University of Fatal Torment

By Zeddie Slater

The citizens of Gallen are increasingly anxious due to the presence of a serial murderer, nicknamed the Cascade Killer, who has been preying on female students at Grover University. Professor Gus Villard of the Criminal Justice Department is asked to consult with the police and examine the evidence in order to produce a profile of the killer. 

 

Working with Lieutenant Laura Haskin of the Gallen Police Department, Villard reviews the evidence and pursues his own investigation. Meanwhile on campus, Chuck Mason—Villard’s friend and colleague—becomes tangled in the pernicious web of academic treachery. Mason struggles to obtain tenure but is viciously opposed by Diane Koch, a troublesome faculty member. In Koch’s efforts to deny Mason tenure, she attempts to link him to the Cascade Killer, throwing investigators off the true scent.

 

Villard continues to pursue a heartless killer and becomes convinced his work is on track when an attempt is made on his life. Determined and persistent, Villard remains diligent to find the key to this murderous puzzle, even if he ends up dead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abbott Press
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781458222299

Zeddie Slater

Zeddie Slater is a retired university professor. His teaching experience included courses about serial murder, criminal profiling, famous crimes and trials, and American social history and culture. In addition to University of Fatal Torment, he is the author of No Poems for Giants and currently lives in the American South.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

What can you say about the Cascade Killer? a student in the front row asked Lieutenant Laura Haskin of the Gallen Police Department. The lieutenant was a guest lecturer in the criminal profiling class that Professor Gus Villard taught at Grover University. Villard and Haskin knew the recent unsolved murders of three Grover University students would likely be the main topic of discussion during the guest lecture, especially during the concluding question-and-answer period.

As you know, the so-called Cascade Killer is the subject of an ongoing investigation, and I’m not at liberty to say any more than I’ve already said in the press conferences, Haskin stated calmly. We’re doing everything we can to determine who’s responsible for these crimes. Anyone who has any information that might be helpful should contact us directly or anonymously.

The moniker referred to the killer of three female students whose bodies had been found in the Gallen vicinity over the previous eighteen months. The first victim had been found in Cascade Park, one mile outside of Gallen. In the following months, two other victims had been discovered near the park. Their deaths were attributed to the same killer.

The case had placed the city of Gallen in a state of subdued terror. Each day that the murders remained unsolved added to the air of uncertainty and trepidation among the anxious citizenry. Increasing the apprehension of those on the Grover University campus was the fact that the victims had been brutally killed by facial battering and gunshots to their heads. After the third body had been located four months ago, community apprehension had grown into an intense fear that was approaching panic. Law enforcement, the media, and the Gallen population clearly understood that the ruthless murders were the work of a serial killer. Exacerbating the situation in recent months were reports of three more young females missing from Gallen. One of those missing was a Grover student, and it was feared she might be another victim of the Cascade Killer.

Lieutenant Haskin, representing the largest and best-equipped law enforcement agency in the area—the Gallen Police Department—was the lead detective for the multiagency investigation task force assigned to the case. Villard expected she would be reluctant to say much to the class about the progress of the investigation. Haskin had become familiar to the citizens of Gallen through numerous press conferences regarding the case and her many appearances at community functions to answer questions and provide cautionary personal safety suggestions.

Do you have any evidence at all in the case? the student continued.

We always have evidence, Haskin replied with a slight smile while remaining serious. "We have the remains of three white females ranging in age from twenty-one to twenty-five. They were found over a period of eighteen months, the first one being in March of last year. The bodies were discovered in remote areas outside of Gallen, near Cascade Park—locations not often traveled by the public. The first victim was found in Cascade Park. Because subsequent victims’ deaths resembled that of the first, the media began to refer to the perpetrator as the Cascade Killer. The label stuck, as you know.

The most likely cause of death in each case was gunshots to the head, although the victims had also been brutally battered. Two of the victims were undergraduate students at Grover University when they disappeared. The third victim was a graduate student completing her doctorate in English.

She paused again, this time for effect. To answer your question, that’s a form of evidence. And it’s as much as I can say about the situation.

Do you have any suspects? the student persisted. I heard you did.

Villard noticed a small sigh on the part of Haskin.

As widely reported by the media, a person emerged early in the investigation as a possible suspect. That person has since been cleared and is no longer of interest to us. As far as other possible suspects are concerned, I have no comment.

Is the task force using a profiler in the case? another student asked before the subject could be closed.

The task force created for this case includes the Grover campus police, the Gallen Police Department, the county sheriff’s office, and state law enforcement resources. It’s using all the assets currently available to us. That’s all I can say about it, Haskin replied, throwing a quick glance at Villard.

Is the Cascade Killer like other serial killers we’re learning about? another student asked. That is, does the Cascade Killer have characteristics in common with other serial killers?

Lieutenant Haskin shifted her weight as she stood at the lectern in front of the class. She glanced down at a small index card, but it was clear that she didn’t need what was printed on the card to proceed. She was qualified and prepared for the questions during the Q and A part of her presentation, and the class was keenly interested in her topic—profiling and serial murder investigations.

It’s true that there are common characteristics among many serial killers, but it would be a serious mistake to assume that all serial killers are alike or that any of those characteristics necessarily produce a serial killer. Generalizing from one specific homicide incident to a series of killings can lead to crucial investigation mistakes and delay the apprehension of the killer. It’s incorrect to think that any single serial killer possesses an exact set of characteristics shared by all serial killers. There are likely only two common features applicable to most serial killers.

She paused before continuing, allowing for that infrequent, peculiar silence created by genuine curiosity to develop.

While I could tell you that many, if not most, serial killers are white males somewhere between their early twenties to midthirties, this would certainly not apply to all serial killers. And if I told you that prostitutes were the favorite target of male serial killers, that would be correct for only a minority of male serial killers, despite what the media might have you believe. Most victims of serial killing are not prostitutes. Male serial killers have also attacked other males, children, older women, and so on. Each case must be considered based on the facts pertaining to that situation alone. Overgeneralizing can contribute to a defective profile and lead to improper conclusions that will result in a flawed investigation and wasted time.

Another student quickly raised her hand, and Haskin nodded in her direction. Is one of the consistent features you’re referring to the fact that serial killers are psychopaths?

Yes, Haskin replied. "At least a suitable number of them have been diagnosed or thought to be psychopathic. However, a word of caution is in order here. The term psychopath has little explanatory value these days because it is too broad, as you no doubt have been taught by Professor Villard in this class." She glanced over to Villard, who nodded.

Although we still use the term, the preferred label today is antisocial personality disorder, or APD, she continued. Many, if not most, serial killers exhibit the traits associated with this disorder or its cousin, borderline personality disorder. Serial killers with APD are selfish and self-centered. They have no empathy for their victims, they have no shame or misgivings about killing someone, they are particularly good at controlling other people, and so on. I’m sure you’ve read about APD types in your textbooks on criminal profiling or serial murder.

She looked around the room at several hands waving anxiously in the air, signaling other questions to be asked. She nodded toward a student who was timidly raising his hand and seemed reluctant to be recognized.

Villard wasn’t a bit surprised at the hesitancy. The student was Arthur Clement, a socially awkward but otherwise very bright student Villard had come to know through his enrollment in Villard’s classes and several conversations outside of class. Villard knew that Clement was very shy and that it took courage for him to ask a question in class.

Uh, I was just wondering … I mean … uh … Clement muttered.

I’m sorry, could you speak up a little? I can’t hear you, Haskin said firmly. There was a sprinkling of snickers across the room, which plainly made Clement more uneasy. Villard was about to intervene when Clement summoned the necessary nerve and began to speak again, this time a little louder.

Sorry, he said. Uh, I’m wondering if psychopaths realize their condition. That is, do they realize they’re psychopaths, or at least that they’re abnormal?

Several students again giggled, but a reproving look from Villard silenced them.

That’s a challenging question, Haskin replied. "What would self-realization mean to a psychopath? Based on what I have encountered, most criminal psychopaths are exceptionally good at self-deception, denial, and convoluted rationalization. Even if they were to admit to psychopathy, it wouldn’t mean much to them. My guess is that some might even be amused by it. They don’t really care. They often believe themselves to be exceptionally clever and intellectually superior to others, thus beyond detection. In that sense, they may see themselves as different from others. And keep in mind, while we most often hear the word psychopath in connection with serial killers, most psychopaths are not killers. The serial killer is a psychopath in the extreme and is driven to kill by a variety of factors. Being a psychopath just makes it easier. While most serial killers are psychopaths, some of them may not be, at least in the conventional sense."

Haskin paused for a moment and looked out across the room before continuing.

I don’t want to complicate my answer any more than necessary, but one must allow for APD people being particularly good at compartmentalizing their character and behavior. At times, some serial killers are quite capable of acting in despicable ways, while at other times they are completely normal. I’m talking about two distinct aspects of the same personality, each carefully kept separate from the other. This allows the APD personality to behave in sharply unusual ways and still maintain a single identity. For so many serial killers, that kind of compartmentalization seems to be the key to understanding them. Does that answer your question?

Clement hesitated before nodding tentatively and leaning back in his chair.

Haskin took a sip from a bottle of water and acknowledged another student with a raised hand.

How are you ever going to catch this killer? Everything you’ve said so far doesn’t offer much hope. What can we expect? People are scared. It’s like we’re all waiting to see who will be killed next.

We’re doing everything we can, and we are confident that we we’ll catch him. A serial killer is usually caught when he makes a mistake that opens the case up. In addition to active pursuit of all possible leads, we are very vigilant in our awareness of any mistakes he may make. To put it another way, it’s the small mistake that will do him in, and we are prepared to find that mistake.

Time for one more question, Villard called out to the class, nodding to a student in the middle of the room.

You said earlier that there was variation among serial killers on most factors but that there were two relatively common features among serial killers. You’ve mentioned psychopathy or APD. What’s the other one? the student asked.

Haskin looked out over the lecture hall. One thing I’ve definitely learned about serial killers as a result of my reading about them, interviewing a few of them in prison, investigating two serial murder cases in my previous position in another city, and thinking about them is that they are notorious liars and manipulators, maybe the best society has to offer. I’m sure Professor Villard has emphasized that point in this profiling course you are taking. I know that he feels strongly about it.

She looked at Villard, who nodded again in agreement.

The serial killers I’m referring to are extremely good at hiding in plain sight, in getting other people to accept the view of themselves that they want accepted—their interpretation of the world, if you will. They are the finest liars and con artists I have ever known.

They are almost as good at prevarication as lawyers, used car salesmen, university professors, administrators, presidential candidates, and football coaches, Villard said firmly as he rose from his seat. The class laughed. It’s time to close out this class presentation. I want to thank Lieutenant Haskin for taking the time to appear here today. I know she’s busy with the Cascade Killer investigation, as well as many other duties. If any of you have additional questions that can be answered quickly, Lieutenant Haskin will remain available for a few more minutes. With that, class is dismissed.

CHAPTER 2

Villard gathered the notes he had been scribbling based on Haskin’s comments, placed them in his leather attaché case, and waited as Haskin patiently answered questions from a few lingering students. When she was finished, Villard joined her at the lectern.

Time for your reward, Lieutenant. A free cup of coffee at the Campus Coffee Shop. A top-of-the-line honorarium for a job well done.

She smiled. That sounds good to me. Are you sure it’s not an excessive expense? It won’t drive you or Grover into debt, will it?

They walked across the busy Grover campus, sharing information about mundane matters and making observations about student life on contemporary university campuses. They exchanged the kind of remarks people make when, on the one hand they have reached the age sufficiently advanced from that of the student population that they have little in common with it, and on the other hand they haven’t grown so old and cynical that they have rejected or forgotten everything of value about university life.

Villard wasn’t certain of Laura Haskin’s age, but he guessed her to be in her late thirties or early forties. She was tall, had long dark hair, and possessed an attractive figure that was difficult to conceal even when she wore her Gallen Police Department uniform, as she had during her presentation. She moved gracefully with veiled physical strength, and Villard had heard from other police officers that she was very strong and could handle herself quite well in any hostile confrontation. She was generally a serious person, and she carried herself professionally, exhibiting authority and earnest determination in her official relations with others.

Her leadership of the Cascade Killer investigation was widely approved by the local media as well as a large segment of the general population. It seemed to Villard that when she wasn’t involved with her investigation responsibilities, she was receiving praise from one source or another for her pursuit of the perpetrator. She had become the face of the investigation and was providing comfort to the community as best she could under the circumstances.

Villard understood why she had become a positive asset for the Gallen Police Department since she had returned to Gallen several years ago. He knew little about her past, only that she was a Gallen native who grew up in the city and lived there through high school. Afterward, she had left to attend college out of state and then began a career in law enforcement. Later, she arrived in Memphis, where she continued her calling by joining its police force. She once mentioned to Villard, without elaboration, her displeasure with Memphis in general and her position on the police force in particular, spurring her decision to return to Gallen, a central Illinois city with a population of sixty-five thousand, more or less.

Although she no longer had any family living in Gallen, she expressed satisfaction with her decision to return. The move to Gallen had been accompanied by a promotion in rank and an increase in salary in the Gallen Police Department, factors that made the decision to relocate much easier. Villard was confident Haskin was looking toward professional advancement in the coming years. Solving the Cascade Killer case would significantly facilitate that ambition.

They proceeded to the Campus Coffee Shop, one of several fast-food places at Grover University. It was in one of the older university buildings, although the coffee shop section was only a few years old, having been created by sacrificing a few classrooms on the first floor. Villard often pondered the implications of more square footage being devoted to coffee and food service at the expense of classroom space. He had similar misgivings about the campus bookstore that had more T-shirts, football jerseys, and coffee mugs than it did books. There were many omens at Grover about which Villard felt uneasy.

Having purchased their coffee and sat down, Villard stretched his legs out as much as possible. His feet hit the other side of the booth at foot level, which was not unusual. Villard was often uncomfortable in public places due to the lack of leg room to accommodate his six-foot five-inch frame. A former athlete in college, he had maintained a modest physical exercise routine and was in decent condition for a man in his midforties. He had kept most of his dark hair, hadn’t gained much weight, and his eyes, outlined by a pair of wire-frame glasses, hadn’t grown terribly worse in the last twenty years.

Haskin sipped her coffee and looked around the coffee shop, absorbing the presence of students as they buried their heads in laptops, tablets, or smartphones, or occasionally engaged in a live conversation with another human being. Some just rushed in to pick up something to eat or drink and then left. A few of them cast a prolonged look at Haskin in uniform; she always wore it for public appearances. She usually dressed in conventional clothing while conducting her investigation activities.

After a few minutes, she initiated conversation, leading it toward a specific objective, one that Villard had anticipated.

The students in your criminal profiling class have a healthy curiosity, she said. They seem on top of the issues and interested. They asked good questions.

It’s early in the term, but they’re about where I hoped they would be at this point. There’s a lot of ground to cover yet. Most of them are also taking—or will take—my course on serial murder. The two courses make a nice package for them. And you can’t beat the combination for popularity these days, even if it’s very thin on science and mostly media inspired.

Haskin smiled at Villard and took a sip of coffee, then carefully put the cup on the table.

I confess I had an ulterior motive for coming to Grover today. Obviously, I enjoy speaking to your class, but I had another reason, she stated with a slight smile.

Oh really? And what’s that? Villard replied, suspecting the answer.

I want to ask if you would look at the Cascade Killer case files, review our investigation and do a profile for us. We’ve gathered a lot of information, and of course we’re working on the case constantly. However, some of the city officials are getting anxious, and we need to show we’re doing absolutely everything possible to solve the crimes.

This was not the first time the Gallen Police Department had asked Villard to create a profile for a crime or series of crimes. In the past, he had produced profiles for two rapists, an arsonist, and a couple of unrelated homicide cases. He had also produced profiles for other law enforcement agencies across the Midwest. He had always worked well and effectively with Haskin.

Villard thought about his workload at the university. Taking on the case would mean going over everything the authorities had on each killing and developing his own interpretation of the data if necessary. It would be a time-consuming responsibility.

I’d like to help you out if I can, but right now I don’t have a lot of time. If you can accept my constraints and lower your expectation with respect to timeliness, I’d certainly be willing to look into it.

That’s no problem here. I know it takes time and effort on your part. I understand you’re busy, but you’ve worked with us before, and there isn’t anyone as qualified as you are to do this. My investigation team is good, and they’ve produced a profile, but they’re not experienced in this area, and they’re not as familiar as you are with what you eggheads call the ‘scholarly literature’ or some such thing.

I’m sure there’s a compliment in there somewhere, Villard said.

Haskin laughed. I didn’t know how else to put it. Sometimes diplomacy runs kind of lean in my line of work. She paused a moment. I would have asked you last year, but you were on sabbatical leave and not in town very often. I knew you couldn’t do anything for us with a schedule like that.

Then more seriously, she said, We’re ready for some fresh eyes on this case. Anything you can see that we haven’t might be helpful.

I’ll be glad to try. Be advised that unofficially I will use a colleague of mine, Dr. Charles Mason, as an associate in the process. Chuck has worked with me on profiles from time to time and often provides a valuable sounding board for my ideas.

Yes, I remember him. Who you consult with is up to you, she replied.

Fine. Now, what can you tell me that I don’t already know from the task force press releases?

Probably not much. As you know from what we released to the media, and what you may have learned on your own, three victims have been discovered over the last year and a half or so. Let me emphasize that there may be more we haven’t found. Those eighteen months start with the discovery of the first victim, Judy Costello, who was killed several months before her remains were found. We’ve concluded that the killings in the Cascade Park area began around two years ago. Each of the victims was reported missing, and then their bodies were discovered months later. As you know, they were all connected to Grover University as students. Other than their enrollment at Grover, we haven’t been able to establish any meaningful connection among them, except for one ordinary item. All three were known to occasionally visit one particular place off campus, the Kozy Lounge.

Yeah, I know where the Kozy is, Villard said. Kind of a sports bar that caters to university people. Not too far from campus and close to the Hoover Hotel downtown. I go there myself sometimes for beer and a sandwich. A lot of people from Grover go there.

Yeah, same here. I’ve been there for a quick snack, and I’ve seen a good number of students there. Anyhow, our interview with friends of the victims mentioned the Kozy was a place they went to on occasion, usually with others. Given the popularity of the place, there isn’t much to the fact that all three visited it at one time or another. There’s probably a dozen places the three of them visited as students, beginning with this coffee shop, the library, the football stadium, and so on.

What about that lone suspect that was reported in the news? Villard asked.

She shook her head. He was always a very weak person of interest. He was a graduate student from Grover. It turns out he very casually knew two of the victims at one time or another. However, marking the time of the disappearance of the victims by the date they were last seen, he alibis completely for one victim and is a highly unlikely perpetrator for the second. He was across the country at the time one of the victims vanished and working hundreds of miles away when the second victim disappeared.

She paused to look around the coffee shop before redirecting her attention to Villard. It’s no big secret, and you’ll see this in the files. We’re concentrating on the Grover campus. We think the answer is someone in the Grover population.

Villard nodded. I assumed that was the case, given all the enhanced security measures in effect on campus. Any sexual assault on the victims?

Bodies were too far gone to determine that for certain, so I can’t say. Haskin gently twirled her coffee mug as she gathered her thoughts.

How about computer files, emails, presence on social media, phone records, things like that? Villard asked.

"We’ve recovered all the available emails and text messages we can so far. The process is slow and tedious. Nothing much has been found—mostly information that leads nowhere. The best information from the electronic sources, particularly social media, is the names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the people and places the victims might have called or contacted. So far, those haven’t produced anything.

You’ll notice another thing when you get into the casebooks, something we haven’t specifically elaborated on in our press releases. While the cause of death in each case is assumed to be gunshots to the front of the head—the face—from a .38-caliber pistol, each of the victims had been struck in the face with a blunt object, perhaps after death, perhaps before. It looks like something like a baseball bat was used to crush the victim’s face before or after they were shot. Those blows were probably enough to cause death. It’s impossible to tell for sure whether they did or not. We’re positive the gunshots would have killed them, and that’s why the coroner’s office listed that as the probable cause of death. It’s as though the killer wanted to disfigure the victims as well as kill them. While we released the information to the media about the gunshots to the head and damaged facial area in general, out of respect for the families of the victims, we haven’t detailed to the public the extent of destruction to the victims’ faces from the battering. It was considerable in all three cases.

Villard nodded. What about the women recently reported missing? What’s the story with them? I’ve noticed the press releases have downplayed their disappearances a bit.

Unfortunately, we have more difficulties to deal with there. More precisely, there’re three women reported missing in the last ten months that to some extent fit the general description of the three Cascade Killer murder victims. Despite some of the media deciding these people are the likely victims of the Cascade Killer, we’re reluctant to draw that conclusion. And because we’ve made that assumption, until proven otherwise, those cases are being treated as any other missing person cases, not as homicides.

I’ll keep that in mind. What can you tell me about them? Villard asked.

"One of the missing is most likely a fugitive from a very abusive situation. There were some items taken from her residence at the time of her disappearance that would have meant something to her if she were leaving of her own volition and never coming back. Also, there was a report of a sighting, unconfirmed, but nonetheless a report of a sighting in Wisconsin, where we know she has friends. I called a few of those acquaintances, and they were not cooperative, exactly like people trying to protect a friend.

The second missing person report that I discounted as a victim was for a Hispanic female, thirty years old. The ethnicity and age aren’t consistent with that of other victims. This is not an absolute dismissal of the possibility of being a Cascade Killer victim, but it’s outside the parameters of the other victims. She may also have been the victim of domestic abuse and run away. And neither of these two females were students at Grover.

Sounds reasonable, Villard commented.

"The third report is the most recent one, missing eleven weeks now, and is of deep concern. It has been reported in the newspaper several times. She is young and white, like the other victims, and there doesn’t seem to be any relationship issue, health problem, or home factor that would motivate her to leave unaccounted for or otherwise explain her absence. She also left without taking things you would expect someone to take if they were leaving of their own free will. However, we did find that she was having trouble at work. She was an intern at a law firm, in a program that’s a requirement for her academic major at Grover. I’m sure you’re familiar with that kind of program.

"We’re still looking into a possible problem with the firm and its cases. This was all reported in the media a few months ago, with attention focused on the possibility that some case the firm was handling