C. Lawrence - Silent Screams

Do you think that'll give you another piece of the puzzle you need to catch me?

Not really. I'm just curious.

Curiosity killed the cat.

I'll take that chance.

Like your sister? Did she take chances?

Lee leaned back in his chair. This man was trying to get him-but had told him nothing important, except that he had done his research about Lee's family. He counted to ten and typed.

Why do you do it?

He tells me to do it.

Does it get easier or harder?

Easier. Much easier. The first time was the hardest.

Don't you feel bad for the women?

No. I just think of where they're going. I'm sending them to God-away from this world of sin and on to God. It is a great privilege, really.

But killing is forbidden by the Bible.

I am a Servant of God. He tells me who to kill.

Lee wondered if this was just a put-on. Was he saying this to set up an insanity defense later? I hear voices from God ordering me to kill, Your Honor. David Berkowitz-a.k.a. Son of Sam-had tried it, claiming his evil impulses were the result of urgings from the neighbor's rottweiler, but the jury hadn't bought it. Later he confessed the dog voice thing had occurred to him after his second killing. Berkowitz was highly intelligent, and so was this man.

Lee decided to go fishing, to play along. Maybe he'd find out something.

How did you know about my sister?

It was in all the papers.

Not the detail about the dress.

Oh, that.

How did you find that out?

Finders keepers.

Lee wondered if Holyman had something to do with Laura's death. He doubted it-though Laura fit the victim profile, it had been over five years since she disappeared. He wouldn't have taken five years between killings-unless, of course, he was in prison for something else. What, though? This was not the kind of person who would be a "common criminal"-definitely not drugs or alcohol. He tried a tactic to appeal to the man's sense of isolation.

I do understand you, you know.

Nobody understands me.

I do-I swear it. I know what it feels like to be you.

If you did, you'd know what I'm going to do next.

I do know.

You think you'll get me to tell you that way?

I don't need you to tell me.

Reverse psychology-that's so pathetic.

You seem to know something about psychology.

I know all I need to know.

Really?What's that?

I'll be striking closer to home next time.

What's that supposed to mean?

You figure it out. You're the one with the degree.

We're a lot alike, you and I,don't you think?

Nice try. See you later.

The message box read,

Holyman has logged off.

Lee bit his lip and stared at the screen. I'll be striking closer to home next time.

The mayor stood on the platform, the sun reflecting off the bald spot on his head. Camera crews jostled with each other to get the best angle, the closest shot. People in the crowd craned their necks and stood on tiptoe, climbing up onto the bases of street lamps, straining to see better. Chuck Morton stood behind him and to the left, next to the Manhattan DA and the police commissioner. The police presence on the street was heavy. Patrolmen dotted every corner, and there were still a few National Guardsmen roaming around in their military outfits.

There was an oddly festive atmosphere in the air. Ice cream vendors wheeled their carts down Park Row, men selling brightly colored helium balloons plied their way through the crowd, and there were pretzel and hot dog vendors on every corner, all of them doing a brisk trade. After a cold, dark February, the temperature had shot up to nearly sixty degrees. Lee could smell coconut oil, bringing with it the incongruent memory of summer days at the beach. He and Butts stood at the edge of the crowd, near the iron gate leading into the park.

Lee couldn't help thinking of the scene at public hangings, or the crowd that surrounded the guillotine as Madame Defarge calmly knitted her way through the carnage. Knit one, purl two. He suspected most of the people here didn't believe they were in danger from the Slasher, and that they were just attracted by the event itself. Oh, look, Harriet, the mayor's giving a press conference open to the public. Let's grab the kids and head on down. After 9/11, people seemed to gather in groups in public more often, as if there truly was safety in numbers.

"What do you think?" Butts said, sucking on a salted pretzel. "Is this guy full of it or what?"

"Well," Lee said, "I guess we'll see."

The mayor raised his arms, and the buzzing in the crowd subsided. He looked out across the rows of expectant, upturned faces, eager for him to lead them once more, to recite magic words of comfort, once again restoring order out of chaos. The crowd grew silent, and Lee could hear the rushing of the wind through the caverns of lower Manhattan, picking up speed as it crossed over the flat expanse of New York Harbor, to wind its way through the twisted labyrinth of downtown skyscrapers.

A gust of wind lifted a tuft of the mayor's thinning hair, and he put a hand up to stop it, then seemed to forget all about his hair as the shifting wind brought with it the thin, acrid smell of smoke from the still smoldering ruins a few blocks to the south. The mayor hunched over the microphone and tapped it. There was a buzz, a short, high-pitched burst of feedback, and then silence as the sound crew adjusted their dials. The mayor cleared his throat, and the crowd leaned in to hear his words.

"My fellow citizens," he began, adjusting the mike stand, "this has been the most trying time in this great city's history. The events of five months ago proved that New York is indeed the greatest city in the world."

He paused for the wave of applause that rose from the crowd below, cresting upward and echoing off the narrow streets. "Now, once again, we are challenged by another kind of terrorism-this time violent actions of a lone, mentally disturbed individual. But this great city survived the worst attack ever on American soil, and we will not be cowed by the evil deeds of a single, psychotic individual!"

Again the pause for applause. The mayor removed a stringy strand of hair from his forehead and placed it back on this top of his head. He knew where the applause breaks were in his speech, and his audience didn't let him down-they clapped long and hard, with a few cheers and whistles sprinkled in.

"And so," he continued, "I am creating a special task force to oversee the apprehension of the man known as the Slasher."

More applause. Lee looked at Chuck, standing behind the mayor, his normally impassive face grim. He shifted from one foot to the other, coughed, and looked away. He's not enjoying this, Lee thought. It was clear that his friend did not like the mayor. He wondered if the mayor knew this. If he did, he was too professional to show it.

After introducing everyone, he stepped back and clapped a hand on Chuck's shoulder. Lee saw Morton stiffen at the gesture. He managed to force out a stony smile, but Lee wasn't fooled. The mayor didn't seem to notice, though, and Lee concluded that he hadn't gotten where he was by paying attention to every little slight. Like most successful politicians, the mayor had control over his emotions in public. He managed somehow to look both serious and hopeful.

"I am confident that Captain Morton will be successful in leading the elite task force to the successful capture of this heinous criminal."

"Elite task force, huh?" Butts muttered under his breath. "Wait till the wife hears that one."

"What does this mean for us?" Lee asked Chuck later, as the three of them walked uptown, passing the Chinese merchants piling empty wooden crates and bags of garbage on the narrow curb of Mott Street, the fading sun casting a golden glow over the jumble of streets and alleyways.