Inquisitor

"One more question, Dr. Kincaid. If you don't mind." The damp December air had seeped through the multiple layers of clothing Jenna had donned in preparation for this interview. The station had insisted the clip be filmed in front of the mall, so that its steady stream of Christmas shoppers would be visible behind them. Although Jenna acknowledged it was an appropriate backdrop for a segment on holiday depression, that didn't mean she was enjoying the setting. As the largest mental health practice in the greater Birmingham area, Carlisle, Levitt and Connor was called on throughout the year to furnish speakers for a variety of informational workshops as well as for interviews on local news programs and talk shows. Those requests were unusually heavy this time of year, so the psychologists and psychiatrists on staff rotated the responsibility. Tonight had been her turn to be the public face of the practice. Normally Jenna didn't mind her thirty seconds in the spotlight. The visibility brought in new clients, which was beneficial to everyone. Sometimes they asked for an appointment with whichever of the group they'd seen on television or heard on the radio. And at this particular time of the year, it was never a bad thing to have increased billing. "Of course," she said, smiling at the young man who looked all of eighteen. She suspected he might be one of the station's interns. Either that or the passage of another year had made her more aware of her own age in comparison. At thirty-four she'd accomplished most of the goals she'd set for herself. At least, she amended, the professional ones. There was plenty of time for the rest. Something she'd been telling herself for the last five years. "This afternoon the police department conceded that the murders of Sandra Reynolds, Margaret DeSpain and Callie Morgan were the work of one killer," the reporter said. "What can you tell us about the person who might have perpetrated those crimes?" Jenna hadn't yet heard that the police had issued that statement. Of course, she'd been seeing patients up until she'd left the office. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have been prepared to comment publicly on those murders. This was outside the scope of the subject matter she'd agreed to, as well as outside any area of expertise she might claim. She allowed the smile she'd been holding for the camera to fade, considering the topic that had just been introduced. She took a breath as she tried to decide the best way to handle the kid's question before settling on simply telling the truth. "I'm really not in any position to answer that. Not only have the details of those crimes not been made public, I'm not a profiler. Forensic psychology is a very specialized field, one I have little training for." The reporter's mouth had tightened as she talked. A dull flush climbed up his neck and into his cheeks. It was obvious he felt her answer was either deliberately nonresponsive or, worse, a slam at his interviewing skills. "I realize that," he said quickly. "I wasn't speaking in the particular. Just tell our viewers in general what makes a psychopath like this tick." From his standpoint, the amended question was a good recovery. From hers, it left her as much under the gun as the previous one. Other than the courses in abnormal psychology she'd taught as a grad assistant, Jenna hadn't had much occasion to think in depth about the kind of sociopath who enjoyed torturing and then killing women. And it was evident from the few details that had been released about the condition of the three bodies that this one found great pleasure in the suffering of his victims. "From what I've read," she said, choosing her words carefully, "this killer doesn't appear to be psychotic. He's apparently very well organized, selecting his victims with care and carrying out the murders while leaving behind little forensic evidence that might help the policeWilson, Gayle is the author of 'Inquisitor ', published 2006 under ISBN 9780778323204 and ISBN 077832320X.