Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 64: Stimulate Criminals

"Don't worry about it. We'll follow procedure," Sebastian commented lightly. I found myself nodding along, but my curiosity was killing me. The detective seemed to notice immediately and turned to me with a smile.

"Do you want to ask me something?" he asked, his demeanor friendly and open. 

"I noticed a lot of CCTV cameras in the building. We haven't caught anything on there?" Mr. Nash looked at me with a sly smile. 

"Now, taking a notice of cameras is usually a sign that you are a troublemaker, Evie. What is the explanation for that?" I found myself chuckling softly, trying to hide my discomfort. No, the man himself brought me no discomfort, it was the question. 

I wasn't looking for trouble or imagining catching myself really. It had more to do with being safe. With the presence of a camera at every turn, the fear of being caught in the crime and the footage used as evidence was a deterrent for people who wanted to commit crimes. In lieu of that, noticing cameras was a defense mechanism, I was ensuring that the space I was entering was a little more secure than another.

"I imagine you have figured out that this is a serial killer we have on our hands," Sebastian interjected when I didn't reply to Detective Nash. 

"This is the third case. I hope this attempt didn't succeed, but things aren't looking good. Thanks for tipping me off, though." Sebastian shrugged. 

"Keep me updated. Didn't think I would see an attempted murder in front of my eyes the minute I tried to understand the tricks being used," he sighed. He glanced at me once before moving his eyes back to the detective. 

"Well, you know what they say: either Sebastian Butler has a super radar for criminals, or he just attracts them unknowingly." Ah, so this was the reputation he had in the industry.

"I can't say I stimulate criminals, I just happen to be at the right place at the right time."

Well, wasn't that the truth. He was spiderman with his senses most of the time.

"Okay, you guys just get a look at the scene and I will finish the interviews." Detective Nash made a face. 

"You'll have to check footage from the building and make sure that everyone has a ticket." It's not a full-proof plan but it was a start. 

"I'll probably need your help. This is going to be a huge case if you haven't noticed already." I looked up and saw their faces. I didn't ask any questions at the moment, knowing Sebastian would fill me in later on. No use being chatty in front of detectives all the time. 

A couple of hours went by, and I pulled out some of the assignments from my drive on my cell phone and started going through them. 

"What are you reading?" Sebastian asked curiously, peering over my arm. I looked at him dully and went back to reading.

"Just looking through the thousand-word essays you asked the first-year students to write," I said blandly.

We were sitting on the seats in the auditorium, just getting bored. Sebastian had mostly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep while I went through the papers. 

"You mean you are reading amateur papers about them hypothesizing about crimes without knowing that they actually exist?" he asked nonchalantly.

"You never told them they were actual cases, and in my opinion, they should be quite low profile. They don't seem very difficult either." From the corner of my eyes, I saw him shift in his seat and turn to me. 

"You sound like you can solve them." I paused for a bit. 

"I don't think I can solve them practically, but in theory, I can feel where their thoughts are wrong." it was hard to pinpoint what exactly it was that led to this feeling in me. 

"I think it's your prior experience of trauma and the knowledge your father instilled in you mixing together. We call it gut feeling but it is usually a product of years of experience. Your experience is purely inculcated from your hypersensitive and anxious mind which can think of thousands of possibilities in one go. While your thought process isn't as finessed as a detective would be, you are going in the right direction." He then also paused and gave me a good look. 

"What is it?" I asked curiously. He looked like he was hesitating to say something. 

"The police department uses excessive force and fear as a device when coming to solving crimes. Your thought process is more fear and paranoia driven than a study of criminal psychology or proper procedure. While you are spot on most of the time, I would like it if you could move away from your instincts and base your hypotheses on knowledge."

I thought for a moment. He was insinuating something and I had a hint about what it was. 

"Shouldn't learning from you both in theory and practice help me in that? I know that my thoughts are mostly conjectures right now and your procedure requires empirical evidence and solid proof that can hold in court if not be used to persuade your peers. I think learning from you will help me a great deal."

He sighed. 

"I don't think your analytical skill is the problem here, Evie. I think..." he hesitated. "Your capture has left a mark on you and while in a wicked twist of fate, it helps you to be an asset to finding criminals, it is harmful for you."

"What are you trying to say?" I had found that he was an eloquent man when it came to explaining things to me. Sometimes, I coaxed him to explain further, use the language at his disposal to communicate more efficiently. I didn't know why he was so good to me, but if I could help him just a little bit to communicate better with other people, he would do so much better than he was already doing.