Killer Dreams Ch. 31-35

"Like what," Cullen said.

"This isn't his first rodeo," I replied. Everyone looked up in shock. "Detective Maloney, in your career, have you ever seen a crime scene with such pre-planned brutality?"

He didn't have to think long. "I've seen horrible, bloody crimes. I've also seen carefully planned and executed crimes. I've never seen them both until these last two."

I nodded. "The planning part is on me because I provided the framework in my books to follow. The killer spent lots of time scouting and preparing for the crimes."

"What do you mean," Detective Landsdown said.

"It's not enough to read the book. You must assemble the tools, figure out the victim's habits, gain their confidence, and carry it out precisely. The killer doesn't leave DNA, doesn't leave tracks away from the crime scene, and isn't on surveillance video. You only get that way with thorough scouting. If he stays to his pattern, the next one will happen in the next week or two. That means he's actively scouting out his next victim right now, likely from Headless Horseman."

"How does that help us?"

"I'm assuming that since you're grasping at straws from murders one and two, you don't have enough evidence to identify the killer or make an arrest. Lacking a witness coming forward, you're not likely to make an arrest based on them. Your best chance to find the killer is to catch him planning murder three or four."

Captain Cullen leaned forward in his chair. "How do we do that?"

"I'll come back to that," I said. "Let's go to the brutality of the crimes. In both murders, the killer tortured his victims for a long time before death. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "That was intentional. At first, I thought it was to match the books. Then I asked myself, why pick THESE books? I'm not the best mystery writer out there; he could have chosen any other author and murder method. Most of them have far less risk of discovery than my scenarios. So why pick mine?"

"He LIKES torturing women," Detective Johnson said softly.

"That's my conclusion as well. The books stoked a fantasy, and the murders satisfied the sick fuck's sadistic impulses. He picked the crime, not the author."

"How does that help us," Special Agent Dennison asked.

"In sporting teams, these murders were professional-level stuff," I said. "This is cartel-level violence on women with no obvious enemies. Displaying the second victim like that in Mexico would be a powerful warning, but here? Who is warning who about what? Or does he just like standing there watching her die?" That was my theory. "Nobody wakes up in the morning and plays professional hockey. They start in pee-wee and school, maybe college or junior hockey. If they have size, talent, and drive, maybe they make it to the NHL."

"He's killed before," Maloney said flatly.

"Exactly. Previous victims could be in the Twin Cities or elsewhere. Look for unsolved murders where the killer spent time torturing the victim. Maybe he left evidence behind at those scenes you can tie to these murders." I could see them nodding in agreement. Maybe we'd get lucky.

"Sexual assaults and rapes," Detective Johnson said. "He likes hurting women, and he could have started with that."

"Maybe," I replied. "Did the first two cases have any evidence of rape? Any semen or sexual contact? Why stay there for hours without sexual gratification?" They didn't tell me, and that meant they probably didn't. I'd planted the seed.

"Why do you think the killer chose victims you'd been close to in the past," Detective Johnson asked.

"From a misdirection aspect, it throws suspicion towards me and away from him," I said. "It's also possible he's obsessed with me, and the murders are revenge for past offenses against me. With that in mind, I have a few ideas." I pulled a paper from my pocket. "The murder victim in my third book is a doctor who rides horses. The names on top are doctors from my past who the killer might target based on their association with me. I've listed them based on my potential grudges towards them." I read out the names, starting with Dr. Raul Ibanez. "Dr. Ibanez was the one who forced my retirement, but the others were involved in my care or that decision. I don't know if any have horses, but I'm sure you can find out."

Captain Cullen looked at his notes. "I doubt any are in St. Paul unless they board the horses outside the cities."

"That's something my office can look into since we are statewide," BCA Investigator Roger Farnsworth replied. "I already planned to look into open murder cases, and I've got contacts with the Wisconsin State Police."

"The fourth book is harder for me to help with because the victim is a fourteen-year-old girl. My problem is that I don't have children, nor did Tracy, and we don't have any hockey-playing girls in either family. My only tie to women's high school hockey is my public support of the hockey federation in Two Harbors. I've made many donations, some of them substantial, to their programs."

"Are you seen at the games," Maloney asked.

"I rarely leave my home," I replied. "I have a neighbor that age who plays on the JV team, Jennifer Parson. She's not a goalie like in the book; that is Connie Cook. Of course, it could be any girl on any team. I'm listing this team because someone doing research would see the tie."

Special Agent Howard spoke up. "How do you expect us to use this? We can't prosecute future crimes."

"No, but if you watch these potential victims, maybe you can identify someone taking an unnatural interest in the potential victims? You can use surveillance and phone data to see who gets close to them."

Detective Landsdown rolled his eyes. "This is a jurisdictional nightmare," he said. "I can see why my Chief wants to turn this over to the FBI. Serial killers are outside our expertise."

Special Agent Dennison shook his head. "Headquarters asked us to consult on this case because they thought our services might help your investigation," he said evenly. "We suspect a serial killer, but the victims are in Minnesota. Unless this becomes an interstate investigation, the FBI will not be the lead agency."

"Unless your bosses tell you to take it," Landsdown replied. "This case is a hot potato, and powerful politicians want it solved. You know how that goes."

He was right; the FBI could take it, but not yet. "That's all I can think of without access to the crime scene photographs and forensics," I said.

Captain Cullen wasn't having that. "We appreciate your help, but we can't let a potential suspect see our investigation."

I didn't expect it, but I had to ask. I answered questions for another half-hour before Talia and James escorted me back downstairs. "I'm starving," I told them. "Do you guys have time for lunch?"

James rolled his eyes. "You just dumped another week of work onto our desks," he said with a groan. "Thanks a lot, buddy. Couldn't you get the FBI to take this thing?"

"I feel your pain. If the killer strikes again, you'll get your wish." I shook his hand, then Talia's. "Give me a call if you have more questions, and good luck."

"What are you going to do now," Talia asked.

"Dinner and a massage, maybe a hot tub," I replied. "I'll drive back tomorrow. I don't think my hip is ready for another long trip today."

"Better than working until nine, then going home to feed my cat," she replied. I waved goodbye and drove to my downtown hotel. I checked in, took advantage of their spa treatments, then took a nap until nine.

I exited the back of the hotel just after nine, my hair covered by a ballcap and my head down to the cameras. I walked a few blocks and caught a cab. I got out two blocks from her apartment and rang the buzzer minutes later. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Talia. I couldn't stay away."

She buzzed me in.

Chapter 35

Homicide Detective James Maloney's POV

St. Paul Police HQ

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

I stayed next to Talia by the front desk as David walked out the front door. The press was still out there, so I had no plans to follow him. I didn't need to; Lakeville police had secured warrants to track his car and person. They'd planted a GPS transmitter inside his vehicle while they had it in the shop for the search. While David Hardin was distracted by the wand search this morning, I'd slipped Detective Landsdown's AirTag tracker into his wallet. I placed the thin disc behind his card for his health care plan. Hopefully, he wouldn't notice the round shape or added thickness.

The sealed tracking warrant was only known to a few key people. I knew about it because they needed my help to get the AirTag on him. Captain Cullen was the one who could track it. It didn't bother me at all that we were tracking David's movements. David Hardin had just emphasized the importance of catching the killer scouting out his victims.

"What now, partner?"

I looked over at Talia and let out a breath. "We'll let the BCA talk to the potential victims. I want you to start pulling open cases from the past two years, looking for any that might be related. I'll get a couple more detectives to help you. I want the initial review of the seven counties done by tomorrow."

"I'll take care of it."

We'd reached the conference room, and I stopped her from going in. "I want you to get going right away. There's no point in everyone getting stuck in that room the rest of the afternoon." She looked disappointed, but the Captain's instructions this morning were clear. He didn't want Devine anywhere near the field, especially with David Hardin in town. I had to agree after seeing the way she looked at him.

She headed for her desk while I returned to the conference room. There were a few empty seats now that Hank was at his desk, and the Assistant Chief and Press Liaison had returned to their offices. The Captain looked at me, then back to my phone. "The trackers are working fine," he told me. "He's just getting on the freeway now."

"That's good," I said as I sat down. "I assigned Talia to start pulling cases, and I'd like to move Garber, Yang, and Parker to help with that."

"I'm good with that. Lakeville will take Dakota and Scott counties, and the BCA will take everything outside the Metro area." I sent the four a quick text with instructions.

The Captain nodded to BCA agent Roger Farnsworth. "Roger's group will be contacting the doctors on the list."

"What about the hockey players?"

"We aren't doing anything about them yet," Special Agent Dennison said.

"Why not?"

The FBI profiler leaned back in his chair. "There are three reasons we aren't notifying the people he mentioned. Firstly, we believe the killer will continue to follow the books in order, so there is no danger to the Book Four victim until after the Book Three murder. The second problem David alluded to; the tie to him is tenuous, and the potential number of victims is too high. We would only cause a panic if we contacted them now."

"David said he has nothing against the Two Harbors hockey team or the two girls he mentioned," Special Agent Howard added. "Who else harmed him that has a daughter who plays hockey? That's the more likely victim."

"Makes sense," I said. "The third?"

"The crime in the fourth book is quite different than the others," Dennison said. "It's not a single night of death by torture. It's the kidnapping of an underage girl, followed by repeated sexual assault and strangulation. David was correct that the killer is not interested in the act of sex. It is the power and control he has over the women that he craves. He takes pictures, probably even videos, allowing him to replay the experience repeatedly. If this killer is a fan using the books as blueprints, it might not be the house he wants to build. It would be more likely he does something on his own or picks a book by a different author."

Matthew Carlson, the Dakota County prosecutor, spoke up next. "Are we certain the same person committed both murders?"

"I don't see a copycat happening this quickly, so no. It's almost a certainty the same person committed both murders," Special Agent Dennison replied.

"You guys are the profilers," Captain Cullen said. "What are your thoughts regarding the killer?"

The two profilers looked at each other. "David was right about one potential profile. There is a slight chance this is a sadistic fan who identified with the crimes and resolved to carry them out. I agree there may be other earlier victims out there that we haven't connected to these. I don't think that is the case here. My colleague agrees."

"Who do you think is the killer?"

"He just walked out of this room."

That would be David Hardin. "Why? We haven't been able to connect him to either case!"

"A few reasons," the FBI psychologist said. "Occam's razor. You know what that is?"

"The simplest answer is often correct," Natalie Dunlap said.

Agent Dennison stood up. "In a way, that is true. It is more than simplicity, though that is the razor part, where complicated theories get cut away. The principle is that before trying a complicated hypothesis, make sure that no simplification of it will fit the facts equally well. Let's apply that to the fan theory, shall we?"

He went to the whiteboard and picked up a dry erase marker. On it, he underlined three columns labeled Motive, Opportunity, and Method. Down the left side, he put Unknown, Hardin, and Klinesmith. "I'll do the first murder in blue. What are the motives for each suspect?"

"Sadistic pleasure for the first," I said. "Revenge for David. We haven't figured out a reason for Klinesmith because we can't prove they had an outside relationship."

"We suspect that he and Tracy were both members of a highly private BDSM club in town," Captain Cullen added. "But that's from their respective schedules, not eyewitnesses."

"I'll put jealousy," Dennison said. "Now look at their opportunity. In Hardin's murder, there were no signs of forced entry or defensive wounds. She went into the bonds willingly, correct?" We nodded. "A stranger wouldn't get into a private building or get past the door, much less get her shackled naked to her bed. The person who did this? She trusted him." He put a 'no' by unknown, and 'yes' by Hardin and Klinesmith. "Of the two, and lacking evidence of an affair, her ex-husband is more likely to pull it off."

"That's fair, but I can't discount an affair given what we know."

Dennison went to the Method column. "We know the murderer followed the book pretty closely, but was there anything in the Hardin murder that went beyond the book?"

I nodded. "The burner phone and the photographs from the crime scene the killer leaked."

"Good. The burner phone appears to implicate David Hardin, but in a way that is clumsy enough to lose credibility. Who would be dumb enough to turn on a phone, take pictures, and drive all the way home with it before tossing it while turning into your driveway?"

"Nobody," I replied. "It's pretty crazy."

"Crazy like a fox," Special Agent Howard replied. "Misdirection, just like the whiskey glass and the hairs from the barbershop. No one would believe he'd be so sloppy, so it adds doubt instead of confirming it."

"It's a lot of work for either the unknown person or Klinesmith to drive three and a half hours north after cleaning up the murder scene," Dennison continued. "If the unknown person is a fan, they wouldn't want to cast blame on their hero. Klinesmith might, but the killer bought the phone in Duluth. If Michael wanted to leave behind fingerprints or DNA evidence implicating someone, he would have grabbed something out of David's garbage." He put a 'no' by unknown and Klinesmith and a yes by David. "Looking at this chart, only one person matches all three."

I wasn't convinced. "I've dealt with David Hardin a few times, and he doesn't strike me as psychotic," I objected. "He comes across as reasoned and intelligent."

"This is where the profile comes out," Agent Howard offered. "Where did David Hardin get the ideas for his book?"

"They are fiction," I replied. "Until now."

"So first, the ideas for the murders were in his head, then he wrote them down, polished them up, published them, and made a lot of money," she replied. "Three straight books with disturbing scenes of torture and murder. The first three books have victims who are thinly-veiled representations of a wife who left him, a partner who crippled him, and a doctor who ended his career. He spends years dreaming about their deaths, and now they are coming to pass. David is making his dreams come true, Detective."

"That doesn't make any sense," Detective Landsdown said. "If he is the killer, why offer the reward? Why come down here and talk to us?"

"David Hardin would have been a hell of a detective if he stayed with the Minneapolis Police, wouldn't you think?"

There were nods all around, then the Captain spoke. "He showed a good grasp of the facts, gave us multiple leads, and expressed himself well. I'd want him in my division if he were still a cop."

"And that's the point of the exercise. The victims ruined his life and his dreams. The Minneapolis Police didn't think he could be a cop anymore. He's showing us all how smart he is. He's taunting us with these murders," Special Agent Howard finished.

"Coming here and giving us those target names is the crime equivalent to Babe Ruth calling his shot," Special Agent Dennison continued. "It's a form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. David Hardin sees himself as more than a reclusive author. He thinks he is smarter, more powerful, and more important than others. Writing success stopped being enough, and now he's proving to everyone how superior he is. You all are dancing to his tune. His books are flying off the shelves, the media has his face everywhere, and the cops can't pin a thing on him."

Damn. "And if one of the targets dies, David can say he did everything he could to stop it, but the police were too incompetent to save him."

Dennison nodded. "Exactly. The horrific nature of the crime doesn't mean anything to him, and he doesn't care about sex. The scenes are outrageous to ensure the press won't stop talking about them. When things started to calm down, he released the crime scene photos. I'd bet you that by the weekend, with coverage of the second murder waning, he releases more photos or goes on to murder number three."

"What should we do, Agent?"

"Do what he said. Figure out who the next victim is, then stop David Hardin from turning him into a Headless Horseman."