Scalpers

'If it brought you strength and power over others, wouldn't you?'

'These men believe that? Is that like a religion with some people, like maybe Hare Kirshna?'

'Not to my knowledge, no. But we're dealing with sick minds here. Minds that live for scalp raising.'

'But this is all speculation, isn't it, Dr. Hamel?'

Hamel bit his lip, plunking down his wineglass and saying, “You've caught me, yes. I speculate a great deal on such crimes, as I know you must. It's part of my job. But like you, it is speculation based on an educated guess, educated by the killer himself.'

'We're not so different then, you and I.'

Hamel considered this. “No, but I don't cut up dead people, Dr. Grant, although I sometimes mentally slice open a dead man to understand the workings of his mind.'

'You theorized early on that there could be two men doing the scalping. How did you arrive at that conclusion with so little evidence to go on?'

'Quite simple, really. If we look back at the multitude of such cruel serial murders, they often involve two persons or more. Your very celebrated Floater case in Chicago points at an entire family's involvement, and the killer herself was actually living out two personalities, correct? Angel Rae, the girl, and Brother Timothy, was it? Now, if you read as much as I do in the literature, it wouldn't take much to speculate that the Scalper is acting out some form of wish fulfillment and that his hand is directed by a domineering, powerful force, very likely a second killer, who has him mesmerized into doing what he's told.

'But most of all, I base it on the telephone calls we've been receiving. The murderers—one of them, at least—have called us, more or less owning up to everything.'

Dean was speechless.

'And although it's hard for me to tell you this, well, we've had a tip-off. It concerns Corman and the forensic mistakes he's made.'

Dean stared for a solid minute at Hamel, unbelieving. “Is this general knowledge? Do Park and Dyer know about this? Hodges?'

'Of course they do.'

'Corman didn't say a word.'

'Sid was never informed, Dr. Grant.'

'You people don't need my help, you need an efficiency expert. One hand doesn't know what the other's doing.'

'What did you expect of us once we began to suspect Corman of malfeseance?'

'You can't really suspect him of these hideous crimes!'

'Perhaps not, but he may be covering for someone else. It certainly points in his direction.'

Dean bit his lower lip and shook his head thoughtfully. “Tell me all you can about this voice over the phone.'

'Not much to tell. It was rather ordinary, with no accent, no inflections, rather a monotone, as if he were reading something he'd written down, or someone else had written down for him. Almost—'

'Yes?'

'Almost as if he were taunting us, enjoying it, and the business about being under the other's thumb, well, it could've been some nonsense cooked up, but if his voice rose even an iota, it was when speaking of this other one.'

'So, on the basis of how many such calls did you do your diagnosis, Dr. Hamel?'

Hamel frowned. “Granted, making a prognosis of a madman over the wires is no mean feat, and I'm the first to admit its weakness, believe me, but there was something ... I don't know ... uncanny about the voice and the plea. I believe a part of him wants to walk through our doors, to give himself up.'

'A lot of contenders for the part have, I understand.'

'The holding cell's full of them, and I've got to interview every damned one, but until I find a man who's obviously living under the power of a second, more powerful personality, I feel safe in passing the would-be scalpers.'

This made Dean think of the dual personality of Angel Rae again, and how she was dominated by her second personality, Brother Timothy. “You don't think our killer could be working out two personalities, one stronger than the other? Using two separate weapons, even, so strong is the belief he has in his other self?'

'I know this, too, is a possibility, but when the forensics errors were made, when I learned there were actually two distinct weapons used—well, common sense, you know, is a strong force, too.'

'And just how did you and Hodges learn about Sid's errors ?'

'Through a casual remark by one of his technical people.'

'Tom Warner?'

'Yes, I think it was Tom.'

'Tell me again, Dr. Hamel, exactly how many times did the man professing to be the killer telephone you?'

'Unfortunately, only twice.'

'Twice?'

'And then it stopped.'

'Rather strange, isn't it?'

'Not at all.'

'I mean, usually when a killer contacts a reporter, or a cop, or a man like yourself in a position of authority, it's a plea for help, to be stopped, isn't it?'

'Quite often, yes.'

'And normally, despite the fact that he continues killing, he will contact again and again to pursue this need.'

'The second time he called at my home,” said Hamel, taking a deep breath. “I have an apartment not far from here. I was totally unprepared to get a call there from this faceless killer ... shocked, in fact. I have an unlisted number, and the department wouldn't dare give it out. The first time, I was at my desk, it wasn't such a big deal, but the second call frightened the hell out of me, I can tell you.'

'That is understandable.” Dean sipped his tea.

'The fact he could learn my number, and perhaps knew where I lived, and that he seemed to know we'd tapped my phone lines at both locations and so he never again even attempted contact—that, Dr. Grant, more than any other factor, convinced Hodges and me of the possibility that the killer was closer to us than we knew. Perhaps close enough even to have daily contact with us in the department.'

'So you began looking in your own backyard.'

'Interdepartmentally speaking, yes.'

'And Sid's errors were blown out of proportion.'

'On such a case, every error becomes a big deal, since we're all under the watchful eye of the public.'

Dean had to agree, sipping more tea, watching Hamel closely.

'Anyway, there was no way to trace either call, and when we were prepared to do so, he never called back. It was as if ... I fear to say it ... someone closer to me than I wished to know had knowledge of my having had my phone tapped at home as well as the office.'

'And that's why you and Hodges began investigating Sid Corman?'

'In light of the error, yes. What would you have done?'

'Has it occurred to you that it could be someone else close to you, and not Sid?'

'Like Park, you mean?'

'Like Park, yes.'

'Park has a record of violence, but not recently. He seems to have gotten a handle on that, and—'

'Maybe he's taking his violence out in a different fashion. He told us of a strange story about a guy in Vietnam who reportedly took scalps. Has he ever repeated that story to you?'

Hamel's eyes lifted at this. “No ... never.'

'He's a vet, you know.'

'Yes, of course, but that doesn't—'

'Doesn't make him crazy, I know.'