Chapter 12 Chapter 11 The Thrilling "Gift"

Alex Lee and Maurice Norman remained in the hospital until eight o'clock the next morning.They barely slept all night, just talking quietly. To Alex's surprise, this man who is an associate professor of the university really has a lot of fairy tales hidden in his stomach, and he even knows the folklore of various countries very well.Like a dedicated father, he is very familiar with the psychology of children. He will tell the black-haired police detective in a deep voice which fairy tales and legends are suitable for 5-year-old children, and what impact they will have on children.Alex felt that Maurice Norman really liked Daniel, and that he was not in love with him, which pleased him.

Fanny Burton came back to the hospital at around eight-fifteen, and she thanked the two men with some hot coffee.Alex told Fanny that he could come over tonight, and his ex-wife seemed reluctant but didn't object.So the mixed-race police detective hastily imprinted a soft kiss on the face of his sleeping son, poured his refreshing coffee, and left with Maurice Norman. Because Morris insisted, Alex asked the doctor to call a taxi and go away. Then he returned to the apartment, took the phone number and the test report of the cross, and rushed to the police station. A night without sleep did not have much impact on Alex's spirit. As a criminal policeman, he believed that his physical strength was not bad. When he was squatting and arresting fugitives, he still hadn't closed his eyes for three days and two nights. Record.Along the way, Alex resisted the discomfort in his stomach and forced himself to drink a cup of coffee, and then took the time to read the analysis report on the cross that was missed last night.

Just as he expected, the cross with the severed head of Jesus really belonged to Dennis Sean: there was a very small amount of blood in the cracks of the uneven statue, which matched him after testing, and it was untied. After pulling the rope, forensic personnel also found the same cotton yarn fibers. Now Alex has a bad guess: the murderer sent this cross, indicating that he may have understood the direction of the police investigation, and he knew that he had been found, so he sent his threat.So is this an expression of his anger, or provocation? Alex walked into his office with his head down in thought. His gray-eyed young partner greeted him energetically, "Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Billy." Alex took off his coat and handed him the phone numbers. "Look at this. These are the latest phone records of the three victims." The young police detective took the file, flipped through it a few times, and soon saw the specially marked numbers.He exclaimed happily: "Sir, all three victims spoke to the same person on the phone within 24 hours before their death." "Yes, 212-487-1270. And the number was dialed directly to their mobile phones, which is exactly the same as the contact information they left on the 'Steady People' Association. There is no doubt that the killer used the 'Lost ' found the 'Johns' in the address book."

Billy White said excitedly: "I'll check the number right away, sir. This is a mobile phone number, and it should be easy to check." Alex nodded: "That's true, Billy. But I find it strange why this murderer committed the crime for the first time - that is, killed Dennis Sean - more than a month ago, while Edward There were less than four days between Bant and Chris Richelucarre." "Perhaps it took him a little time to choose a suitable target." The gray-eyed youth guessed, "Probably he is not familiar with every member of the 'Steady Ones' Association, so it is not easy to lock his target."

Alex did not comment on Billy White's statement. He changed the topic: "Today we will work separately. After you get permission from the prosecutor, go check this number. I have to discuss the murderer's situation with Detective Wesson." .” The young man obeyed the assignment, but Alex could tell from the look in his eyes that he preferred the latter job.The black-haired man suddenly felt that there was something cute about this temporary partner, and after the gray-eyed young man copied down the numbers, he even asked, "Billy, do you have a girlfriend?" "No, sir." It was obvious that the young man was surprised by his rare kindness.

Alex smiled and said, "Then you still have a lot of opportunities in New York. But don't put your hope on a female FBI agent." Billy White also laughed, waved the book in his hand, opened the door and walked out. Alex felt that the young man actually didn't know how sincere his advice was. He rubbed his stomach and picked up the test report of the cross again, frowning tightly, and then turned to Emily Wesson's office. As the special agent of the FBI, the New York City Police Department gave this lady enough respect.After entering, Alex found that although the temporary office of Detective Wesson was simply furnished, it was convenient enough and very quiet. She could read and analyze the case files in it.

"I thought you wouldn't take the initiative to come here." The beautiful woman with brown hair happily put down the live photo in her hand when she saw Alex, "Please sit down, Inspector Li." "Good morning, Agent Wesson." Alex politely put some distance away from her, and then sat down in front of the desk. "You've come just in time," said Emily Wesson to him. "I've read all the material and want to share my opinion with you. And you, Alex, do you have anything new to tell me?" ?” "Indeed." The dark-haired man handed her the test sheet of the cross and the phone numbers.

The female agent's bright blue eyes glanced at these things quickly, then frowned: "This is a dangerous development, Alex." "Indeed, Agent Wesson. Now we have the strongest clues to find the murderer, but the murderer also knows that we have discovered his 'hunting ground'." Alex pointed to the photo of the cross and said, " But I can't understand his intention of sending this thing. Agent Wesson, do you think a serial murderer's character will have such two sides?" The handsome FBI replied with a smile: "I think you mean the murderer's move is too abrupt, right?"

Alex nodded. "I understand what you mean, so let me explain in detail." Emily Wesson took off her glasses, "Detective Inspector, judging from the circumstances of the previous three murders, the murderer's motive was to satisfy his own desires, It is the kind of desire caused by the love in fantasy. Although no semen was found at the scene, this ritual scene shows that the murderer did obtain spiritual sexual satisfaction through killing, which can be seen from the message on the wall So in the cases that have happened, the murderer focused on the victim; but at this time he sent the cross, so now he is targeting the police or specific people to make them fear To gain a sense of accomplishment, which is a bit different from the serial killers we usually analyze."

"Yes, Agent Wesson." Alex nodded in agreement, and he had to admire the lady for expressing his indescribable feelings. Emily Wesson picks up the photographs of the three dead: "Let's start at the beginning—it's easy to see that the murderer was a pervert, but he wasn't mad, and he wasn't a disorderly sexual killer. Scene The surface is messy, but the clues left to the police are pitiful, which shows that he is actually very smart. Judging from his imitation of Salome's killing techniques and words, he has a certain ideological quality, but his interpersonal relationship is very bad, at least Unlikable. Such a person does not feel guilty about his antisocial behavior and does not form long-term relationships. His desire for love and sex is very strong and he will pursue his own gratification, but for Love of any kind is unacceptable. And, it also means another thing, the murderer has a sense of inferiority deep down, but the behavior reflected is self-centered and extremely arrogant. He hopes that the object of his courtship Accept yourself completely, kill the other person if you are rejected, and then possess the other person in the form of taking life." Looking at the bloody photos, Alex said: "He has all the characteristics of a serial killer: he only kills one person at a time, and almost never commits intensive murders; the desire to kill must be satisfied again and again, and the motive for murder is spiritual. The climax; each killing uses a set pattern and method...but I always found the crime scene about Dennis Sean to be a little strange. His body was found outside, and although the method was the same, it didn't satisfy the killer. The theatrical scene required, and the date of his murder and Edward Bant's death was too long." "The autopsy report said that it is impossible to judge the circumstances of the body's removal, but what is certain is that the Repulse Bay in Astoria Park is definitely not the first scene of the crime. If our 'Salome' is the first time to find the If there is no way to satisfy himself, then it is normal that he did not choose a suitable place. This can also explain why his second murder took so long." "I have a guess, Agent Wesson." Alex said to the lady, "After killing Chris Richelucarre, the murderer has been dormant for a long time, so far nearly half a year. It's been a month, and he hasn't attacked the members of the "Steady People" Association. According to our investigation, there are still many people whose conditions are very similar to those of the three deceased. Could the reason for his sudden silence be that he was aware of What about the police investigation?" "Such brutal murders are quickly reported by the media." "Yes, I have to thank Captain Wilson for resisting a lot of interviews and questioning for me." "You have a good boss." Emily Wesson said with a smile, "Alex, there are basically two types of porn serial killers, one is the impulsive type, they are often cowardly and accomplices; He has a higher IQ and is methodical before and after his actions, such as Ted Bundy. The former doesn't care about the media at all, and he is terrified to death after committing a crime, and just wants to hide, while the latter will collect relevant reports and pay attention to his own case. We can think that this murderer It belongs to the latter, he is fully capable of spying on the movements of the police, not to mention that the tentacles of your investigation have extended to the 'Steady' Association." "According to his character, will he take the initiative to provoke the police?" "It stands to reason not. His purpose of killing is about sex, not publicity. Alex, your doubts are correct. Such deliberate acts of attracting the attention of the police have never appeared in previous serial murder cases." Emily Wesson frowned slightly, "I speculate that maybe a certain link stimulated him, so he changed his original intention." "A certain link?" "Yes. Alex, I can only use a vague mental picture to tell you my point of view, but the key factor that changed the mind of the murderer cannot be determined. Maybe it is someone, maybe something, maybe it is The wording of the reporter when he was watching the report may even be a dream he had... This chance is too great." The black-haired man took a long breath, only feeling a pain in his head.Emily Wesson put down the photo in her hand, and said in a complimenting tone: "You are still the same as before, Alex, it is always easy to notice the neglected details, which is a very good advantage." "Thank you, Detective Wesson." The detective smiled bitterly. "At present, what I hope most is that the phone number can provide new clues, otherwise we will fall into a passive situation." The brown-haired woman leaned over to him and comforted him softly: "Don't worry, Alex, you are going in the right direction now..." The faint smell of perfume penetrated the man's nose, and he suddenly flinched back uncomfortably.He saw Emily Wesson's beautiful blue eyes clearly, but he couldn't face them.If he was just an ordinary divorced man, maybe he would be happy about it. Just when Alex was embarrassed, a police officer appeared outside the glass door of the office. He looked inside with his head probed, and then knocked on the door.Emily Werson stood up and beckoned him in. "I'm sorry, sir." The policeman said to them somewhat cautiously, "I just had a courier, it's for Inspector Li, and I have to sign for it right away." "Ah, thank you." Alex took a small package from the police officer and signed the form.He looked at the cover of the package, only the address and recipient's name were printed on it.Using the scissors on Emily Wesson's desk, Alex unwrapped the brown paper and took out a square plastic box. "CD." He opened it and saw what was inside, "strange, who would give me this." The brown-haired female detective pointed to the computer on the desk: "If you don't mind, you can play it here." "Okay, thank you." Alex put the CD into the drive, and after a while, exciting orchestral music wafted from the speakers. "It seems to be classical music." He frowned and asked, "Agent Wesson, do you know what it is?" Emily Wesson shook her head: "Sorry, I listen to U2 the most." "Ah, I don't think I have any favorite music." Alex turned the CD case over and checked it, and then pulled out a small note from the black bottom case.He read it softly: "'A gift for you'...not signed." "Oh, the anonymous suitor?" "No," Alex suddenly remembered something, "wait a minute, I seem to have seen this handwriting somewhere." He suddenly reached out and frantically rummaged through the case files that Emily Wesson was reading, and quickly selected two photos from them, and then juxtaposed them together, his dark blue eyes suddenly revealed a terrifying seriousness.When the female detective came to these two photos, she immediately covered her mouth in surprise—— It is also a handwriting that can be recognized without identification. The sharp-edged strokes and the sharp hook under the "y" are like sharp knives, piercing the white paper harshly, almost exactly the same as the bloody characters on the photo. Alex stared at the paper, feeling his heart beating faster for a moment, as if the skin all over his body was tense.He quickly calmed down, then found a few large envelopes to put all the unpacked items in, and said to the people around him: "Don't close it, Agent Wesson, don't close it, I'll be right back." The black-haired man ran to other offices and shouted at the police officers, "Is there anyone listening to the orchestra?" The people coming and going were shocked by his sudden question, they looked at each other in astonishment, and shook their heads.A young man with acne even shrugged: "Sir, who can understand that now?" Alex cursed in a low voice, and asked several places one after another. Finally, a middle-aged policeman at the reception said timidly that he usually listened occasionally.Alex took him to Emily Wesson's computer and asked him to carefully identify what it was. The balding middle-aged police officer frowned and listened for a while, then shook his head.Alex sighed in frustration and let him out. Emily Wesson calmly persuaded: "Don't worry, Alex. Except for a few lovers, there are indeed not many people who still listen to classical music, which is normal." "Damn it!" The detective pressed his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. Who else?Who else can hear what this thing is?He quickly searched for people he knew in his mind, and finally found one.He took out his cell phone and called Maurice Norman.After beeping electronic music for a while, the pleasant voice finally came from the receiver. "Hello, Alex," the green-eyed man said with a smile on the other end, "I didn't expect you to call after we were only separated for a few hours." "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep, Maurice, but I need your help with something difficult." "It's all right, Alex, I've been asleep for an hour." "Could you listen to what song this is?" The dark-haired detective put his phone a little closer to the computer speaker, and Emily Wesson turned up the volume.The rushing and powerful music reverberated in the empty office, sending chills down Alex's back.He didn't know how long it had been, he just felt that the arm that had been stretched out to take the phone was starting to go numb, but when the song ended, he heard the answer he wanted. "A one-act opera by Richard Strauss," Maurice Norman told him. "Can you hear which passage it is?" "Uh, I think it's Middle Eastern if I remember correctly." "It's the dance that Salome danced at Herod's request, isn't it?" "Yes." The green-eyed man seemed to hear the anxiety in his tone, and asked, "What's the matter, Alex? Is something wrong?" "Something happened." The police detective clenched his fists. "Please go to the 35th floor of 5885 Broadway as soon as possible, doctor? I will wait for you there later." "No problem, I'll go right away." Alex hung up the phone, biting his lip nervously.Emily Wesson looked at his nervous expression and couldn't help asking: "Is this something sent by the murderer, Alex? Why is it a symphony? What does he want to express?" The black-haired man turned blue: "Warning, Agent Wesson! The murderer is warning us: he will take action on the next victim immediately." Yes, Salome danced the seductive seven-fold veil dance according to her stepfather's request. When she took off the tulle layer by layer, she would get John's head.