Relatively Rainey (9 page)

The media came up with the nickname, as they usually did, much to Rainey’s displeasure and she supposed to the unknown subject or UNSUB’s delight. They initially tossed around names like “The Bodice Bandit,” “The Bustier Booster,” and the “Corset Creeper,” when women’s undergarments began disappearing in the fall of 2013. The more intimidating nature of the current media designation for the UNSUB accompanied his escalation from fetish burglaries to rape and finally a burgeoning serial murder.

“…consulting behavioral analyst, Rainey Bell.”

It took a second for the introduction to register, prompting Rainey to turn her attention from the evidence boards and back to the podium.

She apologized, “I’m sorry,” before moving to take her place at the front of the room.

Sheila prevented Rainey's need of an explanation for her inattention, saying, “Forgive her. She has three-year-old triplets at home with a stomach virus—for how many days now?”

Rainey answered, “Ten, ten long days. And nights, don’t forget the very long nights. They appear to be on the mend, thank goodness.”

A ripple of chuckles from knowing parents circled the room.

“After we hear from Rainey, we have some proactive initiatives and responsibility designations to discuss. We have a woman missing for twelve days, two unsolved murders, three sexual assaults, and countless fetish burglaries. We need to get this guy off the street and locate Kaitlyn Whitaker. Please give your attention now to the UNSUB’s profile.”

“Thank you, Detective Robertson. Good afternoon, everyone,” Rainey said to the room. “Once again, it is a privilege to work with the departments and investigators involved in this case. The attention to detail in both documenting the known crime scenes and the collection of evidence has been exemplary.”

She indicated the evidence boards with a sweep of a hand.

“The task force requested I give you a brief behavioral analysis of the unknown subject who committed these crimes. My only goal is to add to your investigative toolbox. I will define the characteristics of this type of offender. Please feel free to stop me and ask questions at any time.”

Rainey paused to sweep her eyes around the room. Her gaze fell on a late entrant. Officer Wendy King slipped into an empty chair near the back. She was out of uniform and looked like a college kid among the veterans. Rainey was sure young Wendy had to charm her way into the room filled with case-hardened investigators and experienced patrol officers. Wendy reminded Rainey of her own, impervious spirit at the beginning of her FBI career. She smiled at her little sister and received a youthful grin and thumbs-up in return. She then continued with the presentation.

“First, I’d like to address some comments I heard on the way in.”

The Chatham County deputy who commented on Katie’s looks shifted uneasily in his chair. Rainey surmised a little levity in advance of the somber process that lay ahead couldn’t hurt. She peered at his nametag.

“To answer your question, Officer Tweed, yes, the rumor is true. My wife is smokin’ hot.”

The embarrassed officer turned beet red while the room filled with laughter.

Rainey eased Officer Tweed’s discomfort with a smile. “Thank you for noticing.”

Taking the ribbing well, he answered, “No problem.”

Rainey refocused on the room at large.

“Some of you believe this UNSUB to be psychotic, crazy, nuts, a freak. You are ascribing to this perpetrator a mental state marked by illogical thinking patterns and behavior. That would be a mistake. The foresight and planning exhibited in these crimes indicates a rational and functioning individual. Although he may suffer from various personality disorders, he knows what he’s doing, knows it’s wrong and frankly does not care. He is sane in the legal sense. The fact he has been extremely active for two years and escalating rapidly without drawing attention to himself is an indication of his lucidity. Do not underestimate the intelligence and cunning at work here. His ability to blend into the norm and live above suspicion indicates an apex predator at work. In this way, he
is
a freak of nature. He seems quite successful at living a double life most of us could not maintain.”

She drove the point home with her next statement.

“More than likely, the UNSUB has already spoken to law enforcement about this case and never blinked. He gave no sign of anxiousness or guilt and showed the appropriate response of a concerned citizen.”

The rustle of shifting bodies into defensive postures told Rainey she needed to let them know she wasn't accusing them of incompetence.

“I am a trained criminal behavioral analyst. I’ve let people who wanted to kill me get very close to doing just that. I never saw them coming. But when that flicker of truth became evident, my training helped me identify the situation as dangerous and kept me alive. Nothing can take the place of sound investigation tactics, which your departments have exhibited. Despite how some of you may feel about “profiling mumbo-jumbo,” you do need the tools to recognize the offender when he peeks out of his veil of normalcy. UNSUBs like this are consummate human predators hiding in plain sight.”

Clenched crossed arms relaxed. Bodies leaned forward, as the room collectively opened to her message. They were ready to hear what she had to say. Rainey moved away from the podium to a map with the crime scenes indicated with colorful pushpins.

“Let’s begin with how we know these crimes are attributable to one UNSUB.” She pointed at a yellow pushpin. “The first reported fetish burglary occurred on Labor Day weekend, 2013, here on Chancery Court in Durham County. The rest of these yellow pins represent the other incidents of stolen undergarments, the last of which took place just a few weeks ago on February twentieth in the Brookhaven Subdivision in Chatham County, here. I believe you were all given a detailed list and timeline for these crimes, correct?”

Nods and verbal confirmations accompanied the waving of information packets in the air. Rainey moved on, pointing to residences not far from where she and Katie lived.

“Six of the reported burglaries occurred in Durham County, four in Chatham, and two each in Wake and Orange Counties. With the exception of the two down in the southeast corner of Chatham County, all took place within a four-mile radius of the first reported fetish theft. If fourteen of these break-ins were reported, some not until days later when garments were eventually discovered missing, then I’m willing to bet there are twice as many intrusions that went unnoticed or unreported.”

“So, he lives in the middle of that area, right?” A suit and tie-wearing detective asked from the third row.

Rainey nodded in agreement. “Yes, he more than likely lives in one of these subdivisions.”

Another question followed from several rows further back. “How do you explain those three pins down south in Chatham? How do you know they are related?”

Rainey had the answer. “Along with the two fetish burglaries, one on Buckhorn Road and one on Corinth Road, the second sexual assault also occurred in this area. The first assault took place in October of 2014 in Durham County. Then one month later, he committed the second assault down south, where these orange and yellow pins are located at the same address on Buckhorn Road. The UNSUB returned to the scene of his ninth reported burglary committed back in July, escalating in just four months to his first penetrative rape. The third sexual assault came in December of 2014, just over the Durham County line, at Madras Lane in Orange County. We found evidence he had visited this victim prior to the assault, although she was unaware. I recommend a close surveillance of his earliest known victims. They hold significance, which may drive him back to them.

We initially linked the three sexual assaults, marked with the orange pushpins, through victim statements and perpetrator behavior. We then focused on the Wilde case. It is highly unlikely two different suspects, one a fetish burglar, and the other a rapist who also has a lingerie fetish, targeted the same victim in such a sparsely populated area. DNA found at one of the murder scenes, this one here—the rest are marked with red pins, as well—the DNA from this scene matched evidence collected at the Buckhorn sexual assault. This crime scene,” she pointed to the orange pin near the Cape Fear River, where Arianna Wilde no longer lived, “was the key to linking the fetish burglaries to the rapes and ultimately to the murders. We’re looking for a suspect who has a connection to both of these areas.”

Rainey moved over to a board with pictures of the victims.

“In each of the three sexual assaults and the two murders, the victims were bound in similar fashion and blindfolded. The bruising is almost identical on each of these women. There were also injuries consistent with ritual binding. Unnecessary to restrain the victim, these bonds are part of a signature fed by a sexual fantasy unique to this offender. The assault survivors reported he took pictures with a digital camera, forcing them to pose in different undergarments. This is another signature behavior. Murder victim number two, Shayna Carson’s bathroom trashcan contained an XQD format memory card. A thorough search of her home turned up no camera other than the one on her phone. None of her friends or family ever knew of her owning a camera. He also took panties and other lingerie items from each of these locations. It’s the same guy.”

A wizened old detective spoke up. “I’ve been doing this a long time. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an escalation in deviance of this magnitude, not this fast. How does that factor into your analysis?”

“Good question,” Rainey replied. “We shouldn’t analyze the three phases of the crimes together, but look more at the progression. The fetish burglaries were a prelude to future sadistic behavior but are more than likely not his first show of deviance. The UNSUB is a voyeur and probably began peeking into windows as a teenager, acting on his still forming fantasies. He may have started stealing women’s undergarments then as well, clandestinely poaching them from family, friends, and neighbors.

Two years ago he tired of the voyeuristic activity and embarked on the second phase of his development, entering unoccupied homes. The thrill wore off the anonymous burglaries, so he began to leave clues to his intrusion, at times taunting the victims with notes on their electronic devices. He escalated to taking a picture with a fourteen-year-old's Ipad of her panties draped over his erect penis and left it for her to find. He taunted law enforcement too, growing more and more confident. If he had not shown these sadistic tendencies and evolved so quickly into a serial murderer, I would have thought him to be much younger than the thirty-five to forty-five year age range assigned to this profile.”

“That’s old for fetish crimes, isn’t it?” Officer Tweed asked.

“Yes, it is,” Rainey replied.

“So, why do you think he’s older?”

“We classify UNSUBs by analyzing the behavior of their worst offenses. Here, we have to look at the sexual assaults and murders. He exhibits organized offender traits; brings a rape kit, binds his victims, takes trophies and pictures. This type of sexual murderer chooses victims close to his age. The rapes and murders were of women ranging in age from late twenties to early forties. There is evidence of stalking behavior, extensive preplanning and surveillance. The assault victims said he was calm and in control throughout the time he spent with them, which was sometimes hours. He learned from each escalating experience, growing more violent and sadistic with every assault. He’s simply too successful and confident in his actions to be on the younger end of the organized offender scale.”

She paused and walked back to the podium to look at her notes, before continuing.

“We also have the descriptions given by the albeit blindfolded victims. Six feet or a bit taller, super fit, extremely strong, and well spoken. The words he used were commanding and authoritative. His voice was described as deep, although one victim thought it wasn’t his natural speaking tone. The victims all had the impression that this was an adult male, not a teenager. And finally, his chameleon-like ability to project normalcy in his daily life, while simultaneously acting out his sadistic fantasies takes maturity not found in younger offenders.”

Young enough to exude the enthusiasm for behavioral analysis lacking in a few of the veterans around him, a smartly dressed Detective with a shiny new badge protruding from his jacket pocket, interjected, “Are we absolutely sure this is one guy? I know the linkage analysis points to one in some of the cases, but this timeline is all wrong. How does a fetish burglar escalate to sadistic murder and then go back to stealing underwear? A psychopath like this doesn’t de-escalate, does he?”

Rainey started to answer, but the young man wasn’t finished.

“And what about his behavior during the sexual assaults? The victims said he kept asking if they were comfortable and adjusted bindings so it wouldn’t hurt as bad. He bandaged a head wound on the third one, even helped her use her inhaler when she asked for it. Then suddenly he is an anger excitation rapist and sadistic murderer. That’s a big leap. Maybe it’s a team? And lastly, how do you link the Whitaker disappearance to all this? That’s a different M.O. altogether.”

Rainey gave him a verbal pat on the head for doing his homework, “Those are valid questions,” but she needed to send him back to the books.

“I’ll talk about the Whitaker abduction in a moment. As to the others, I’m confident this is one man. The linkage is readily identifiable, even in cases with no DNA evidence. The signature elements are unique and present at each crime.”

Now came the schooling.

“The UNSUB is not a psychopath. His concern for his assault victims’ well-being and his continuation of the fetish burglaries throughout the timeline—even after he began sexually assaulting and ultimately murdering his victims—points to this UNSUB as a malignant narcissist, a less extreme antisocial personality disorder than narcissistic psychopathy.

That distinction could take us hours to discuss. Let’s just agree that the malignant narcissist is capable of compassion, showing loyalty and concern for others, and can feel guilt, unlike a genuine psychopath who lacks many of these behaviors. That’s not to say this UNSUB has no psychopathic traits. We can’t forget that the concern he showed for his victims came between the terrorizing moments of the assaults.