The Black Chronicle (14 page)

              “So you think his motive is as simple as that? He wants immortality?” Costa asked.

              “Don't we all?”

              Costa slouched in his chair and ran his hand through his thinning hair. He looked older than Jeremy remembered, much older than he should have after just two years. He was turning into just another burn out. A movie cliche. Still, he was holding up better than most probably would.                                                     

              “You know about that Paul Bernardo guy up in Toronto? The serial killer back in the nineties somewhere?”

              “Sure, what about him?”

              “Well before he was apprehended he was known as the Scarborough rapist. He would attack young girls fifteen, sixteen. Would go for some up to their early twenties if he was really in a pinch.  Literally, right in their back yards if he had the chance. All in all about twenty some odd girls were raped or assaulted by him. The local police assembled a task force to take him down. Still the guy doesn't stop. One day, this cop, just a regular uni in a cruiser, spots the Scarborough rapist, Bernardo – you see one of the victims was able to help with a composite – so he sees the guy, fresh from trying to rape a girl. He tries to block Bernardo off with the car, but he runs down an alley. The cop chases him. On foot he's chasing the guy for, I don't know, like five minutes. But he can't catch him. Maybe he gets close but he doesn't get him. Bernardo jumps a fence and gets away.” Finishing his little story Costa leaned back in his chair and took another long gulp of cold coffee.

              Jeremy rubbed his eyes. He knew the moral of the story was coming so he just waited for it.  

              “Can you imagine what it was like for that guy? For that cop I mean. And mind you, this was before Bernardo got really bad. This was before all the murders and shit. And that cop has to live with that for the rest of his life. People died – young girls, tortured and killed. All because that cop couldn't move his feet fast enough.”

              “You're not him. And it wasn't the cops fault those girls got hurt. If he wasn't on duty that day, there wouldn't have even of been somebody to at least chase him.”

              “And if he was faster he would have caught him.” Costa quickly countered.

              “Look, Jim. You can't do this to yourself. Trust me, I know. I was with BSU For eight years. In that time I saw a lot –
A lot
– of good agents come and go. You're not the only man on the wall.”

              “Alright Doc. I'll end my little pity party right there then. You know, speaking of manning the wall. You're already acting as a liaison for this Miss, Stien, and you worked with us on the Matherport thing. You should come back on this.”

              “Jim, I don't know about that.”

              “Look, I'm not suggesting we get you reinstated. Too much red tape. We can bring you in as a paid consultant.”

              “That's not why I came in here today.”

              “Of course not. I know that. I'm not doing you any favours here buddy. I think you can help this investigation and we need all the help we can get. It's as simple as that.  Besides, would you really rather be counselling kleptomaniacs and talking about mommy issues all day?”

              “I never talk about my mommy issues.”

              They shared a polite smile. Jeremy took a second, but just.

              “Alright. I guess if I' m going to get pulled back into the muck I might as well be getting paid for it.”

              “My thoughts exactly.”

T
he following are selected excerpts from Richard Lansdown's three part miniseries: Man and Murder. Part one: An eye for an eye.

RICHARD LANSDOWN:

For as long as civilization has existed, murder has existed along side it. Its dark current has swept through the annals of human history, shaped it and altered in numerous ways. In fact, many historians believe that human communities began to form not just as a means to pool together skills and resources, but also as a means to protect one another from those groups or individuals who wished to inflict violence on them for their own gain or simply for their own personal satisfaction. Though there is one kind of killer who we find particularly terrifying and America produces more of them than any other country in the world. I’m talking about the serial killer.

Stock footage: prison exterior. Fade in to: death row interior.

RICHARD LANSDOWN:

It was in the nineteen-twenties when the idea of the serial killer first entered the collective conscience of American society. And since that time it time it has only grown stronger. Countless books movies and TV shows revolve around the serial killer, who more than any other figure in our society, has become a kind of American Bogeyman.

THOMAS NEGUS: Sociologist.

Yes America does produce more serial killers than any other country and it’s a very, very interesting statistic. Much has been said about it already and of course there is no clear consensus as to why that is. Some suggest over-medication is to blame as many of these types of offenders are dealing with emotional issues for which pharmaceuticals had been prescribed. That’s certainly a factor.

ADAM SCHAFER: Sociologist.

America is a very violent society and sometimes we don’t like to admit that. The amount of violent crime committed in this country compared to other first world countries is staggering. But with even that aside sometimes I suspect it’s just a general inclination we have. Our entertainment more times than not is violent. Our sports are violent. There is an abnormally large military culture. This very country had to be taken with violence and so perhaps it’s part of the fabric of who we are. So I say all that to say that maybe our society desensitizes us to violence which makes it easier for some violent offenders to commit these sorts of crimes.

NANCY GREENSPAN: Forensic psychologist.

Serial killers certainly are void of empathy. That’s really the defining characteristic of a psychopath. But to pinpoint what went wrong in their development and why is extremely difficult if not impossible. Yes, we know that many serial killers were themselves the victims of childhood abuse or neglect but most people who were mistreated as children do not grow up to be serial killers. Psychology gives us a kind of window into the mind but it’s comparable to looking out a tiny window in a submarine down deep at the dark bottom of the ocean.

AGNUS WINTERWIN: Psychologist.

There is so much that could be said about our culture that may make us feel why its’ possible that America produces the most serial killers. And it’s certainly a matter of culture. Mental illness is found everywhere – in every country. And that’s more a matter of biology than anything else. Now to say that the reason is in our culture isn’t to say that the culture is bad, or to blame necessarily. Though many would. Nothing is as black and white as we would like it to be. Especially- Especially something as obtuse and complex as sweeping societal currents. Though I will say that American culture, whatever that is, certainly is conflicted. Certainly pulls at us from all angles. And it’s not difficult for us to see how someone suffering from mental illness could have their condition exasperated in some way from all that pulling.

ADAM SCHAFER: Sociologist.

Is conflict and inherent part of our culture? Of course! Of course it is. When you think for instance about the deep religious tradition in this country compared to the very strong atheist sentiment and what I would say in some pockets, overt hedonism. Materialism versus the unacceptable amount of unemployment and poverty. Republican, democrat.

RICHARD LANSDOWN:

Is the mind truly an unknowable abyss? What is it about American society which causes so many serial killers to become the monsters they are? What is different about American society and other societies that seem to cause these particular kinds of killings to occur here more than anywhere else? The question is not an easy one. The experts in criminology and psychology who we have spoken to were the first to say that an issue this complex is ever black and white.