Free Primal Obsession by Susan Vaughan Page B

put details together to highlight patterns no one else perceived. If he inferred patterns in the killer beyond what VICAP spit out, maybe he was on to something. Justin was keeping an open mind.
    The agent withdrew the sheet detailing his profile from his briefcase. “This profile has been gleaned from your comprehensive investigation as well as from the statistics on similar killings and knowledge of human psychology.”
    “That a disclaimer, Tavani, in case you’re wrong?” The burly Portland detective folded his arms and leaned back in his seat.
    “You bet.” Tavani’s expression remained impassive. “But these methods are right more often than wrong. In fact, the start of this profile came from the cops in this room, from your experience and expertise. The CID had an accurate handle on this character before calling in the Bureau." He turned to Justin. “Would you summarize?”
    “We inferred from the widespread crime-scene locations that the bad guy has a job, maybe part time, that allows him to range far and wide or he has an income and no job. Since all his abductions and body drops fall in the lower two thirds of the state, it looks like he doesn’t live up north.”
    “If I may interrupt for a moment, Detective.” At Justin’s nod, Tavani continued, “The movements of a serial predator like this one closely resemble those of animal predators, like lions on the Serengeti. They prowl more than they actually attack, and they tend to troll near their own home.”
    “Or near their workplace,” Justin added. “Because of his frequent phone calls to the Messenger reporter, we speculate he might live in Portland. We’re checking into central and southern-Maine companies whose employees travel to these locations—truckers, salespeople, and the like.” He gestured at the forest of tacks on the map.
    “That’s a tall order,” offered a detective.
    Justin nodded. “Takes time is all. He probably drives an SUV or a van so he can conceal his victims easily. Also, our unsub knows the woods, is in his late twenties, early thirties. That’s it.” He looked expectantly at Tavani.
    “That sketch gave us a solid starting point,” Tavani said. “The last part is the only aspect I disagree with. I’ll get to that in a moment.
    “I expect the subject to be between thirty-five and forty-five years old, fit and tanned, at least on his face and hands. Rather than focus on a particular type of woman, the hunt itself seems to be his signature, the ritual that fulfills his need. His careful planning and caution imply he’s intelligent and possibly educated.
    “He leaves no clues on the bodies. Use of a condom explains the lack of semen, and removal of his pubic hair might explain why we’ve found no hairs. That’s not unheard of. No footprints or objects left behind except for his little marker.
    “In spite of this apparent intelligence and organization, his is an inadequate personality, propped up by the fantasies he lives out by hunting down women.”
    “Fantasies, shmantasies. The bastard’s friggin’ crazy,” another detective put in.
    “Not in the clinical sense. He’s angry at women, probably because a woman, likely his mother, abused him in the past. He can’t get beyond it, and he kills his tormentor in a displaced manner, over and over again. The Hunter knows exactly what he’s doing and that it’s wrong. Even sick. I expect that he’s not delusional or compelled by urges he can’t control.
    “Look at the gaps of months between his victims.” He pointed to the chart showing the dates of the abductions. “The first murder was three years ago in August. The second abduction occurred seven months later. The later ones four months apart. His is not an uncontrollable urge. He’s able to wait until he finds an easy victim, but this sexually based killing is addictive.”
    Blowing out a breath, the detective nodded his comprehension.
    “His crimes take place during the spring, summer, and