Page 8 of Blood and Sand

“It was in a suburban, upper-middle-class neighborhood.” He tapped his pen against the legal pad in front of him. “Although not gated, it’s virtually a no crime area other than teenage pranks. What does that have to do with the race of our suspect?”

“I will tell you what it has to do with your suspect, Agent Hoffman. It’s not just a suburban, upper-middle-class neighborhood. AWhitesuburban upper-middle-class neighborhood is how I would categorize the community. From my understanding, not one minority family lives in the subdivision. Do you agree?”

He nodded, and so did every other agent in the room.

I passed copies of my profile out to each agent in the room, including Agent Hart, who accepted with his panty-dropping smile. “And this is the main reason your unsub is most likely White. And do you know why that is, Agent Hoffman?”

I was being petty, but some people needed to be put in their places. Agent Hoffman was one of those people.

“No, I do not, Dr. LaCroix,” he said, his voice sounding irritated. “But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

No need to get mad now because I’m showing you why I’m the best at what I do.

I smiled. “There’s no way a person of color could walk through an all-White neighborhood, especially awealthyall-White neighborhood, take a young, blond haired, blue-eyed White female from her front yard in broad daylight without neighbors noticing.” Before he could protest with whatever asinine statement he wanted to make to discount my analysis, I continued. “Now, you are more than welcome to test my theory, but as a person of color, I can assure you, Agent Hoffman, that although I work for the FBI, evenIcouldn’t walk through that neighborhood dressed in the attire I’m wearing today without garnering attention from neighbors. A person of color would stand out and be easily recognizable, especially a young Black male. So, your suspect is a well-dressed White male with an equally nice automobile because he could blend in with the neighborhood from his race, what he’s wearing, and his vehicle. He’s your typical ‘boy next door’ killer. Also, he probably used something to lure the young girl to his car. Puppy, candy, ice cream, doll, anything that would entice a child to speak to a stranger.”

“How did you determine the gender of the killer?” Agent Johnathan Grant asked. “Couldn’t a female with that same description also go unnoticed and entice a child with those same things?”

I had worked with Agent Grant on a couple of cases during my first year in Atlanta, and he was a stickler for details. So, it wasn’t a surprise I had not gone through this briefing without him asking questions. It also wasn’t a surprise Mr. Steele had placed him on this case. He was good, if not the best, at his job.

“Agent Grant, it’s nice to see you again,” I said, and he nodded. “As detailed in my profile of female kidnappers, they tend to lean more toward younger children than Whitney Harry. And those who do kidnap and eventually kill their victims, more often than not, the victims are their own children. Think along the lines of Susan Smith, who drowned her kids in her vehicle, or Andrea Yates, who drowned her kids in the bathtub. In this case, female family members have been cleared. Also, when there is a sexual component involved in a kidnapping of a child, around five percent are women, and there’s some sort of emotional component to it.”

“But are there exceptions to the rule?”

“Yes, Agent Grant, there are always exceptions to any rule, but my analysis is based on the evidence given to me.” This was the part that everyone didn’t understand about my job. I based my analysis on evidence, nothing more. “Remember, gentlemen, I’m not a psychic. I’m not a mind reader. My profiles are strictly based on the evidence provided to me, what the possibilities are based on case studies, and my experience in the field. And by the police reports, witness statements, and other evidence collected by the local police officers from the scene, as well as psychological studies of similar cases, your person of interest is a white male, not a white female.”

“So, what is your conclusion, Dr. LaCroix?” Mr. Steele asked.

“My conclusion, based on the evidence provided to me, is Whitney Harry, age six, will be found discarded carelessly among having other traumas, including sexual assault. These are all signs that point to a male suspect who is of the same upper-middle-class upbringing but an outcast among his peers.”

“Why would he kidnap someone so young?” Aaron asked.

“Typically, with female victims, no matter the age, it’s sexual and about control.”

“What else should we know?” Agent Grant asked.

“I believe your victim is not his first. I would search for other missing children of similar backgrounds as Whitney Harry and for victims of unsolved cases across the nation that fit her background. There is a reason your guy is targeting children like her.”

“So, you don’t think it has anything to do with Senator Owens like the locals are suggesting?” Aaron asked.

I shook my head. “Unless the Senator and his family are hiding something, no, I don’t believe so. No ransom was demanded, and no political statements have been issued since her kidnapping. I actually think this may have been the first mistake he’s made.”

“How so?” Mr. Steele asked, sitting forward in his chair, eager to hear my thoughts.

“In the selection of his victims, he would be very meticulous, but in this case, his target was from a well-known political family in Atlanta, which garnered more attention than he may have intended,” I said. “Which may point to him not being from the area, or he’s only been living here for a short period of time. Also, gentlemen, I believe this man is a serial killer, and if that is the case, all serial killers have a signature, as well as a trigger. If you can identify his signature, which will link all his kills together, you will find your man and what triggered him to kidnap Whitney Harry and vice versa. Find the trigger, and you will find the signature.”

“Thank you, Dr. LaCroix.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Steele. Okay, gentlemen,” I said, gathering the rest of my files. “If there are no more questions for me, I will be leaving so you can get to it. If questions arise, my contact information is included in your packet. Although I won’t be able to be reached by phone for the next few weeks, please send me an email, and I’ll respond in less than twenty-four hours if you have any questions. Also, Jerry Davidson will have the case file and my notes. He’ll be able to help you as well if it’s something urgent.”

Mr. Steele stood and shook my hand. Then, I exited the conference room. This was a very tricky case, and the FBI would have to walk a tightrope trying to identify this killer due to the high-profile victim. If my analysis was correct, they had less than a month before another child went missing from this area or somewhere else in the country.

“Dr. LaCroix, you have a visitor,” Renee said when I entered my office and sat at my desk. I looked at the clock on the wall and then sifted through the sticky notes stuck on my desk with the messages I needed to return before heading out of town.

“Who is it?” I asked, continuing to look through emails and other messages without looking up.

“A Detective LaCroix.”

I stopped doing what I was doing but didn’t look up at Renee, afraid of what my face might give away.

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