Page 25 of Say Now
"Dr.Steven Laurent," Claire said as her tires spun before gaining traction and taking them out of the parking lot."He’s a federal prison psychologist."
"Do you think he’s a suspect or the next potential victim?"Alison asked.
"A possible suspect," Claire said."We’ve tried to get in contact with him, but he’s a hard man to pin down, so I’m going out there to talk with him myself.There’s been some erratic behavior, and he took a leave of absence from work around four weeks ago, citing mental health issues, but the consensus is that he’s a drinker, and it’s only gotten worse.The timeline fits.He could have taken the time off to stalk his victims.He’s killed them in quick succession, but he must have spent some time following them and plotting the deaths.I want to speak to him face to face, and I know you’re the best person for that."
"All right, the timeline makes sense, but what else do you have on him?He has time, he’s in the same line of work, but what led you to suspect him and not see him as a potential victim?And, is that the line you’re taking?Are you going to get ahead of this and warn the potential victims?"
"I've had a conversation with Captain Kent about that, and we are mostly in agreement.However, it's going to be hard to determine who made a mistake and who didn't.We think the best place to start is with anyone who was part of the decision-making process that led to someone being let out and reoffending, starting with homicide, then violent crimes, and working down from there.Captain Kent has a lot of contacts in violent crimes, so he's requesting some federal help."
Alison could feel the cold coming through her window, the car heater slowly fighting back against it."So, you’re working together fine so far?"
"As far as where the investigation needs to go, but he thinks he’s in charge now.I have authority in the investigation, but he has the ear of local law.We’ve been on the same page so far, but if we disagree, it might cause some friction."
The car accelerated little by little as Claire spoke about Kent.
"So, Dr.Laurent," Alison said, bringing them back to the matter at hand.
"So far, we’ve been looking at this on a local level," Claire explained."Which makes sense when you have three local psychologists murdered.This can't be local, though, can it?Maybe the killer is from Missoula, and they have a direct connection to the city, but I was thinking about what you said about this being bigger than them.If they’re looking at psychologists in the city, then they surely must be looking statewide, too.Perhaps even nationally.That’s when I found a connection between the three victims."
"Excellent."Alison took pride in surrounding herself with good people, not only in character but also those good at their job.Sometimes, people were thrust on you.She was glad that the special agent had been doing good work in her absence.
"All three victims worked on the same federal case," Claire explained."All three of them were part of a panel over the course of five years that refused the release of James Costner, who committed manslaughter.Can you guess who else worked on that case?"
"Dr.Laurent," Alison hazarded.
"Bingo.He was the only one of the four who thought James should have early release, and James got it."
"Then he went on to kill someone?"Alison asked.
"No, that didn’t happen.We’ve looked into Costner, and everything suggests he actually went on to become a functioning member of society.That’s where I’m stuck.We have four people who worked on the same case, and three of them are dead.The same three who rejected early release.Dr.Laurent was the only one who advocated for early release, and he’s still alive."
"Wait, shouldn’t we be looking at James Costner?What if this is revenge for not giving him early release, and he’s using the murders also to prove a point?No, that doesn’t make sense, does it?"
"No, it doesn’t."Claire indicated and took the ramp onto the highway."But I did think that might be the connection, so I called James and spoke to him.He lives on the other side of the country now, has a family, a good job, and alibis for each of the murders.His wife swears to that, and he wouldn’t have had time with his job.He had nothing to hide, either.One phone call and it was all cleared up.Dr.Laurent, however, I couldn’t get a hold of him.If James is not the connection, then Dr.Laurent has to be."
Alison looked at the highway and dark sky ahead."And he doesn’t live in Missoula?"
"No, he lives in Butte.I'm hoping we can get up there, find him, talk with him, and get home before the storm fully rolls in."
"If not?"Alison asked.
"Then we’re stuck in Butte for the night, and Captain Kent has a chance to dictate the investigation without me being able to do anything about it."
Alison watched the large, almost swirling cloud before them and hoped the heavens didn't open before they got to their destination.She didn’t have a problem with being stuck in another town, but she didn't want to be on the highway in the middle of a blizzard.
"I was hoping you might have some insight into the why before we get there.It feels like there is a connection here, but why would Dr.Laurent do this?Why target the other three?Because he didn't agree with their assessments?"
"Maybe."Allison thought about it."Three are dead and one is alive; three made one decision and one made another.They all work in the same profession, they do the same things, think somewhat the same way, and about the same issues.I know all of that intimately.One thing I am constantly thinking about is whether I made the right decision.Whenever someone is approved for parole or denied early release, I wonder if I’ve made the right decision.Most of the time, you can never know, and even when it becomes clear, it still doesn’t mean it was the wrong decision.
"I can't fit the murders to him, so how would I fit him to the murders?The killer is conveying a message, so that’s what he will be doing if he’s our killer.He wants to highlight that the three victims made mistakes that led to murder.The decisions, mistakes or not, did lead to death, that is irrefutable.Perhaps he reviewed the James Costner case and thought they were all wrong.Then, he makes the right decisions and frees James, who then becomes a productive member of society.He feels vindicated.
"He looks into the other three a little more, believing himself better than them, and he comes across themistakesthey made.He takes this personally.He’s a psychologist, and those three are giving his profession a bad name.Maybe he decides to take matters into his own hands.He wants to weed out the weak and ensure that those still around to make the decision are the ones who will make the right decisions."
"Yeah," Claire sighed in relief."That makes me feel better about going after this guy."
"Don't feel better just yet," Alison said."I’m only speculating what he might have gone through.We won't know if any of that is true until we have a chance to talk with him.I know nothing about him, but he does fit in a lot of ways.He knows his peers, has access to crime scene data, is intelligent, understands human thought processes, and will be constantly questioning his every decision.Yet, would he flip like that and kill people?It would be personal to him, but this feels far more personal than that.Would he kill three people because they gave his profession a bad name?That doesn’t feel like revenge."
"I don't feel good about going up there now," Claire said.
