the sweats and went back into the living room, plopping down on the couch and opening his laptop. Andrew kicked his feet up on the coffee table and went through his email and Facebook. The oven buzzer went off and he headed to the kitchen and pulled the tray from the oven.
"Preformed pork meat and flash frozen corn on the cob. Nothing better...." Andrew sighed and headed back to the living room.
He had no sooner stuck his fork into the pork when his phone rang. Andrew shook his head and dropped the fork, hitting the answer button.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Dr. Jackson?" Dr. Jackson. Must be business. Hell, it's always business.
"It is. Who am I speaking to?"
"This is Det. Andrea Sabin of the Knoxville Police Department."
"Good morning, Det. Sabin. What do I owe the pleasure?" Pleasure. It's never pleasure.
"Unfortunately this isn't pleasure, Doctor. We have a case we'd like you to consult on. My superiors have authorized your consulting fees already."
"What's the case, Detective?"
"We're only on the second victim that we know of, but the MO is already pretty solid. White male victims, early thirties. Hands, tongues and penises cut off. Cause of death is blunt force trauma, we think its a crowbar."
"Well, I would normally say no because I just got back from Phoenix about an hour ago, but since it's here in Knoxville, I suppose I can take one for the home team. I will be downtown in about an hour."
"Thank you, Doctor. We are eager to work with you."
Andrew hung up his cell and finished eating, then headed into his bedroom and pulled on a clean suit.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Apex Predator
Andrew sat in the floor of the apartment looking at the occupant's previous life having been thrown into disarray. The coffee table had been smashed, a six foot post lamp knocked over, the big screen plasma television cracked and laying on it's back. Blood was everywhere, but he knew from the previous victims that none of it was the UNSUB's. The media had dubbed him "The Apex Predator" from the killer's victimology. He preyed on those who were strong. This was his fifth known victim, James Paulson. Paulson had been a kickboxing instructor. The previous four victims were a cage fighter, a former Army Green Beret, a boxer and a bodyguard for hire. All of them were known to be excellent combatants. That's why the UNSUB chose them.
Andrew had developed a profile quickly, within hours of being called in on the case. Male, late twenties or early thirties, small stature, working a menial labor job. There was no way to pin down a race, but secretly Andrew was almost certain he was caucasian.
Whoever this UNSUB was, he was good. He killed with his bare hands, making sure there was a struggle, but he never left any evidence of his identity. No hair, no skin, no blood. He had to wear some type of full body suit to ensure no DNA was left at the scene, but a guy walking around a city like Phoenix in a full body suit in June would raise eyebrows.
Andrew looked around the apartment, taking in the last things the victim saw. Suddenly, Andrew jumped up and headed into the bathroom.
"Forensics, I need someone in here," he called as he looked around the bathroom.
A tech popped her head into the bathroom, "Yes, Dr. Jackson?"
"We need to scour this bathroom. It's the only room in the apartment that seemed untouched by the fight. I've figured out how he isn't leaving evidence. He breaks in wearing a full body suit to prevent DNA from getting onto the actual crime scene. Then he changes his clothes in here so he can walk out without drawing attention. You will have to dig deep to find something, but there will be something here."
"Sure, Dr. Jackson, I will swab and search every inch," she replied.
Andrew left the bathroom and headed back into the living room where Det. Abrams was talking to the victim's landlord. He waited quietly while Abrams finished then stepped close to him, speaking in hushed tones.
"Abrams, with any luck we should have this guy in 24 hours. I finally nailed down how he's been able to get out without notice. He is even more organized and intelligent than I thought. He comes in wearing plain clothes, pops the lock, slips in and changes into a full body suit. Hood, gloves, the works. Probably spandex or lycra. After he's changed, he waits for the victim to come home. He steps out and they fight. He kills them, goes back into the bathroom, changes back into street clothes and leaves. The tech should get something from the bathroom to ID him. He'll be in the system. Either military record or criminal record, possibly both."
Abrams nodded, "Thanks Doc. Anything we should know before we take this guy in?"
"It probably goes without saying, but he won't go without a fight. Tear gas and tasers are your best bet to take him alive. You won't be able to wrestle him down," Andrew told him.
Andrew shook the detective's hand and walked out of the apartment. He had done all he could do and he was glad he could head back to Tennessee.
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48 Hours Later
Yahoo headline: Phoenix PD catches Apex Predator In Scottsdale
Andrew had developed a profile quickly, within hours of being called in on the case. Male, late twenties or early thirties, small stature, working a menial labor job. There was no way to pin down a race, but secretly Andrew was almost certain he was caucasian.
Whoever this UNSUB was, he was good. He killed with his bare hands, making sure there was a struggle, but he never left any evidence of his identity. No hair, no skin, no blood. He had to wear some type of full body suit to ensure no DNA was left at the scene, but a guy walking around a city like Phoenix in a full body suit in June would raise eyebrows.
Andrew looked around the apartment, taking in the last things the victim saw. Suddenly, Andrew jumped up and headed into the bathroom.
"Forensics, I need someone in here," he called as he looked around the bathroom.
A tech popped her head into the bathroom, "Yes, Dr. Jackson?"
"We need to scour this bathroom. It's the only room in the apartment that seemed untouched by the fight. I've figured out how he isn't leaving evidence. He breaks in wearing a full body suit to prevent DNA from getting onto the actual crime scene. Then he changes his clothes in here so he can walk out without drawing attention. You will have to dig deep to find something, but there will be something here."
"Sure, Dr. Jackson, I will swab and search every inch," she replied.
Andrew left the bathroom and headed back into the living room where Det. Abrams was talking to the victim's landlord. He waited quietly while Abrams finished then stepped close to him, speaking in hushed tones.
"Abrams, with any luck we should have this guy in 24 hours. I finally nailed down how he's been able to get out without notice. He is even more organized and intelligent than I thought. He comes in wearing plain clothes, pops the lock, slips in and changes into a full body suit. Hood, gloves, the works. Probably spandex or lycra. After he's changed, he waits for the victim to come home. He steps out and they fight. He kills them, goes back into the bathroom, changes back into street clothes and leaves. The tech should get something from the bathroom to ID him. He'll be in the system. Either military record or criminal record, possibly both."
Abrams nodded, "Thanks Doc. Anything we should know before we take this guy in?"
"It probably goes without saying, but he won't go without a fight. Tear gas and tasers are your best bet to take him alive. You won't be able to wrestle him down," Andrew told him.
Andrew shook the detective's hand and walked out of the apartment. He had done all he could do and he was glad he could head back to Tennessee.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48 Hours Later
Yahoo headline: Phoenix PD catches Apex Predator In Scottsdale
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