Jade shook his head. "I don't know. Could be a red herring. Also could just be something that only has relevance to him. f.u.c.k it for now. Let's start with the kid. What'd she say?"

Jennifer leaned back against the sofa, her white oxford-cloth shirt loosely untucked. Jade caught himself staring down at the line of tan flesh that led to the curve of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He blinked hard and focused on what she was saying.

"Leah blocked out a lot of what he said to her. It was so close to the trauma I didn't want to push her. Evidently, he lectured them. She said it was like her teacher at school. I guess he raved about the law, parents, and teachers."

Jade heard Allander's voice inside his head: He must be spoken to if he's not going to be protected. He had spoken to the kids, just as Jade had thought. "All forms of authority, huh?" he said.

"And hierarchy," Travers added. "I think he's still trying to get in touch with what he's all about. The children were just pa.s.sive observers. Leah said it was as if he didn't really notice they were there at all."

"His game right now is power. He's testing us, testing himself. He didn't find the kids threatening. They weren't a challenge. Too young. I say he kills anyone who's gone through p.u.b.erty."

They sat for a moment in silence.

"Well, how does that help us?" Travers asked.

"The more we understand him, the closer it brings us to him."

"At the scene, it sounded like you thought he was next to invincible."

"Not invincible. Just intelligent. I hate to see criminals simplified. It's dismissive."

"So where do we start?"

"With his weaknesses."

"It sounded like you didn't think he had any."

"No. That's not true. You can see his fear in his anger. He went after the parents. Why? You can argue that these were murders of opportunity. He didn't plan how he was going to kill them; he picked up the weapons right at the site. This was especially true of the woman. Totally spontaneous. I bet she scared him. But!" He held up a finger. "Look what he does with the bodies afterward. He studies them. He defaces them. He poses them."

"He's s.a.d.i.s.tic."

"Sure, but he puts out the eyes after death. It's more about possession. He's working through an advanced s.e.xual fantasy here, one that's taken him years to develop. He does have a weakness-he's scared of the woman."

"How do you know?"

"The man he kills to get in. But then he's alone in the bedroom with a woman. What does he do? He kills her right away. As quickly as he can. With the hammer. His concern is to render her motionless as quickly as possible. He could have kept her alive and played with her."

Travers looked at him, her unease showing. It must be harder as a woman, Jade thought. It was her choice, though. He couldn't work with her on this if he had to temper his language.

"I bet they don't find any s.e.m.e.n in her," he said. He picked up his cup, tilted it back, and shook it. A piece of ice slid into his mouth and he crunched it loudly.

Travers looked impressed. "I just got off the phone with forensics," she said. "They didn't."

"No rape. He can't do it. Wishes he could, though. He has a lot of s.e.xual insecurity. Just wants her unconscious."

"But he did show remorse," Travers said. "The posing of the bodies."

"I don't think so. Remorseful killers usually cover the faces."

"But not always."

"But not always," Jade agreed. "I just don't think it fits. I think the positioning of the bodies mocks what he perceives to be the parents' hypocrisy. He left them as he sees them: blind to the truth, but going through the motions as if everything's all right."

"Let's talk about Allander's parents."

"No serial killer's profile is complete without them."

"Abusive, neglecting, violent?"

"Kind, normal, healthy," Jade said.

"That's a first."

"Literally."

"What gives? Does it all have to do with his molester?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

Jade crunched another piece of ice and spat it back out into the cup. "I think he's just f.u.c.ked."

"That's your professional opinion?"

Jade nodded. "I think he was f.u.c.ked before that even happened. I think the problem was already there; the molester just brought it to life."

He glanced at his watch. "I'm heading up to Ressler to interview the prison shrink."

Travers was quiet.

"I guess you can come," he said. "Just try not to talk too much."

"Won't be hard with you around."

31.

T H E Ressler Inst.i.tute's main building was mostly experimentation labs and cla.s.srooms. The doctors themselves enjoyed a small cl.u.s.ter of offices a few blocks away. It looked almost like a park; thin walkways threaded around open quads filled with lush vegetation. Beside the complex, a small brook made its way over a bed of gray rocks pushed into the soil.

A thick wooden directory stuck out of the pavement beside the parking lot. Jade ran his finger down it until he saw the listing he wanted: "Dr. Kim Tai Yung. Ph.D. A-18."

"Looks like we're here," Travers said as Jade strode up the narrow walkway and barged into the waiting room. He was a practiced barger, Travers thought as she followed him in, realizing she actually admired him for it.

He walked past several children reading Highlights for Kids and Dr. Seuss, and banged on the gla.s.s part.i.tion separating the receptionist from the waiting room.

The woman slid the gla.s.s over and peered out angrily.

"I need to see Dr. Yung. Now," Jade said, flashing his badge.

"Do you have any idea what his schedule is like this week?"

"Do you have any idea how little I care?"

Her head reared back. "Well, he's in with a patient. You can't just-"

"I can just whatever I want. And I suggest-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Travers said, sidestepping Jade as she pulled him back by his elbow. "We're FBI, you see, and we're in the middle of an intense manhunt. I realize that the doctor must have a tight schedule, but we really need to see him as soon as possible."

"Immediately," Jade added.

The receptionist glared at Jade, then turned a smile to Travers. "I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you," Travers said.

The kids in the waiting room stared uneasily at them. After a minute, a young East Asian man led a small boy who had been crying out into the waiting room, where a concerned mother folded him in her arms. Jade rolled his eyes.

"Hey, pal," Jade said to him. "We need to get in now to see the doctor."

The Asian man wore a pair of corduroys and a pin-striped shirt with no tie, unb.u.t.toned at the top. A pair of silver-framed gla.s.ses perched neatly on his nose. His hair was slightly disheveled, but it didn't look messy. Jade calculated the man to be in his early twenties.

The man chuckled softly. "And everyone's schedules should bow to your needs?" he asked. "The doctor spends weeks working with children to get them to the point of catharsis. The point which you so gracelessly interrupted."

"Well, why don't you tell the doctor we'll make it up to him later. I'm sure he'll forgive us," Jade said.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm the doctor. And I have an unforgiving nature."

Travers closed her eyes. Jade looked over at her, than back at the doctor. "You'll have to excuse my colleague," Travers said. "If it's any consolation, I have to work with him."

Dr. Yung smiled and nodded at her gently. "I can imagine it's quite taxing."

He ushered them down a hallway and into an office.

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Jade whispered roughly to Travers. "He looks like he's not old enough to shave."

Although the room they entered was dark, it didn't have a heaviness to it. An open window allowed a breeze to move through the room, carrying with it the smell of the foliage outside. Jade and Travers sat down on a brown leather couch, and the doctor took his place on a large, comfortable chair.

A poster of the yin and yang symbol hung on the wall behind Jade and Travers. In the darkness of the yin curled an immense dragon with red and orange limbs unfurled. Its glaring eye doubled as the white circle of the symbol.

Dr. Yung cleared his throat and spoke, hiding whatever anger he might feel under the calmness of his voice. "Needless to say, I hope that the matter before us is an important one."

"We're here about Allander Atlasia. I'm Jade Marlow. I'm in charge of the investigation."

"Yes." The doctor leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "My office manager mentioned something about your waving a badge."

"Actually, there are several matters we'd like to speak with you about," Travers said.

The doctor was silent.

"First of all, if you're one of the prison psychologists, why are you here treating kids?" Jade asked.

"Because you cannot study criminals without starting with children," Dr. Yung replied. He chuckled. "I have a private practice, Mr. Marlow. Since I spend most of my time with the prisoners, I like to treat children on the side. More optimistic." He twirled the point of a letter opener against his thumb. "Now if the details of my practice are sufficiently clarified, perhaps we could get down to business?"

"Uh . . . gentlemen? Maybe I could offer a different approach," Travers said. She caught Dr. Yung's eye and nodded. "Jennifer Travers."

Crossing her legs delicately, she leaned back in her chair. "Why don't we forgo the p.i.s.sing contest and remember we're dealing with a serious matter here. We need your help, Doctor, before more people are killed."

Jade and Dr. Yung looked at each other sheepishly.

"Now, how familiar are you with Atlasia?" Travers asked.

"Very. I'd say he was my reason for going into psychology."

"Excuse me, Doctor?"

He laughed. "I'm sure you weren't expecting that response at all. My father treated him when he was a child. Dr. Pan Yung."

Jade nodded in recognition. "Of course. The only psychologist who got anything from him as a kid. That was your father?"

"Yes. They had excellent rapport. I was in high school when my father was treating him. Of course, I shouldn't have known that, but the case was highly publicized. I found out watching the eight o'clock news. I saw reporters forcing their way into his office."

"Can we interview your father?" Travers asked.

"He pa.s.sed away," Dr. Yung and Jade said at the same time. Jade shook his head regretfully.

"I'm sorry," Travers said. The doctor nodded gracefully.

"So why was Allander the reason you went into psychology?" Jade asked.

"Well, I must confess I exaggerated slightly for dramatic purposes. But it was worth it to see the looks on your faces." He chuckled kindly. "It was during this period that I became interested in my father's work. He studied the effects of trauma on children, but I was interested in studying those who perpetrated the acts themselves. As you can see, my practice ended up being a mix of these two goals."

"Were you surprised to see Allander when he got transferred to Maingate?"

"Well, he was already there when I arrived, but I wasn't surprised." He stopped for a moment and thought. "It was a strange coincidence, but I wasn't surprised. Many of the abused become abusers. I just try to break the cycle."

"So you think that Allander's experience as a child led him to be a criminal?" Travers asked.

The doctor laughed. "I only wish it were that simple. A lot of children have endured much worse and put their lives back together." He paused, then caught himself. "Well, not worse, perhaps, but for a longer period of time. Some children are molested for months, years."