"Come again?"
Steve felt his blood pressure rise at the curve ball Lenny had just thrown into his latest case. Setting his coffee cup back down to cross his arms in front of his chest, he straightened out a bit, before raising his eyebrows.
"You're saying that our killer is one of these date-rape types?"
"Hm mhm.", Lenny confirmed and nodded, "It would be a lot clearer if all your victims had been females, but the principle remains the same."
"No it doesn't…", Steve argued, causing a few of the detectives sitting around them to look up from their desks, "These guys, one of them was six foot three, two-hundred twenty pounds. What kind of woman could physically take him on and why? To rape him? That's impossible."
"Nothing is impossible, and you know that too, so calm down and open your mind a bit here.", the psychiatrist warned sternly and raised his hands in defense, "It could be a woman, or it could be a man thinking that he's a woman. So, don't get too hung up about the strength part on this. As far as the rape goes, although in far smaller numbers, you and I both know that men can also be raped. Now I don't see anything in Bernie's report on this but he may have not even thought about checking into it at that time."
Steve reached up and ran a nervous hand over his chin, his eyes drifting aimlessly across the bullpen before ending up in Mike's office. Missing his partner by his side, he drew in a deep breath and glanced back down at Lenny.
"I…eh…I looked through the statements that Tanner and Lessing got from the victims' friends and relatives. All these men had been reported missing and if our timeline is correct, they were alive for at least four, maybe five days after they were kidnapped and before they were killed. You think somebody used them as…as some sort of love toy? But wouldn't there be more defensive wounds?"
Lenny shrugged, obviously fighting an internal battle about the situation himself.
"Stephen, remember that time you went undercover in the mental institution. And I gave you a shot to make you appear paranoid…"
"I'd prefer not to think about that ever again…but yeah…"
"Well, this drug, if given in multiple doses, and if given to healthy individuals, could put the victims into an altered state of mind. In the beginning, it would turn them anxious, disrupt clear thought patterns, eventually morphing into manic paranoia. But depending on the frequency with which these drugs are administered, it could eventually put somebody into an almost catatonic state. It's really hard to say this early into the game. She could have drugged them out of their minds first and then engaged in sexual behavior. Also, you gotta remember that for many perpetrators, sex is much more than the physical act of penetration. She might just get her rocks off watching them tied up. Maybe begging for their lives. The peak of her sexual arousal may not come until she strangles them."
"I don't know, Lenny, I just don't know…"
Starting to pace the small area besides his desk with a finger over his lips, Steve felt himself getting worked up about the situation they just stepped into. Beyond his personal discomfort at the sheer thought of what the Psychiatrist was proposing, the idea of a woman hunting for men to feed her sexual fantasies across town sent unwelcome shivers down his back.
"Well, her behavior speaks for itself. Just remember, it's just as conceivable that this killer is a cross-dresser. Could be a car mechanic during the day and play dress up at night and hunt the clubs for good-looking males to prey on. All these victims were reasonably good looking. Our killer could have lured them into the back of an alley and then knocked them out and dragged them into a car. Without a witness statement, it's pretty hard to tell at the moment."
"Yeah, I did read up on the last known locations and activities and our guys were either out drinking or taking a walk…one on his way to church. I cross referenced what we believe are the areas of abduction but no common denominator there either. Even timing of the kidnapping is off. Everything is…off"
"And you may not find a reasonable pattern with this killer. Remember that the behavior is growing increasingly more compulsive. This need that he or she is trying to saturate is getting stronger by the day. The use of the drug suggests a higher level of emotional arousal than before. See, CPZ injected intra-muscularly takes several minutes to take effect. The drug wouldn't have been used until after the abduction took place. So, I feel strongly about it being used to make the victims more…willing to engage into whatever is happening during their days of captivity."
Biting his lip, Steve nodded and reached for a pen and paper to make some notes.
"So we are looking for either a very muscular woman or a cross-dresser. Likely suffering from some sort of psychological disease. I will call all the pharmacies in the perimeter of the drop-zone to see if anybody has been prescribed CPZ or diazepam. Do you think it could be a doctor or a nurse who has access to these kinds of drugs?"
"Absolutely. Any pharmacist, psychologist and psychiatrist could have access as well. You're going to have to throw that net out pretty far. Your other problem is that there's a good chance your killer is either suffering from schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder. It'll be tough to tell. They're going to be so bent that they may come across as normal human beings. Their…dark side may not show until after they've been triggered by something."
Steve was about to say something when the commotion behind him signaled that Mike was done with the group of teenagers. Waiting patiently until his partner joined them, the young Inspector smiled.
"So, who all signed up to become a Homicide Detective?"
Mike kept his expression neutral, a sure sign that his nerves had had it for the day, as he pointed his chin at the stack of files.
"Let's just move on, shall we. I have spent too much time talking as it is today. Lenny, where are we at with this killer?"
As the Psychiatrist went into another spiel of describing their decidedly disturbed killer, Steve looked around for a moment, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. His senses were quickly confirmed when he saw one of the teenagers from the Social services group still standing near the exit door of the bullpen, staring at them intently.
"Hey Mike…", he interrupted quietly and waited until he felt his partner's eyes on him, "I think one of the kids got left behind."
Next to him, he could hear the Lieutenant draw in a deep breath, before walking past them toward the eerily quiet kid.
"Andre, what are you still doing here?"
Sharing a brief glance with Lenny, Steve followed his partner throughout the bullpen, but kept a few feet of respectful distance, when the Lieutenant came to a stop.
"I just…eh…I wanted to thank you for everything you taught us, Mister Stone. Lieutenant, I mean. I am hoping to be just like you one day."
He could tell that Mike was slightly taken aback when he waited a moment before answering.
"Well, I certainly appreciate all your questions. They were good ones. But you eh…you better follow the rest of your group. You're due to be in robbery now. And we…we have a lot of work to do up here."
The nervous young man nodded hesitantly, before walking out of the bullpen, slowing down significantly once he reached the main corridor.
Something told Steve that it wouldn't be the last time he'd see that strange kid.