The Second Coming (24 page)

“I’ve seen too much killing in the name of God to accept that there is a God who would allow this to happen.”

chapter
42

B
IG
P
ETE WAS
sitting in a metal chair at a laminate fold out table watching the video of Mike and Father John looking for something in the Father’s mannerism that might give him away.

“What do you think?” Mike asked with anticipation as he leaned down and looked at the monitor.

“I think we need to check his background and his alibi,” Big Pete said unenthusiastically. “You don’t actually believe him, do you?”

“I don’t believe he is having dreams,” Mike explained cautiously. “But he may think he is having dreams.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“What if Father John has a multiple personality?” Mike asked eagerly as he looked for acknowledgement in Big Pete’s perplexed eyes. “What if Father John is not the Sterling Killer, but he has a multiple personality that is and he doesn’t even know it. Maybe he is mistaking the memories from his multiple personality as dreams.”

Big Pete’s face receded into his neck as he looked at Mike like he had lost his mind. “You think that what he thinks are dreams are really memories from his alter personality who is committing the murders while Father John is asleep?”

“You heard what he said,” Mike said defensively. “He feels like he’s trapped inside the Sterling Killer’s head; he feels what he feels and hears what he thinks and battles him for control of his actions. That doesn’t sound like a split personality to you?”

“He also said that he saves people in his dreams. He’s a walking contradiction.”

“How do you explain how he knows so much about the crime scenes?” Mike asked incredulously as he folded his arms. “And his theories about the Sterling Killer’s motives are perfectly plausible.”

Big Pete let out a sigh. “It could be that the father has done his homework about the Sterling Killer. There are plenty of articles that have the details about the murders and all kinds of speculative theories about the Sterling Killer. It wouldn’t be hard for anyone who is following the case to make up such a story.”

“I agree except how do you explain how he knows about the symbol?”

Big Pete paused with a troubled expression and then shrugged. “He probably knows someone who knows someone in the Oakland Police Department who has loose lips,” Big Pete hypothesized. “He could’ve heard this one piece of information and decided to use it to concoct this whole story to gain notoriety. That’s what psychics do.”

Mike paused and looked at Big Pete with confused eyes. “I know it’s farfetched and if his alibi checks out, then I’ll admit you’re right, but if his alibi doesn’t check out, then you have to be open to the possibility that he might have a multiple personality that is the Sterling Killer.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Big Pete asked astonished. “Even if his alibi doesn’t check out, that doesn’t mean he has a multiple personality that is the killer.”

Mike stopped and starred at Big Pete vacantly.

“Are you sure you’re alright man?” Big Pete inquired caringly.

“What do you mean?” Mike asked offended.

“I mean, if you go around telling people this theory, they are likely to think that the Sterling Killer knocked the sense out of you and take you off the case.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Look man, you admitted yourself that it’s farfetched. I’m just saying, you’re going to have a hard time convincing anyone that the Sterling Killer walked in here and didn’t even know it.”

Mike rubbed his hand over his wound under his knit cap. He knew Big Pete was right. His theory did sound crazy, but his instinct told him that it was the only logical explanation. Did the Sterling Killer knock the sense out of him?

“Just do me a favor and check the father’s alibi and background and let me know what you find.”

“What are you going to do?” Big Pete asked with a tilt of his head.

“I’m going to contact a criminal psychologist and get her professional opinion.”

chapter
43

B
ACK AT HIS
government issued metallic desk, Mike sat upright with wide eyes and slid his mouse rapidly across the pad as his monitors flashed to life. The multiple personality theory, as much as he knew it sounded crazy, was the most promising lead in the Sterling Killer case to date. There was no other explanation as to how the father could know the things he knew and have the visions he had unless he was at the murders and if he
was
at the murders, whether he knew it or not, he was the Sterling Killer.

The only thing that troubled Mike was the fact that Father John really thought he was dreaming. It didn’t even cross his mind that maybe he was committing the crimes in his sleep. He genuinely wanted to help catch the killer and didn’t realize he could be incriminating himself. Was it possible? Mike needed to talk to someone who was an expert on criminal psychology and see if they thought his theory was plausible.

Mike remembered the criminal psychologist he saw being interviewed when he was in his hospital room. He couldn’t remember her name, but he did remember her face. She had silky smooth skin, cascading brunette hair and a mischievous twinkle in her brilliant green eyes. She was well spoken and obviously highly educated. She would be the perfect person for Mike to talk to. Now he just needed to track her down.

He remembered that she was interviewed by Ross McGowan of Channel 2 news so Mike Googled Channel 2 and clicked on the stations web-site hoping that it would have a list of guests that were previously on the show. For some reason he thought he remembered her being a PhD or a professor. That’s right! He remembered thinking that he never had a professor as pretty as she was, but then again, he wasn’t smart enough to go to Stanford
University. That’s it! She’s a professor at Stanford University. Mike hated Stanford from his football days at U of A, but he respected it.

Mike clicked on a link for previous shows and then on a link for a list of the names of the previous guests of the show. The list was short and he found her name immediately. Kate Wilson, Criminal Psychologist, Stanford University.
That’s her. Kate.
It had a nice ring to it. Mike copied her name and title into the Google search box and hit find.

There were thousands of matches, but on the first page was a link for Stanford’s Psychology Department. Mike clicked it and a picture of a brick building with a lush green lawn appeared in frames on his screen. Mike admired the photo for a moment. It reminded him of his college days.

On the left hand side of the page, in red wording on a white border, was a link for Criminal Psychology that he clicked. The page for the Criminal Psychology Department popped up and again, on the left hand side in red letters, was a list of the professors’ names and titles. Kate Wilson, PhD Criminal Psychology. There she was. She wasn’t even hard to find.

Mike clicked her name and watched as her picture and bio appeared on his monitor. He examined her picture, but it was disappointingly misleading. Her hair was pulled back and she was wearing thin rimmed glasses. Why would she do that to herself? He guessed that she must have been trying to project a professional image, but she looked stiff, like someone was shoving a stick up her ass. It was almost like looking at a completely different person than the one he remembered seeing on TV. Nevertheless, he needed to speak with a criminal psychologist and she was the only one he knew of.

Mike read her bio and was more than a little impressed. She earned her undergraduate degree from Yale and her PhD from Harvard. She worked for the FBI in criminal forensics before joining the administration at Stanford University. How does someone get to be so damn smart? Her hobbies included skiing, tennis, Yoga and hiking. Yoga…she could probably get her body into all kinds of different positions.

There was a phone number on the top of the page for the criminal psychology department and Mike reached over and picked up the receiver and dialed it.

“Stanford University, criminal psychology,” a nasally female voice said. “How can I help you?”

“Yes, hi, can I speak to Dr. Wilson please?” Mike asked with his most courteous voice.

“May I ask who is calling please?” the woman, who Mike was now picturing as an older lady with silver hair wrapped in a bun and angular spectacles that sat on the end of her long crooked nose, asked guarded.

“My name is Detective Mike McCormick. I’m with the Oakland Homicide Department,” he replied in an official, yet friendly tone.

“May I know what this is about?”

“Yes I’m calling in regards to the Sterling Killer murders.”

“Please hold.”

Soft classical music played in the background as Mike waited patiently for Dr. Wilson to answer. He couldn’t help but smile at the way the lady handled him so matter-of-factly. Her comical voice repeated in his head.
May I know what this is about?
Who talks like that?

The line clicked and a delicate yet confident voice answered. “This is Dr. Wilson. May I help you?”

“Yes, hi Dr. Wilson. My name is Detective Mike McCormick,” Mike responded in a weird, authoritative voice that he never heard himself use before. What was he doing? “I’m with the Oakland Homicide Department and I’m working the Sterling Killer case.”

“Yes, I know who you are Detective. I’ve been following the case. How is your head?” she asked cordially.

“Please, call me Mike,” he replied as he rubbed his head with a wince. “I’m fine, although I’ll be doing much better once we catch the Sterling Killer. I don’t enjoy my role as the infamous detective when innocent young ladies lives are at stake.”

“It doesn’t take much to go from infamous to hero,” she told him encouragingly. “Either way, you’re never as bad or as good as the press portrays you. The more they can use you to sensationalize the story, the more papers they can sell. Don’t worry about the press; just keep doing your job like you always have.”

Mike paused and chuckled softly to himself. That was the best thing anyone could have said to him. It reminded him of what his dad might have told him and of course she was right. “Thank you Dr. Wilson,” Mike responded taken aback. “That is very kind of you.”

“Please, call me Kate.”

“Kate it is then,” Mike responded feeling at ease as he leaned back in his chair. “Do you have a few minutes that I can pick your brain about the case?”

“Yes, I have about 5 minutes before I have to go teach my next class. What would you like to know?”

“What can you tell me about someone who has multiple personalities or a split personality?”

“Why do you ask?” she replied intrigued. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Mike let out a moan. “I don’t know. It’s just a theory. I need more information to form an opinion.”

“Dissociative Identity Disorder is not my field of expertise,” she warned him. “But I am familiar with it. What do you want to know?”

“Is it possible for someone who has multiple personalities to not realize they have other personalities?”

“Sure,” Kate replied. “Most times the host person does not realize they have alter personalities for years. It’s the alter personalities that know about the host personality and observe the host as if they were another person.”

“Is it possible that the host might remember something the alter personality did while it was occupying the host’s body?”

“Actually, yes. Some people who have Dissociative Identity Disorder have multiple personalities that live in constant conflict with each other.”

Mike let out a sigh. “Right, but in that case the personalities are aware of each other,” Mike acknowledged somewhat frustrated. “What I want to know is if the host could recall what another personality did and not know where that memory came from?”

“What do you mean?” Kate asked puzzled.

“Let’s say the host personality went to sleep at night and the other personality then took over, got out of bed and made a three course dinner,” Mike explained hypothetically. “When the host personality awoke the next morning, would he recall that the other personality got up and made a meal?”