Page 68

Story: Deep as the Dead

* * *
“While his fatherlay dead in the room above him, Amos Tillman, age eleven, survived for over a week, drinking only the water that dripped from overhead leaky pipes in the cellar.” Alexa scrolled down on her cell to read the next paragraph of the article. “The boy was canny enough to throw a scrap of wood through the lone window high in the wall, breaking it out so he could call for help. Unfortunately…” she scrolled again. “…no one heard his pitiful cries. But a small rabbit fell through the broken glass on day three, and a bird flew in later in the week. The animals would become meals for the starvingboy.”
Ethan slanted a look at her. “So now you’re going to tell me that the trauma he underwent in childhood would explain him growing up to kill fifteenpeople?”
Alexa clicked on the next article her search had brought up. “I’m perfectly aware that we haven’t definitively linked Amos Tillman to this offender. But it’s a name that bears checking out, and yes, his childhood is significant. Profiles are most valuable when they focus on the individual offender’s behavior and motivation, rather than relying on generalizations. But it’s also true that the FBI has found a correlation of childhood abuse among serialkillers.”
She checked the side mirror. They’d taken two cars to Bridgewater, and the other three officers followed in the vehicle behind them. “Of course, far more people who underwent similar traumas didn’t grow up to become murderers. It’s all about the individual’s perception of what happened tohim.”
Her tone grew teasing. “And by the way, don’t think I missed your reaction when Mr. Merkel spoke about the spider one of the foster children wanted to bring into thehouse.”
“What? I did not react. Spiders don’t bother me.” He slowed as a red sports car zipped into theirlane.
“Really?” Skepticism dripped from her words. “Have you developed a new-found affinity for them? Because I remember once you wouldn’t get in your car until I caught the daddy long legs thatwas…”
“Okay, okay.” He reached over to put his hand over her face and gave a gentle push. “We agreed a long time ago you’d take care of spiders and I was the designated bat killer. Bats are bigger than spiders. Much moreheroic.”
“So you promised,” she breathed under her breath, “but it’s not like we ever put it to thetest.”
When Ethan shot her a grin, she saw twin reflections of herself in his mirrored sunglasses. “You’ll just have to take my word forit.”
Her heart squeezed in her chest. His smile lightened a face that was far more somber than she remembered. Gave it a carefree look that was so reminiscent of the seventeen-year-old boy she’d fallen in love with that it took her breath. It’d be easy to believe that, as an isolated, emotionally damaged teen, she’d been susceptible to the first boy who showed interest. But there had been plenty of males who’d approached her. Ethan was the only one, however, who’d sneaked past her waryguard.
He was the only one who’d stolen herheart.
She stared blindly at the article open on her cell. It’d been easy to convince herself for the last couple of decades that their story was a combination of teenage chemistry and lack of experience. But it was far harder to reconcile that explanation with the feelings he could still awake in her now. And those feelings had alarms shrilling in hermind.
“If…and it’s a major if,” Ethan said, “Tillman does turn out to be The Tailor, what significance does his past play in thehomicides?”
Grateful for the interruption to her thoughts, Alexa looked up. “An interesting question. His stay with Merkel could have established his foundation in religion. One that evolved and mutated over the years to fit his growing need to strike out atothers.”
“You’ve suspected the offender was using God to justify his actions since his firstcommunication.”
Alexa nodded. “Of course, there have been plenty of killers who claim God or Satan told them to kill. They’re referred to as visionary killers. Most of them have suffered a psychotic break. I wouldn’t place the UNSUB in that category,however.”
“But you justsaid…”
“He uses God as a justification. But in reality, this is a control-driven killer. And yes, if the offender turns out to be Tillman, his past does explain where his need for control originated. He had none throughout his childhood. A father who abused him and nearly killed him. A revolving door of foster homes and group homes, if these articles are to be believed. Then add Fornier’s observations about the man he knew as Anis Tera. Weak. Insignificant.” She turned in her seat to more fully face Ethan. “By acquiring technological expertise with computers and the Internet, the offender learned to control others. Think of the secrets that are buried online. All the evidence that exists of alleged misdeeds. First he made his victims pay for his silence. He can rationalize that by looking at his actions as an offer of penance or redemption. But it no more thanextortion.”
“And killing them for continuing their misdeeds was murder,” Ethan saidgrimly.
“Which he’ll again justify. But despite shrouding his acts in faith, make no mistake, his actions are abouthim. His wants. His needs.” She stopped, struck by a suddenthought.
“What?”
“You said you had been following the premise that the killer was someone who traveled widely. A sensible theory given the seeming randomness of the attacks, and the vast territory covered.” She stopped a moment to collect her thoughts before going on. “Most serial killers don’t kill out of state. Or, in Canada’s case, outside their home province or territory. Most stay within their comfort zones. They like thefamiliar.”
“So this UNSUB isatypical.”
“In this particular instance, yes. They may gain confidence later on and venture farther away from home—” She broke off that thought as another occurred. “The first victim was from Ashville, Manitoba, right? The body was found near the AssiniboineRiver.”
“You could give Merkel memory lessons,” Ethannoted.
“When you get back to the Halifax RCMP headquarters you’ll be running Tillman’s name through the national crimedatabase.”
His mouth quirked up. “WillI?”
She waved a hand. “Just the quick check I did online shows fewer than ten people in the country with that name. The Tillman that stayed with Merkel shouldn’t be that hard to trace. And I’d look for one who lived in Manitoba within easy driving distance of that river at the date of the first homicide or some timeearlier.”