Free The Shadow Maker by Robert Sims Page B

within the first five days we’re looking at a long haul. So I just want to remind you, the clock is ticking. Be thorough, but be efficient.’ He turned back to Loftus again. ‘Jack?’
    ‘That’s a good point,’ said Loftus. ‘And it reminds me we’ve got someone on our team who can help with that very thing. Most of you have worked with Detective Sergeant Van Hassel on different cases over the years and know she’s a damned good investigator. But you’re less familiar with the role she’s currently developing.’
    All heads in the room turned to look at Rita, who swallowed thickly and straightened up, wondering what the hell Jack was about to say.
    ‘I know there’s a lot of scepticism about criminal profiling, but I’m convinced it’s a valuable asset to certain types of investigation. This could be one of them. Now, despite some popular misconceptions, the profiler’s role is not to perform the magic act of identifying the offender. It’s far more pragmatic than that. When a case is in danger of getting bogged down, a profiler can conserve our resources and energy, telling us where not to look, for a start, and where not to waste our time. A profiler can also give us a fresh focus if his or her analysis finds a connection that isn’t obvious. DSS Strickland has asked DS Van Hassel to put together a profile on our mutilator-rapist. Although she’s only at the preliminary stage she’s already come up with some insights into his background. But I’m going to let her tell you about that,’ he said, indicating for Rita to come up to the front. ‘She can also give us a few broad impressions of who we’re looking for.’
    Rita pulled herself up from the chair, with an encouraging pat on the back from Erin, and moved over to stand in front of the whiteboard. As she faced her fellow detectives their collective doubt was plain to see. Yet there was also an attentive curiosity among them. Jack had given her the floor because it offered her a captive audience. It was time to make her pitch.
    ‘My role isn’t to tell you how to investigate this case,’ she began.
    ‘I’m not here as another supervisor or monitor or - God forbid -
    some sort of psychic. So for a start I want to set aside all that bullshit.
    I know the methods we use as detectives to work a case. They’re the right methods. That’s how we solve crimes. And in most investigations there’s no need for profiling at all. It only comes in to play when the odds are stacked against us - when we’re hunting an elusive type of criminal, a predator who has no apparent link to his victim. That’s what we’re dealing with here, and with any luck we’ll catch the bastard by following up straightforward leads or evidence. But like Detective Inspector Loftus said …’ and she paused to highlight the point, ‘when there’s no clear lead, that’s when profiling comes in. It can be used to prioritise. ‘
    One of the detectives cleared his throat. It was Strickland’s protege, Bradby, who said, ‘I think we understand the principle. But isn’t there a danger we can get blinkered and miss out on other things?’
    Rita had dealt with this objection before and was ready for it.
    ‘That would only happen if we treat a profile as the main piece of evidence. We mustn’t - because it isn’t. It’s an extra element, that’s all. And, sadly, profiling only gets sharper the longer a case drags on and the more attacks an offender commits.’
    ‘And in this case?’ asked Bradby. ‘You think that’s what we’re looking at?’
    Everyone knew what he was referring to - her ex-boyfriend’s TV
    news report and the front page stories that followed.
    ‘Today’s headlines about a serial attacker were based on no information whatsoever,’ she said firmly. ‘It was sheer tabloid fiction.
    As far as we know, this was his first such offence, although it was his second attempted sex assault of the night. But going on past patterns, and data on this type