So far. Ava cringed. Euzent clearly believed their subject wasn’t finished.

“In our research we’ve found that the subject’s history has a great influence on his actions of today. Typically this unsub comes from a background where he felt powerless and out of control. Most abused or neglected children develop coping skills, like sports or hobbies. Others soothe hurt feelings by making others hurt. Who hasn’t picked on their younger sibling in an attempt to make themselves feel better? This is part of the mind-set of bullies. They feel better by making others miserable. Some children or teens move on to small animals.” Euzent’s tone was staid and collected, his jokes gone.

“But everyone who’s kicked their dog or picked on a sibling doesn’t grow up to kill,” an agent commented from behind Ava. “Are some just crazy?”

“ ‘Crazy’ is a subjective term, but we all know what you’re trying to say. We want a label we can slap on people to explain what they do, but we’ve found that most people choose to act as they do. Someone who is crazy, or maybe I should use the term ‘insane,’ is compelled to act, but there are very few true insanity cases out there. I believe most people are responsible for their actions.”

“They make a conscious choice,” said the agent in a stunned voice behind Ava.

“I think so,” agreed Euzent. “A lot of them learned early on that manipulating others gave them a sense of control that was missing in their lives.”

“A sense of supreme power,” added Ava.

“Exactly,” said Euzent.

“And you think he’s striking out at these particular men because of how they’ve wronged him in his past?” Ava asked.

“Or how he has perceived he’s been wronged. Maybe they did truly hurt him in some way, but often the real story has been distorted in the unsub’s mind. Either way, he’s extremely organized. He’s thought through every step of his scenes and considered every possibility of what to do if something goes wrong. I believe he’s from the Portland metropolitan area. He knows the area very well and is comfortable with the rural outer areas all the way into the heart of the city. I suspect he’s lived here most of his life to develop that comfort.

“His vehicle and home will reflect a very clean person. Maybe to the point of obsessiveness. The way he bandaged the cuts in the wrists and cleaned the victims after letting them bleed out speaks of someone who is a bit of a neat freak. The bodies were incredibly clean, according to the medical examiner’s report. Death is a messy business and our unsub took pains to mask that fact.

“He has to have a place to hold the victims, kill them, and deal with the cleaning of the bodies. The timeline shows he’s possibly held more than one person at a time. He’s not going to have an apartment or condo with close neighbors. We’re looking for a single-family home with room for him to breathe and not worry about being discovered. I have a hard time believing a neat freak would let someone bleed out inside his home, so I suspect the house will have a basement where he does his work, or a substantial outbuilding on the property to contain these men. I believe urban areas are too populated. He won’t risk someone stumbling on his secret. Most likely a home on a large lot in the suburbs or in the outer rural areas. The missing vehicles are probably stored at his place. This would lend itself to the theory of additional outbuildings on the property. Usually vehicles turn up within a few days and we haven’t found them. People complain when vehicles are parked where they shouldn’t be.”

Ava knew the police had been scouring the giant lots at the airport and malls, checking the usual places vehicles are hidden in plain sight. But wouldn’t that require two people—someone to drive the vehicle there and someone to give a ride home? Or would it? At the airport he could enter the lot, park, catch the shuttle to the terminal, and then take a cab home. No additional help needed. But he’d be risking several chances to turn up on cameras. If he was as particular as Euzent believed him to be, would he take that risk?

“Do you think he’s working alone?” Ava asked.

Euzent took a deep breath. “Everything tells me he is working alone. His preciseness speaks of someone who believes he needs to do something himself to get it right. I’m a little stumped that he managed to hang such a heavy victim, but he could be incredibly strong, or smart enough to figure out a system to make it happen.”

“What do you think of the increase in abuse of the bodies?” Zander questioned. “Each one has been hanged. Then he added the ball gag and then the third one had the shaved head and cuts in the skin.”

Special Agent Euzent nodded and paced back and forth, frowning as Zander recited his list. “He’s definitely escalating. But it’s in a very controlled way. I feel like he has a deliberate plan that he is exposing to us a step at a time. There’s a reason for the ball gag and cuts and shaved head. Just as there’s a reason they weren’t all done to the earlier victims.” He stopped pacing and looked at the group of agents, a muscle clenching in his jaw. “He has a story to tell and these are his particular components. I know these elements have been run through NCIC, but we’ve received no hits.”

Ava nodded; she’d run multiple searches.

What will he add to the next victim?

“Age?” asked Mason.

“Close to the age of the victims. Statistics suggest he’s Caucasian. The first two men are the same age and the third looks pretty close. I strongly believe we’re looking for a member of their peer group who feels wronged by these particular men. Another fact that makes me wonder if these victims know each other is the speed of these killings. Are they being rapidly killed so the others don’t have time to hear about their acquaintances’ deaths?