Chapter 4: Profiling
"Knowledge is the treasure of a wise man." William Penn
Gibbs once again strode into the morgue, this time followed by SSA Hotch and SSA Rossi. Dr. Mallard had finished sewing the body, which was lying peacefully on the cold slab. Jimmy had even taken the care of putting the head in its proper place, close to the body, so the horror of the crime wasn't so blatant to any one who might visit the morgue.
"Ducks."
"Oh, Jethro… Good you're back. Oh… and you've brought some friends with you." Dr. Mallard dried his just washed hands and approached the newcomers, waiting for introductions.
"These are SSA Hotchner and SSA Rossi from the FBI. Apparently our Petty Officer is not the only victim of our killer."
"Really? How come?"
"We're investigating two other bodies with the same word burn in their hands. We believe we have a serial killer."
"Fascinating. And have any of the other victims also had such terrible demise such as the young lady visiting my Autopsy table?"
Rossi took a step closer to the body, staring at the severed head with intensity. "The only connection between the killings is the word burnt in their hands. Always …" Rossi used a pen he took from his pocket to raise the sheet and look at the burn. "... in the right hand."
"Three different victims. Three different M.O.s" Hotch added, folding his arms as he looked at the victim.
"Wouldn't that be lacking the characteristics of what we would call a serial killing?"
Rossi pointed to the hand, showing the weeping wound and the scorched skin close to the letters marking the third degree burn. "Not when the killer leaves his signature in each of his victims."
"Were you able to figure out what kind of tool was used to create the burn?" Gibbs asked, going back to the investigation.
Ducky shook his head, going towards the table until he was standing beside Rossi. He opened the burnt hand and showed it to Gibbs. "Checking the wound, besides the blistering and leather appearance on the area, we were able to find some rust deeply embedded in the skin, showing that whoever did this pressed the hot poker deeply into the victim until it reached the deepest layer of the dermis."
Gibbs was curious about the result. "Rust?"
"Whatever tool used to create this was made of an ore that suffers from the decay due to exposure to oxygen over time." Ducky added.
"Coupled with normal humidity in the atmosphere, rust is an expected result if the poker used in the crime has been left exposed to the elements. Any chance you can calculate how long this tool has been left into contact with air?" Rossi asked.
"I've sent Mr. Palmer, my assistant, with the samples to Abby. She might be more helpful than I could ever be to give you this answer."
Rossi approached the head of the table, putting on some latex gloves before he gently moved the head away from the body, exposing the clean cut through the tissues.
"This cut was made with an amazing precision. One single cut administered with amazing speed and grace that was able not only to cut flesh but to severe the spinal cord and all the elements that kept the head connected to the body."
"Are there any hesitation marks?" Hotch asked, receiving a head shake from Ducky.
"Absolutely not. Whoever did this made it with one single stroke."
Rossi asked before putting the head in its previous position close to the body. "Were you able to find any evidence in the weapon found at the scene?"
"Abby, our lab specialist, is processing the evidence as we speak."
Hotch turned to Gibbs, "Was there any sign of breaking in, any disorder in the house?"
"None at all. The house was in pristine condition."
"No sign of struggle. No sign of forced entry." Rossi muttered out loud, walking towards the x-rays on the wall. "A single cut precisely done. No defense wounds."
"She was a trained officer yet she showed no instinct to protect herself." Hotch said towards Gibbs who agreed with his assessment. "It was either a blitz attack or …"
"She knew him." Gibbs completed the sentence, receiving somber nods from the two FBI agents in the room.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Tony was almost purring as he left the SUV Morgan was driving, smoothly sliding his hand of the warm hood. Ziva simply rolled her eyes at her partner as she followed Prentiss towards the suburb house where PFC Collins was found the previous day.
"This car is sweet. Do you have many of these?"
Morgan smiled from behind his sunglasses, "Standard issue."
"Why do we always have to go with van?" Tony moaned to Ziva, receiving just a smirk in return as both women hurried towards the door.
"Because Gibbs always drives." Ziva said in a sing-song voice as she entered the house with Prentiss. The profilers stopped in the middle of the living room, looking around trying to absorb the details of the house. The knickknacks on the mantle, the pictures on the walls, the chess set lying forgotten in the middle of a match on the coffee table.
"So what do you see?" Morgan turns to Prentiss, gesturing to the living room.
"Small souvenirs over the mantle indicate places she has visited during her service years in the Navy. Lack of paintings on the walls or pictures indicates that she hadn't settled yet in here, despite the fact that she had lived for three years in this flat."
"This is the display where the katana was before the killer took it and used on Collins in the shed." Morgan points to the empty space in the wall, looking at Tony who nods.
"Yes, it was taken from here but the body was found in the garden shed in the back. No signs of forced entry in there as well." Tony said, checking his notepad where his notes of the crime were. He gestured with a pen in the air, airily pointing to the empty wall.
"If this was a murder of opportunity, how could the killer have guessed that she had a weapon such as this?" Prentiss asked rhetorically.
The answer came from Ziva, "He didn't guess. He knew it was there."
