Chapter 19 Chapter Sixteen God Wants You to Be the Company of Sally Fay

Sally Fay Smith is a beautiful and vivacious high school senior who lives near Columbia, South Carolina.One day, she was driving home after seeing her boyfriend Richard at a nearby shopping center when she was abducted while parking next to the letterbox in front of her house.The time was 3:38 pm on May 31, 1985, and it was a sunny day.In two days, she will be singing the national anthem at Lexington Middle School's graduation ceremony. Her father, Robert, found her car parked at the entrance to the long driveway just minutes later.The door was open, the engine was still running, and Sally's bag was on the seat.Horrified, he immediately called the Lexington County Sheriff's Department.

Such incidents have never happened in Colombia.This is a peaceful community where residents take pride in living and working, and the concept of "family values" is everywhere.How did this blonde, beautiful and outgoing girl disappear in front of her house?Who would do such a thing?County Sheriff Jim Metz couldn't find any answers.He did realize that he was facing a crisis.One of his first acts was to organize the largest manhunt in the history of South Carolina.Law enforcement officials from state authorities and neighboring counties joined the operation, as did more than a thousand civilian volunteers.The second thing Metz did was to quietly rule out the involvement of Robert Smith, who had publicly begged the kidnappers to return his daughter.In any case of disappearance or crime of any kind against such a low-risk victim, it is imperative that the spouse, parents and close family members be responsible for the crime.

The anguished Smith family waited anxiously for news, any news, not even a ransom demand.Then they got a call.A man with a strange voice claims that he is the one who seized the sari. "I'll let you know I'm not bluffing. Sally is wearing a black and yellow swimsuit over a shirt and track shorts." Sally's mother Hilda pleaded with him and let him understand that Sally has diabetes and needs regular nutrition, water and medication.The caller didn't make a ransom demand, just tossed back: "You'll get a letter later today." At that, the family and law enforcement officials became increasingly concerned.

Metz's subsequent steps reflected his background and training.Both he and County Deputy Sheriff Lewis McCarty were graduates of the FBI National Academy and maintained very close ties with the bureau.Without hesitation, Metz called Special Agent in Charge Robert Ivey of the Field Station in Columbia, South Carolina, and our department at Quantico.I wasn't there, but he got prompt and sympathetic replies from Agents Jim Wright and Ron Walker.After analyzing the situation before and after the kidnapping, on-site photos and phone records, they agreed that their opponent was a very sophisticated and dangerous person, and Sally's life was at stake.They fear that the girl may be dead and that the perpetrator may soon develop an unquenchable desire to commit the same crime again.They speculated that what happened was that the kidnappers saw Sally and her boyfriend Richard kissing at the local shopping mall, and then followed her all the way home.Doom struck her when she pulled up in front of the mailbox.If she hadn't stopped, or if there had been a car driving down the street at the time, the crime would never have happened.The Sheriff's Department installed recording equipment at Smith's home in anticipation of another call from the kidnapper.

Then came a crucial but deeply heartbreaking piece of evidence.In all my years of working in law enforcement and witnessing so many almost unbelievably horrific things, I have to admit that this one is probably the most heart-wrenching.This is a handwritten letter from Sally to her family. It has two pages, and the left margin reads "God is love" in capital letters from top to bottom. This letter still makes me sad even now when I read it.It embodies the extraordinary strength and courage of the girl's personality, and I would like to reproduce it in its entirety: Sheriff Metz sent the two pages to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's crime laboratory for paper and fingerprint analysis.When we saw the copy of the letter in Quantico, we decided that the kidnapping had turned into murder.Yet the loving Smiths—whose religious devotion is so movingly reflected in Sally's letter—hold out a glimmer of hope. On the afternoon of June 3, Hilda Smith received a brief phone call asking if the letter had been received.

"Should you trust me now?" "Well, I really don't know if I should trust you, because I haven't heard Sally's voice yet, and I need to know if Sally is still safe." "You'll know in two or three days," said the caller grimly. But he called again that night, saying Sally was still alive and hinting that he would release her soon.However, a few of his statements lead us to think otherwise: "I have one more thing to tell you. Sally is a part of me now. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Our souls are one." When Mrs. Smith asked him for assurances that her daughter was safe, he said: "Sally is protected...she is a part of me now. God bless us all."

Finally, after tracing, all these calls came in from the public phone booth near Sally's house.But in those days, a 15-minute conversation would have to take place to track down a phone call right away, and the Sally family couldn't delay the conversation for that long.However, the recording system was already installed, and the duplicated tapes were sent to us quickly by the local FBI field station.Wright, Walker, and I listened to each tape without being struck by Mrs. Smith's strength and self-control in talking to the monster.It is self-evident where the good quality of the saree comes from.

Metz was counting on another call, so asked what we should advise the family about coping.Jim Wright told him they should try to act like police negotiators in a hostage crisis.That is, listen carefully, repeating anything the other person says that may be significant to make sure you understand his intentions; try to get the other person to react, thus revealing more about himself and his intentions.This may have several advantages: First, it can delay the conversation and help the police to track down his location immediately.Second, you can "pacify" the other person, making them feel that someone is listening to him with sympathy, thus encouraging him to make more contacts.

Needless to say, this level of restraint was asking too much of a family in the midst of a panic and grief.Yet the Smiths manage to pull it off with astonishing willpower, earning us vital information. The kidnapper called again the next night, this time to Sally's 21-year-old sister Don.Sally has been missing for four days.He told Don the details of the abduction, saying that when he saw Sally standing in front of the mailbox, he stopped the car, put on a friendly face, took a few pictures of her, and then forced her to go to bed at gunpoint. his car.In this and several other calls, his attitude has vacillated, sometimes friendly, sometimes bordering on cruel, and sometimes showing a tinge of regret that the whole thing "got out of control."

He continued his story: "Well, it's 4:58 AM, no, sorry. Just a second. Oh, it's Saturday, June 1, at 3:10 AM, and she wrote in her own hand the letter you received. A letter. By Saturday, June 1, at 4:58 a.m., our souls were one." "The souls are integrated," Tang repeated. "What does that mean?" Hilda asked behind. "Can't ask questions right now," said the caller. But we got his point, though he reassured them that "God will bless" and that Sally would be sent back the next night.He even told Don to have an ambulance on standby.

"You will have instructions on where to find us." For us, the most important part of this recording of the phone call is his representation of the time: first at 4:58 am, then back to 3:10 am.The ominous phone call Hilda received at noon the next day confirmed our belief. "Listen up. Go west on Route 378 to the roundabout. Take the exit for Prosperity, drive a mile and a half, turn right at Moose Lodge number 103, and walk another four minutes One mile, turn left after seeing a white-framed building, go to the backyard, we wait 6 feet away. God chose us." He hung up the phone. Sheriff Metz played back the recording of the call.According to the route mentioned above, he found the body of Shari Smith in the neighboring county of Saluda, 18 miles away.She was still wearing the yellow top and white gym shorts she was wearing when she was kidnapped, but based on the level of decomposition, the sheriff and coroner concluded she had been dead for several days - we're pretty sure the exact time of death was June 1 4:58 am.In fact, the body was so decomposed that it was impossible to determine the method of killing, or whether Sally had been sexually assaulted. But I, Jim Wright and Ron Walker are all convinced that the killer has been deceiving her family with the lie that she will return in order to buy enough time to keep the police from obtaining vital forensic evidence.The sticky residue of electrical tape still remained on Sally's face and hair, but the tape itself had been removed, further demonstrating the premeditation and methodical nature of the crime.First-time killers are not usually so well-planned, suggesting that the murderer in this case was an older, wiser man who might have returned to the site for some sexual gratification.Only when the corpse was completely decomposed and this "relationship" could no longer be maintained, did he not return there. Carrying out a kidnapping in a country estate in the early afternoon requires a certain level of strategy and experience in itself.We judged his age to be in his thirties, and I had a definite preference for him in his early thirties.Judging by the indifference and cruelty with which he played mind games with the victim's family, we agreed that he probably married early, briefly and unsuccessfully.Currently, he lives either alone or with his parents.We expected that he might have some sort of criminal history - molesting women, or at least making lewd phone calls.If he has a previous murder record, the target should be a child or a young girl.Unlike many other serial killers, this guy doesn't target prostitutes.He may have been unduly intimidated in the face of them. We have received other important revelations from the unmistakable guidance of the route and the correction of the time.He wrote down those routes after careful consideration.He returned to the site several times to make precise measurements.When he called the victim's family, he was reading from the script!He understood that he must express his meaning clearly and hang up the phone as soon as possible.Several times, he was interrupted because of his speech, and he forgot where he read and had to read from the beginning.Whoever he was, he was rigid and methodical, meticulous and clean.He may have the habit of taking notes involuntarily, making lists of everything.Once he forgot where he wrote things down, his thoughts would be in a mess.We know that he must have driven multiple times around the kidnapping site in front of Sally's house.Based on his personality, I guess his car must be clean, well maintained, only three years old, or even newer.In short, this is a complex and contradictory character. His arrogance and contempt for the whole stupid world are constantly in conflict with his inner insecurity and inferiority complex. In such cases, the place of burial gives us information.The geography of the burial suggests that the murderer was a local, probably living in the area for most or all of his life.In order to do what he wanted to do with Sally before disposing of the body, he needed to spend some time alone in a secluded location, a place he knew he would not be disturbed.Only the locals know where to find such places. The Signal Analysis Section of the FBI Engineering Division told us that the caller was distorting the voice with a device they called a variable speed controller.So we sent a telex to field stations all over the country asking for help in locating the manufacturer and retailer of this product.Based on the report from the Signal Analysis Section, we concluded that the perpetrator had some knowledge of electronics and probably worked in residential construction or manufacturing. The next day, as Bob Smith and the undertaker were making final arrangements for the funeral of their youngest daughter, the killer called again.This time it was a collect call, and he asked to speak to Tang by name.He said he was going to turn himself in the next morning, and that the photo he had taken of Sally in front of the mailbox had been sent to the Smiths.He pretended to beg Don to forgive him on behalf of the family and pray for him.He also hinted that instead of turning himself in, he was planning to commit suicide.He said regretfully again, "This thing just got out of hand. I just wanted to have sex with Don. I've watched her a few times..." "Who do you want to have sex with?" Don interrupted him. "And... I'm sorry, and Sally," he corrected, "I've been watching her for weeks and, well, things just got out of hand." This was the first of several times he had confused the two sisters.Since both are beautiful, blonde and blue-eyed girls with similar looks, it is easy to confuse them.Don's pictures had been in newspapers and on television, and whatever attraction Sally held for him, Don probably did too.It’s impossible to listen to the recording without feeling sick at this display of sadistic, deeply self-indulgent behavior.But right now, I know Don can be used as bait to catch the killer, cold and calculating as it may sound. In a phone call the same day to local TV news presenter Charlie Case, he reiterated his intention to turn himself in, saying he wanted the popular Keyes to act as a "middleman" and promising to have Case treat him Conduct an exclusive interview.Case listened to him, but wisely remained detached throughout, making no promises to the caller. I told Lewis McCarty on the phone that he had no intention of turning himself in, nor would he kill himself.He told Don that he was "a friend of the family," and nervously asked the Smiths to understand and be considerate of him.We do not believe he knew the family.It was just part of his fantasy that he was close to Sally and loved by her.I reminded McCarty that he was a total narcissist, so the longer this went on and the more the family responded to him, the more he felt comfortable and fully satisfied.He will kill again.If he's looking, he's targeting someone who looks like Sally; if he can't find one, another victim is picked at random.There is an underlying theme to all of his actions, and that is power, manipulation, domination and control. The night of Sally's funeral, he called again to talk to Don.What was even more insane was that he had the operator tell Don that this was a collect call from Sally.He once again claimed that he would surrender himself, and then described the process of Sally's death in an extremely flat and casual tone: "And that's it, from about two o'clock in the morning when she actually knew she was going to die, until she died at 4:58, we talked a lot, almost everything. Then she chose the time. She said she was ready to go. Now, God is ready to accept her as an angel." He described having sex with her and saying he gave her the power to choose how she died: shot, overdose or suffocated.He said she chose the last option, so he suffocated her by covering her mouth and nose with electrical tape. "Why do you have to kill her?" Tang asked with tears. "It's out of control. I'm terrified because... ah, only God knows, Don. I don't know why, God forgive me. I hope it can be explained, and it has to be, or God will send me to hell , I'm going to be there for the rest of my life, but I don't want to go to jail or the electric chair." Both Don and her mother begged him not to kill himself, but to surrender himself to God.We in Corey know very well that neither of these things he intends to do. Exactly two weeks after the Sally Smith kidnapping, Debra May Helmick was abducted in the yard in front of her trailer home in Richland County, 24 miles from the Smith home .Her father was in the house at the time, only 20 feet from the scene.A neighbor saw a man stop the car, come out and talk to Debra, then suddenly grabbed her, yanked her into the car, and sped away.The neighbor and Mr. Helmick immediately gave chase, but failed to catch up.Like Sally, Debra is also a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes.Unlike Sally, she was only nine years old. In search of Debra, Sheriff Metz launches another vigorous search operation.At the same time, this development began to weigh heavily on my heart.If you're doing what my clerks and I do, and doing it for a living, you have to keep a certain distance from the case file and the main case, and be objective.Otherwise you will go crazy.This has not been easy in the Smith case, and dire recent developments have made distance and objectivity all but impossible.Little Debra Helmick is only nine years old, the same age as my daughter Erica, also blond and blue-eyed.My second daughter, Lauren, is just five years old.In addition to the fear and wrenching feeling of "it might be my child," it's natural to want to keep your child tethered to you and never leave your sight.If you've seen what I've seen, you're torn between really giving your kids the space and freedom they need. Despite the difference in age between the Smith and Helmick girls, the timing, circumstances, and modus operandi of the crime suggested that we were probably dealing with the same person.I know the Sheriff's Department and our division agree on this point.With a heavy heart, Lewis McCarty had to accept the possibility that they officially had a serial killer on their hands, and he flew to Quantico with all the case files. Walker and Wright reviewed every judgment on which the profiling was based and every recommendation they made.Combined with emerging circumstances, they saw no reason to change the previous assessment. Despite the manipulation of the voice, the perpetrator was almost certainly white.Both cases were sexual crimes committed by an insecure adult male with some sort of handicap.Both victims were white, and in our experience crimes that cross racial lines are rare.The killer may appear shy and well-mannered in appearance, but does not feel good about himself, may be stocky or overweight, and has little attraction to women.We told McCarty that we speculated the guy would be behaving strangely now.Colleagues close to him will notice that he has lost weight, may have begun drinking heavily, no longer shaves regularly, and is eager to talk about murders.A man as observant as he would feverishly follow TV reports and collect newspaper clippings.He may also have had a penchant for collecting pornography, especially those containing sexual slavery and sadomasochism.At this point he may be reveling in his popularity, his control over his victims and the community, and his ability to play with the grieving Smith family at his fingertips.As I feared, when he couldn't find a crime mate that matched his fantasies and desires, he would prey on the most vulnerable at random.Judging from Sally's age, she at least met his requirements.But if he really thought about it in hindsight, we don't think the guy would be particularly happy with Debra Helmick, so we don't expect him to make any calls to the family. When McCarty returned, he brought a list of 22 conclusions and characteristics of the killer.When he returned, he told Metz: "I have learned about the murderer. We only need to find out his name now." While we are delighted by his trust in us, things are rarely that simple.Law enforcement across the state and the Columbia Field Station scoured the area for signs of Debra.However, the perpetrators have not contacted her family, made no demands, and we have found no new evidence.We waited for news in Quantico and tried to prepare ourselves mentally for what might happen.Putting yourself in the shoes of the families of missing children is almost unbearable.At the unanimous request of Special Agent in Charge Ivey and Sheriff Metz, I packed my bags and flew to Columbia to provide on-the-spot assistance on a case that hopefully will soon be solved.Ron Walker was with me.It was our first business trip together since he and Brian McIlwain saved my life in Seattle. Lou McCarty greeted us at the airport.We rushed to the crime scene without stopping.McCarty drove us to each abduction site.It was hot and humid, even by our Virginia standards.There were no obvious signs of struggle in front of the two houses.The same is true of Smith's dump site - the murder apparently took place elsewhere.But after looking at those locations, I am more convinced than ever that the perpetrator knew the area inside and out, and despite several long-distance calls to the Smith family, he must have been a local. The main investigators held a meeting at the county sheriff's office.Sheriff Metz had an impressively spacious office about thirty feet long and twelve feet high, with walls hung or pasted with medals, certificates, and memorabilia.Everything from a murder-solved award to a Girl Scout thank-you note.His work history is written on the wall.He sat behind the huge desk, and the rest of us, including Ron, Bob Ivey, and Lou McCarty, sat in a semicircle around him. "He doesn't call the Smiths anymore," Metz sighed. "I'll have him call again," I said. I told them that profiling should be an important aid to the police investigation, but I think we also need to find ways to force the killer to expose himself as soon as possible.I explained some of the proactive techniques that came to mind.I asked if I could find a local newspaper reporter who would work with us.We're not censoring journalism or ordering him or her to write something, but someone has to be sympathetic to the work we're doing and not be so eager as many journalists are that they self-defeatingly ruin our big story. Metz recommended Margaret O'Shea of ​​the Columbia State Journal.She was invited to his office, and Ron and I patiently explained to her what we knew about the criminal's personality and how we thought he would react to the media coverage. We told her that he would keep a close eye on media reports, especially any reports about Don.We know from research that this type of offender usually returns to the scene of the crime or to the grave of the victim.I told her that if the reporting is done right, I think we can lure the snake out of the hole and catch it.At least we hope to get him to start calling again.I told her that we had worked closely with journalists on the Telenor poisoning case, and that had become a model for how we approach cases. O'Shea promised to write the kind of reporting we needed.McCarty then took me to the Smiths, and I explained my thoughts to them.My idea was basically to use Don as bait to set our trap.Robert Smith was extremely nervous about this, and he didn't want to put his only remaining daughter in danger.Though I had misgivings about the ruse, I felt it was our best move, and I assured Mr. Smith that Sally's killer was a coward who would not plot against Don while the public was watching and the police were watching.And after analyzing the phone recordings, I am convinced that Don is both smart and brave enough for the task. Tang showed me Sally's room, which kept the arrangement of Sally's life intact.As you might expect, this practice is fairly common among families who have lost a child suddenly.What first caught my eye was Sally's collection of stuffed koalas, which come in all shapes and colors.Tang said Shari cherished the collection, and her friends knew it. I spent a long time in the room, trying to find the way Sally would have felt when she was alive.Her killer will be caught if we take the right steps.After a long time, I picked up a small koala, the kind of toy whose arms open and close when you pinch its shoulders.I explained to her family that in a few days, after the newspapers had done enough coverage, we would hold a memorial service at Sally's grave in Lexington Memorial Cemetery, and Don would chain the stuffed animal to on the bouquet.I think it's very likely that the murderer would have participated in the ceremony, and more likely would have returned to the cemetery after the ceremony to take the koala as a physical memorial to Sally. Margaret O'Shea understood exactly what kind of coverage we needed and had the newspaper send a photographer to the ceremony.Since there was no tombstone yet, we had a wooden, white chanting table made, with a picture of Sari on the front.Her family took turns standing at the grave to pray for Shari and Debra.Then Don took Sally's little koala and tied its arm to the stem of the rose that had been placed on the grave.Overall, the prayers were sincere and the whole ceremony was tearful.While the Smiths took turns praying and a team of photojournalists snapped pictures for the local paper, Metz's men quietly took note of the license plate numbers of all passing vehicles.What bothered me was that Sally's grave was too close to the road.Such a lack of concealment might intimidate a murderer from approaching, yet he can see everything he wants from the road.There is nothing we can do about it. The next day, the photo was published in the newspaper.Sally's killer didn't go get the koala that night, as we'd hoped.I think he was really scared because he was so close to the road.But he did call again.Shortly after midnight, Don received another collect call "from Sally Fay Smith."After concluding that the person answering the phone was really Don, and saying "You know I'm not bluffing, right?", he made his most chilling statement to date: "Well, you know, God wants you to keep Sally Fay company. It's only a matter of time. This month, next month, this year, next year. You can't be protected all the time." , he asked her if she had ever heard of Debra May Helmick. "Well, no." "Didn't you hear about that ten-year-old girl? Hermione." "Oh, Richland County?" "right." "how?" "Okay, listen carefully. Go north on Highway 1... oh, go west, turn left on Pitchfestfall Road or Bill's Kebab, go three and a half miles through Gilbert Turn right again and after the last stretch of dirt road you will come to a stop sign on Tunotchy Road, cross the chain bridge, past the 'No Entry' sign, go 50 yards, then turn left 10 yards. Debra May is waiting there. God forgive us all." He became more and more daring, and stopped using the voice-changing device.Despite his blatant threats to his life, Don did his best to extend the call.She acted perfectly sane and asked him for pictures of her sister, the ones he said he had sent but never received. "Apparently intercepted by the FBI," he defended himself, trying to show that he understood our role in the case. "No, sir," Don retorted, "because you know, if they get something, we get it too. Will you send the picture?" "Oh, all right," he replied vaguely. "I think you're kidding me because you said you've sent it, but you haven't received it yet." We're getting closer and closer, but putting Don in greater danger also makes me uneasy.While Ron and I were helping local law enforcement solve the case, technicians at the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division laboratory in Columbia were trying to do everything possible to test the only physical evidence in the case-Sally's will. test.The fact that the will was written on lined paper torn from a standard legal pad gave an analyst an idea. He remembered that there was a device called an "Esta machine" that could detect the slight indentations that were almost invisible to the naked eye left on the paper by writing on the first few pages of the legal pad.Using this device, he found a partial list of groceries, along with a string of numbers.He eventually identified nine of the 10-digit numbers: 205-837-13-8. The area code for Alabama is 205, and 837 is the area code for Huntsville.With the cooperation of BellSouth Security, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated all possible phone numbers in Huntsville and then cross-checked to see if any of them belonged to the Columbia-Lexington County area. People in one area have been in contact.One of the numbers had received multiple calls from a residence just 15 miles from the Smiths' home in the weeks before Shari was abducted.This is the biggest clue right now.According to municipal records, the home belonged to a middle-aged couple, Ellis and Sharon Sheppard. After grasping the situation, McCarty immediately took several of his men and went straight to Shepard's house.The family is warm and friendly, but Ellis, the man in his fifties, does not fit our profile at all except that he is an electrician.The Sheppards have been happily married for many years and have no background that matches our presumed murderer.They admitted calling Huntsville, where their son was in the Army, and said they were out of town when the two gruesome murders occurred.A promising thread appears to have broken down, a disappointing result. However, McCarty has worked side by side with us for some time and believes in the validity of our profile.He described it to the Sheppards, asking if they knew anyone who fit those profiles. The couple looked at each other and immediately agreed that it might be Larry Jean Bell. Under McCarty's careful questioning, they introduced Bell's full situation to the sheriff.He was in his early thirties, divorced, with a son living with his ex-wife, shy and stocky, and worked for Ellis, wiring the house and doing odd jobs.He is meticulous and methodical.During the six weeks they were away, he looked after the house and then went back to live with his parents, who he has been living with since the divorce.Sharon Shepard remembers leaving Gene, as they called him, his son's phone number in a legal pad in case something happened during housekeeping. .In retrospect, when he picked them up at the airport, all he wanted to talk about was the abduction and murder of the Smith girl.When they first saw him, they were surprised to find that he had lost weight, was unshaven, and seemed agitated. McCarty asked Mr. Shepard if he owned a gun.Ellis replied that he kept a . 38 pistol always loaded at home for self-defense.McCarty offered to take a look, and Ellis readily led him to where the pistol was kept.But the gun was no longer there.The pair scoured the house before finally finding it under the mattress of the bed Gene had slept in.The gun had been fired and was jammed.Also found under the mattress was a copy of "The Man Who Made Me" magazine. On the cover, a beautiful blonde girl was crucified and enslaved.McCarty then played a recording of a phone call to Don, and Ellis confirmed that it was Larry Gene Bell's voice: "Without a doubt." About two o'clock in the morning, Ron Walker knocked on the door and woke me up.He just got a call from McCarty telling us about Larry Gene Bell and telling us to get to the sheriff's office right away.We all agreed that the suspect matched the profile.It's unbelievable that the two fit together so well, it's like hitting a bull's-eye.Photos taken by sheriff's men showed a car registered in Bell's name on the road near the cemetery, but the driver did not get out. Metz was going to arrest Bell when he left for work in the morning, and asked me how to proceed with the interrogation.在梅茨办公室后面停放着一辆拖车，那是县治安局在一次缉毒行动中缴获的，他们一向把它作为备用办公室。在我的建议下，他们迅速将其改变为“专案小组”的指挥部。他们在墙上挂起案件照片和犯罪现场示意图，在办公桌上堆起一摞摞文件夹和案件卷宗。我告诉他们，要在拖车里安排一些看上去忙忙碌碌的警察，从而造成一种印象，已经收集到大量不利于嫌疑人的证据。 我们提醒他们，要让他招供不会是件容易事。南卡罗来纳是个有死刑判决的州，而这个家伙若被证明犯有猥亵儿童罪和杀人罪最轻也会被判处长期徒刑，要在狱中艰难度日——对于一个珍惜自己生命和身体的人来说，这种命运可不大妙。我觉得最大的希望就是提供某种保留面子的方案：要么想法把部分责任推卸到受害者身上，尽管这样做会使审讯人员极为反感；要么让他用精神失常的理由为自己辩解。无法逃脱罪责的被告经常把这一招作为救命稻草，尽管从统计数字来看，陪审团鲜有相信的时候。 治安人员在拉里·吉恩·贝尔早晨离开父母家去上班时逮捕了他。在他被带进“专案小组”拖车指挥部时，吉姆·梅茨仔细观察了他的表情。“他的脸煞白，就像突然刷了一层石灰水似的，”治安官告诉我们，“他在掩盖内心的慌乱。”他被告知有权保持沉默，但他放弃了这一权利，同意回答调查人员的问题。 警官们审问了他几乎一整天，我和罗恩在此期间则呆在梅茨办公室里，一边看送来的审讯进展的报告，一边指导他们采取下一步对策。同时，梅茨的手下带上搜查证搜查了贝尔的家。果然不出我们所料，他的鞋子在床底下排放得整整齐齐，书桌收拾得干净利落，就连那辆已有三年车龄的精心保养的汽车的行李箱里的工具也摆放得井然有序。在他的书桌上，他们发现一张到他父母家的路线说明，其写法与前往史密斯和赫尔米克两人的弃尸地点的路线说明毫无二致。他们找到了大量反映奴役和性施虐受虐狂内容的色情书刊，其数量比我们预料的还要多。技术人员在他床上找到的一些毛发与莎丽的毛发相符，而且用来寄发她的遗嘱的纪念邮票与他书桌抽屉里的邮票一样。当他的照片随后出现在电视新闻中时，赫尔米克绑架案的目击证人立刻就认出了他。 他的背景很快就查清了。如我们所料，他自幼就涉足过各种性事件，发展到后来越发不可收拾，终于在26岁时试图持刀胁迫一名19岁的已婚女性上他的车。为了避免坐牢，他同意接受精神病咨询，但只去了两次便不去了。五个月后，他又试图持枪胁迫一名女大学生七他的车。他为此被判处五年徒刑，但21个月后获假释。假释期间，他打了八十多个猥亵电话骚扰一个10岁女孩。他表示服罪，再度被判刑。 然而在拖车里，贝尔却不肯招供。他否认与两起案子有任何牵连，只承认对其感兴趣。就是在给他放了录音带之后，他仍然拒不招供。大约过了六个小时，他说想跟治安官梅茨个别谈谈。梅茨进去后，又告诉他有权保持沉默，但他还是不肯承认任何罪行。 将至傍晚时，我和罗恩还待在治安官办公室，突然梅茨和地方检察官(在南卡罗来纳州称为县法务官)唐·迈耶斯带着贝尔走了进来。他体肥肉嫩，不禁使我想起了皮尔斯伯里的油炸面团。我和罗恩都感到意外，只听迈耶斯用他那南卡罗来纳州口音对贝尔说：“你知道这些伙计是什么人吗？这些伙计是联一邦一调一查一局一的。你要知道，他们搞了一个侧写，与你的情况丝毫不差！现在这些伙计想跟你谈一谈。”他们要他坐在靠墙的白沙发上，然后一起走了出去，留下我们和贝尔单独在一起。 我就坐在贝尔面前的咖啡茶几的边沿上。罗恩站在我身后。我仍然穿着凌晨离开汽车旅馆时穿的衣服，一件白衬衣和一条格调差不多的白色长裤。我把这身衣服称为“我的哈里·贝拉方特装束”，但是在这种背景下，在摆有白色沙发的白色房间里，我看起来有点像诊所的大夫，仿佛是天外来客。 我开始向贝尔介绍我们在系列杀人犯研究方面的一些背景情况，并且跟他说明：根据我们的研究，我完全了解对这些凶杀案负有责任的个人是出于什么动机。我告诉他，因为他在尽力压抑他感觉不舒服的想法，所以可能一整天都拒不承认那些罪行。 我说：“我们深入过很多监狱，访谈过很多类似的案犯，从中得出的一大发现是：他们个人背景的真相几乎是从来不为公众所了解的。一般而言，这类犯罪的发生对于犯案的人来说恍如一场噩梦。他们经历过许许多多突如其来的紧张性刺激，什么经济拮据呀，婚姻危机呀，恋爱受挫呀，等等。”我说到这里时，他点了点头，好像这些问题他都有过。 我接着说道：“我们的问题是，拉里，你出庭受审时，你的律师可能会不想让你上证人席作证，那样的话你就永远没有机会解释自己的行为。人们了解你的尽是些黑暗面，觉得你一无是处，仅仅是一个冷酷的杀人犯。而如我所说，我们发现的通静隋况是，人们做这种事的时候，恍若置身于一场噩梦，第二天早晨清醒过来时，无法相信自己真的犯下了这些罪行。” 我说话的过程中，贝尔仍然频频点头，表示赞同。 此刻，我并没有直截了当地问他，那两起谋杀案是不是他干的，因为我知道如果那样提问，只会得到否定的回答。所以我往前倾了倾身，问道：“你是什么时候开始对那起罪行感到不自在的，拉里？” 他说：“当我在报纸上看到那家人在墓地祈祷的照片和文章时。” 接着我说：“拉里，既然现在你坐在这里，我不妨问一下，是你干的那件事吗？你可能会干吗？”在这种场景下，我们尽量避免使用诸如杀害、罪行、谋杀一类的谴责性或刺激性字眼。 他眼含泪水，抬头望着我，说：“我只知道坐在这里的拉里·吉恩·贝尔不会干那样的事，但那个坏拉里·吉恩·贝尔可能会。”我知道这是我们能够得到的最接近于招供的交待。但唐·迈耶斯还想让我们试一件事，而我也同意了他的意见。他认为，如果让贝尔与莎丽的母亲和姐姐面对面相见，我们或许可以看出他的瞬间反应。 希尔达和唐答应接受这种安排，于是我告诉她们该说些什么和该如何去做，好让她们有所准备。于是我们来到了梅茨的办公室。梅茨坐在那张巨大的写字台后面，我和罗恩·沃克位于房间的两侧，形成一个三角形。他们把贝尔押了进来，让他坐在中间，面对着门。随后他们把希尔达和唐领了进来，要贝尔跟她们说几句话。他耷拉着脑袋，好像不敢正视她们。 不过唐按照我的说法直盯着他的眼睛，说：“正是你！我知道那是你。我听得出你的声音。” 他没有否认，但也没有承认。他只是把我诱使他招供时对他说的那一套又倒给了她们。他说，坐在这里的拉里·吉恩·贝尔不会干这样的事，以及其他一些屁话。这时我仍然抱着希望，他可能会抓住精神失常的这一辩解理由，把一切都向她们和盘托出。 这种状况持续了一会儿。史密斯太太不断地问他问题，想要他说出真相。我相信，在场每个人在内心里都对不得不听他那些屁话而厌恶至极。 突然间，我脑中闪现一个念头。我不知道唐或希尔达有没有携带武器。有没有人检查过她们是否带有枪支？因为我不记得有人检查过。从这一刻起，我便一直是几乎踮着脚坐在椅子边缘，随时准备在她俩中的哪一位伸手掏包时一跃而起，夺下枪支，解除她的武装。我知道，如果是我的孩子遇害，在这种情况下我会想到干什么，其他许多做父母的也会有同感。这是杀掉这个家伙的绝佳机会，而且世界上没有哪个陪审团会裁定她们有罪。 所幸的是，唐和希尔达没有试图偷偷带进武器。她们比我有克制力，也比我对现存制度有信心。罗恩事后查问过，她们并没有受过检查。 第二年1月底，拉里·吉恩·贝尔因谋杀莎丽·费伊·史密斯而受到审判。由于该案在当地做过甚为大量的报道，审判地点改在靠近查尔斯顿市的伯克利县。唐·迈耶斯请我以专家证人的身份，就侧写和侧写的产生方法，以及我对被告所做的审问在法庭上进行陈述。 贝尔没有上证人席作证，再也没有承认过任何罪责。他在治安官梅茨的办公室里对我所说的即是他最接近于认罪的供述。庭审的大部分时间里，他都不由自主地在莎丽·史密斯写遗嘱所用的那种标准拍纸簿上做着详尽的笔记。然而，起诉方的论据颇有说服力。经过差不多一个月的作证之后，陪审团只审议了47分钟，就做出了他犯有绑架罪和一级谋杀罪的裁定。四天后，经陪审团进一步审议和建议，他被判电刑处死。他又因绑架和谋杀黛布拉·梅·赫尔米克而另案受审。陪审团没有比上一案多花多少时间就做出了同样的裁定和刑罚。 在我看来，拉里·吉恩·贝尔一案是执法功能发挥到极致的一个范例。在此案中，诸多联邦、州和县的各级机构进行了通力合作；当地领导人机敏而精力充沛；两个家庭英勇无畏；还有侧写与犯罪分析跟传统刑侦与法医技术完美地结合。所有这些因素结合在一起，才使一个危险性与日俱增的系列杀手在犯罪的早期阶段被捉拿归案。我希望它成为未来案件调查工作的一个典范。 唐·史密斯继续表现出色。审判结束后的第二年，她当选为南卡罗来纳州小姐，并且在美国小姐选美赛上夺得亚军。她已结婚，并按照自己的志向在音乐方面有所发展，成为一名乡村和福音音乐歌手。我时不时会在电视上看到她。 直到写作此书时，拉里·吉恩·贝尔依然关押在南卡罗来纳州中心监狱的死囚区。他把单人囚室收拾得异常整洁有序。警方相信，他还应对南北卡罗来纳两州发生的几起女孩和年轻妇女被杀案负有罪责。就我而言，根据我的研究和经验，这种人没有改过自新的可能。只要把他放出去，他还会杀人。有些人认为，把他关在死囚区这么长时间实属残酷而不正常的惩罚，对这种看法我只能表示部分的赞同。对史密斯和赫尔米克两家人来说，对众多认识并喜欢这两个姑娘的人来说，以及对盼望正义得到伸张的我们所有其他人来说，推迟极刑的执行同样是残酷而不正常的。