have been clones. And knowing our government, they might have been.
'We're both ViCAT operatives of the BSU.'
'The Violent Criminal Apprehension Team of the Behavioral Science Unit.'
'We've done a profile of the perpetrator, and we have a printout of possible related cases with percentile rankings of same suspect likelihood.'
'Are we going too fast for you?'
I said, 'You're early.'
They looked at each other, then back at me.
'The sooner we give your people an idea of what we're looking for, the sooner we catch him,' Dailey said.
Coursey dropped his briefcase onto my desk and snapped it open, pulling out a packet of neatly stacked paper. He handed me the top sheet.
'Are you familiar with profiling?'
I nodded.
'Profiling of repeat and recreational killers is done with the ViCAT computer at Quantico.' Dailey had apparently missed my nod. 'We enter specific details about the murder, including but not limited to the condition of the corpse, location it was found, method of demise, signs of ritualism, physical evidence, witness testimony, and any beforehand information about the deceased. The computer analyzes the data and gives us a rough description of the suspect.'
'For example,' Coursey took over, 'our suspect is a male Caucasian, between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-nine. He's right-handed, and owns a station wagon or truck. He's blue collar, probably a factory worker, possibly in the textiles industry. He is an alcoholic, and prone to violent rages. He frequents western bars and enjoys line dancing.'
'Line dancing,' I said.
'He also wears women's underwear,' Dailey added. 'Possibly his mother's.'
I felt a headache coming on.
'As a juvenile he set fires and committed relations with animals.'
'With animals,' I said.
'There's a high probability he's been arrested before. Possibly for assault or rape, probably on elderly women.'
'But he's impotent now.'
'He may also be gay.'
I lifted my coffee cup to my lips and found it was empty. I lowered it again.
'He hears voices.'
'Or maybe just one voice.'
'It could be the voice of his mother, telling him to kill.'
'Maybe she just wants her underwear back,' I offered.
'He may be disfigured or disabled. He might have severe acne scars, or scoliosis.'
'That's a curvature of the spine,' Dailey added.
'Is that a hunch?' I asked.
'Just an educated guess.'
I thought about explaining the joke to them, but it would be wasted.
'He may have been dropped on his head as a child,' Coursey said.
He probably wasn't the only one.
'Gentlemen.' I wasn't sure where to begin, but I gave it a try. 'Call me a skeptic, but I don't see how any of this is going to help us catch him.'
'First of all, you should start staking out western bars.'
'And local textile factories that have hired someone with a criminal record within the last six months.'
'I could stake out the zoo too,' I said. 'He may be sneaking in at night and committing relations with animals.'
'I doubt it.' Coursey furrowed his brow. 'The profile says he's impotent now.'
I rubbed my eyes. When I finished, the two of them were still there.
'Of course, the profile may change slightly as more data becomes available,' Dailey said.
'If he kills again.'
'When he kills again.'
They looked at each other and nodded smartly.
I wondered, in all seriousness, what would happen if I pulled my revolver and shot one of them. Would the
