A Criminal's Mind

Altoona

We soon call our interview with Rissell over and make our way back to the car, the boys walking in silence, no one says a word until we are on the road. Tench draws a deep breath, "did you really threaten Rissell?"

Ford just stares a head, trying to wrap his brain around what I had said, "are eyeballs really $762 each on the black market?"

"What?" I look over to Tench, ignoring Ford's question, "it got him to stop his sextist crap and answer what we needed him to. I say it was a success and I make no apologies for how I got him to talk."

Tench sighs, "you can't run around threatening convicted killers."

"I won't. I mean, the only one you've interviewed so far who'd need threatened is Rissell. And I wouldn't have had to it he would have just answered our questions."

"She's got a point, Bill." Ford nods, "everyone else we have talked to would be more than happy to talk to anyone who will listen."

"Hey, are you guys gonna go back and interview Kemper again? I think he'd be really interesting to talk to."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he knows what he did and he admits to it?" Tench looks back to me.

I shake my head, "no, because out of everyone you've interviewed, he seems the most... civil. It's not like Rissell, who tries to make himself out to be the victim."

Ford nods, "that's how he sees it."

Tench sighs, "a pathological liar who murdered five women sees himself as the victim."

I shrug, "that's what makes Rissell a psychopath." I look over some of the notes that we took.

"And we're giving him a shoulder to cry on."

"We're not giving him a shoulder to cry on." Ford glances over to Tench, "we're not flattering him or helping him."

"No," I shake my head, "but we are giving him attention. These men crave attention, it's one of the reasons they kill."

"Because they wanted attention?" Tench looks back to me.

"Because they weren't getting it. Even behind bars, now for a short while, everyone will know who Rissell is and years from now people will still know who he is because of what he's done."

"Yeah, okay," Tench looks out the windshield of the car. It takes us about three hours to get from Virginia State Penitentiary to Altoona, most of which we sit in silence listening to the radio. I sit in the back, my legs kicked across the back seat, reading over notes and a few of my old psych books to see if they can be of any help. When we pull up to the Altoona Police Station it is almost five p.m. "I get it now," Tench comments, getting something out of the trunk, "why you wanted the back seat."

I shrug and gather the projector slides, "what? I said it was so I could stretch out." I smile over to Tench, who shakes his head.

Ford, Tench and I get everything set up for the class that will take place that evening. Ford and I sit in the back, Ford just listens while I treat this as an actual course, taking notes and all. I mean, if Tench is serving as my professor while I am still technically in training, I might as well soak up all the information that I can, right? It is nearing the end of the course, Tench flipping through slides as he explains the new techniques, "motive, means, opportunity. The three pillars of criminal investigation: what, why, who. What happened? Why it happened? And who did it?" Tench's part of the course comes to an end and then Ford's begins, he is so stern and serious, I don't know how I can forget he is also a teacher at the Bureau. It is almost nine in the evening by the time the course is finished. We pack up our things and begin loading the car, "not a bad group tonight."

"Yeah," Ford nods.

"You learn anything?"

I nod, "a bit, my head hurts a little from how much information we just crammed in, but I'll be alright."

When we finish loading up Tench looks over to one of the Altoona Officers, who is leaning against the doorway of the station, "we got one?"

I look between the two, "got one?"

Ford gestures toward the man, "look at him just standing there, watching us."

Tench shakes his head, "he's just having a smoke before he heads home."

The three of us get into the car, once we are in Ford clears his throat, "you see how he's trying not to look at us. He's screwing up the nerve to approach."

"I put the over, under a half a minute."

"I'll definitely take under."

"That's a bet."

"Loser buys dinner."

"Look out, he's on the move."

It takes me a minute to realize what the boys are talking about, but when the man begins walking toward the car, I finally understand. As the Altoona Officer approaches the car, Ford rolls down the window, "hey," he leans down to look into the window, as he would on a traffic stop, "you guys mind if I bother you a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?" Ford turns toward the Officer.

"I need some help... on a case I'm working."

Ford nods, "of course, why don't we meet at the cafe down the road and we can talk about it there?"

"Sure," the Officer nods.