The Ashes of an Oak

by Bradbury, Chris

  ‘Okay,’ said James. He looked at the plate in front of Frank. ‘You going to eat that burger, Detective?’

  Frank pushed the plate across to James. ‘No. And call me Frank.’

  Chapter 23

  PRELIMINARY PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORT: THE TOKEN KILLER

  EDWARD PALKA Ph.D.

  13 JULY 1978

  VICTIMS

  3 July – Robinson Taylor - Black. 48. Drug dealer and addict. Stabbed to death. Large wound from pubic region to xiphoid sternum. Testicles removed. Ring removed ?stolen by passer-by. The place of death is unknown.

  3 July – Violet Dybek - White. 75. Widowed. Lived alone in apartment block. Regular visitor to precinct house. Lonely. She was killed within her apartment then thrown from the balcony outside her apartment after suffocation with a bath towel. Single tooth removed.

  4 July – George Curtis - White. 52. Salesman. Married. Strangled. Heart removed. Abdomen found to be open upon discovery. This is thought to have been done post-mortem in the attempt to take the heart as a trophy. Mr Curtis is thought by the ME to have died nine to ten days prior to discovery. He was found inside a large, disused furnace in the deserted Tabwell Building. The place of death is unknown.

  6 July – Jennifer Hamblett - White. 19. Suffocated with Saran Wrap. Eyes removed. Jennifer was a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital, Brooklyn. She was found in empty, run-down office apartments. The place of death is unknown.

  10 July – Charlene Astle - Black. 23. Prostitute. Single blow to the back of the head. Little finger left hand removed. ?purse removed and then returned. She was found at the place of death, namely the Community Church.

  11 July – Mary Matto - White. 45. Cause of death unknown. Head removed. Discovered by journalist in a grassy area frequented by dog-walkers after tip off. The place of death is unknown.

  In the case of Violet Dybek, this was a home invasion. In the case of the other victims, it’s difficult to say at this stage where they were abducted from.

  The fact that such a large number of murders took place over such a short period of time suggests a trigger of some sort. To kill two people in one day certainly suggests some sort of urgency on the killer’s part rather than recklessness.

  The killer has left no trace. This suggests that there was an element of preplanning. This is supplemented by the fact that the assailant visited Violet Dybek on at least two occasions prior to her murder. This could be because the killer was preparing himself for his first murder and deemed this necessary on a psychological basis, a period of mental preparation if you like, or because he took pleasure in scaring Mrs Dybek.

  It is, however, impossible at this stage to say whether any element of preplanning was involved in the other murders. There have been no unaccounted fingerprints and no bodily fluids left at the scenes. However, there were scratches around Jennifer Hamblett’s eyes, which suggest that she struggled and that the assailant might have her skin beneath his nails. This is impossible to verify at the time of writing.

  The victims all appear to have been on their own at the time of the murder, whether married or not. No relative or friend has reported them missing.

  Mrs Curtis believed her husband, George, to be on a sales trip from which he was due to return the next weekend. A check on his diary, found only partially burned in the glove compartment of the car, when followed up, indicated that he never made his first meeting. The clients raised no concern over his whereabouts, saying that it was most out of character for Mr Curtis to miss a scheduled meeting. They had put it down to illness and assumed that he would be in touch.

  The discovery of Charlene Astle’s body at such an early time might have pre-emptied any cause for concern. She was killed while working as a prostitute and was not expected home for at least another two to three hours.

  There have been no bodily fluids left by the assailant. There appears to be no sexual motive.

  It is known from cheiloscopy that the offender has what is commonly known as a ‘harelip’, more properly known as cleft lip or cleft palate. As has been stated previously in the ME’s report, this is approximately twice as common in males as in females and most commonly found in Caucasians or those of mixed race. Cheiloscopy had shown the impairment to be on the top right lip, as opposed to the more common top left lip.

  This would have made the bearer of this scar vulnerable to bullying from his peers and might have led to social shunning or intentional withdrawal and to him becoming socially isolated. Studies have shown that children in the United States with disabilities are 2 to 3 times more likely to be bullied. Children with visible physical conditions or disabilities can be more likely to be excluded from social activities and subject to teasing. It can be associated with low self-esteem and can contribute to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. It can also lead to feelings of helplessness and suicidal feelings. All this in turn can lead to poor social or emotional skills and a cycle of reinforcement. A moustache might well be used to cover up the deformity.

  There is also some certainty that he is a newly diagnosed diabetic due to the fact that he needed to take on nourishment at the Dybek crime scene and the fact that her body was not properly removed from the area. He simply ran out of energy. The fact that he finished what he started out to do suggests that he is determined not to be controlled by external forces and the fact that he does indeed need to be in control of all aspects of his life.

  At present it is unknown as to the make-up of the killer’s family circumstances past and present or his personal life. However, in the case of white males there are outstanding characteristics:

   There is damage inflicted upon the victim – this is a common theme with the Token Killer

   Male serial killers are more likely to kill using ‘hands-on’ methods such as knives, hands or blunt objects – this is also common in the case of the Token Killer

   Male serial killers tend to stalk their victims. Female serial killers tend not to do so – this seems to be the case with Violet Dybek. It cannot as yet be established in other cases.

   Male serial killers tend to commit their crimes for psychological or emotional reasons. There is no evidence to suggest this in this case, but it is a known trait among the type.

   Male serial killers have more often than not been diagnosed as having anti-social personalities more often than having schizophrenia or psychosis.

   The level of education will be low to average.

   They are more likely to be a blue collar worker.

   He may or may not be married, part of a functioning, healthy family, single or living with a parent. Their mental health problems often lead to an inability to form permanent and trusting relationships. He might therefore be single.

   Some sort of physical or psychological abuse is common and many of them have been single children or the first-born. There might be some parental drug or alcohol involvement.

   It is more likely that the Token Killer will be from the same area as his victims. The victims are all local to Brooklyn, New York. That is not to say that he will not travel further afield as his confidence grows.

  Offenders can be broken down into Organised, Disorganised or Mixed offenders. The evidence presented thus far, with the viciousness of the crimes, particularly in the case of Jennifer Hamblett, but also with the lack of evidence left at the scene and the almost studied frenzy of the killer’s actions, suggests a mixed offender. There is order and chaos. This, unfortunately, leaves a somewhat vague idea of him as an employee, but does suggest deep-seated and violent fantasies that, along with already established psychological problems, may not suit long-term work.

  The majority of serial killers are aged 20-30.

  There is a certain randomness to his victims. Whites usually kill whites, black usually kill blacks. These boundaries have not been observed in this case.

  In conclusion, I would say that the Token killer is male, white, between the ages of 20 and 35, single, but may be livin
g with a parent, has a scar to his right top lip and a moustache and is a newly diagnosed diabetic. He will probably be unemployed, have a poor employment record or be employed in a low-paid job and live with a parent.

  There are some worrying characteristics, namely the randomness of his victims - black/white/male/female – and a certain inconsistency in the last two victims, Charlene Astle and Mary Matto.

  The reasons I mention them are:

  a) Charlene Astle was killed with a heavy, single blow from behind. This is inconsistent with the killer’s previous behaviour. The killer is clearly happy to show his face, to boast of his achievements, which fits with his deformity becoming a challenge or a retort to society. He shows his face in defiance. The removal and subsequent replacement of Miss Astle’s purse is also at odds with his behaviour. He is not a thief. The blow from behind suggests a timidity and fear of identification previously unrecognised. It might also be a way to psychologically cope with the crime. Not seeing the victim’s face at the time the blow was struck might be a form of denial.

  b) Mary Matto was decapitated. No fatal wound was found. This suggests that either:

  the fatal wound was to the head, which is missing, or

  the cause of death has not yet been found.

  I would suggest that i) would be most appropriate and more likely. However, this is also inconsistent with the Token Killer as he has previously not shied away from displaying the effects of his work. The fact that he has called the emergency services on several occasions and the quite open display of his handiwork suggests that he takes satisfaction in taunting authority.

  I would therefore suggest that, in the cases of Mary Matto and Charlene Astle, the Token Killer may be unconnected with these two deaths.

  E. Palka

  Edward Palka Ph. D.

  Chapter 24

  Emmet Diehl put the report down. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘As I can be.’

  ‘If the press gets hold of this…’

  ‘They won’t get it from me,’ promised Eddie Palka. ‘All I can suggest is that you keep it close to your chest. Only tell those close to the case, who need to know. People are aware that there is a serial killer out there. They’re being careful already. There’s no need to throw this into the mix.’

  ‘I’ll have to tell the Chief.’

  ‘That’s up to you. I’ve done my bit, Emmet.’ Eddie started playing with his pipe again. He took out his tobacco tin and began to fill the bowl with his index finger. ‘What concerns me is the attempt to imitate the Token Killer.’

  ‘Copycat, surely?’

  Eddie shook his head as he sucked air through the unlit pipe. ‘No. This is no copycat.’ He struck a match and enveloped himself in a cloud of smoke. ‘This is someone failing to copy. Whoever it was took the Astle woman’s purse, right?’ Emmet nodded as he lit his own cigarette. ‘Then, for some reason, he returned the purse, but he couldn’t put it with the body, so he put it in the closest place possible, the drain. The ME’s report says that the drain had been empty on the preliminary search. So, between the original forensic search and the second search, the purse was returned to the scene in such a way that it could be found.’

  ‘Well, why was it taken in the first place? The Token Killer is no thief. You said that yourself. If you’re going to imitate him, then surely the finger would’ve been enough.’

  Eddie rattled the stem of his pipe against his teeth as he thought. It set Emmet on edge.

  ‘Honestly,’ said Eddie. ‘I would say there could be only two reasons: panic and a change of mind. Maybe a combination of both. The murderer takes the purse because he thinks that by stealing her ID he can stall proceedings, for whatever reason. So, he takes it. But, then he realises the inconsistency of stealing the purse and returns it. Only he can’t return it to the body, so he does what he sees as the next best thing, dumps it in the drain, and hopes he can get away with it. You have this field of time between the forensic search and the second search when it was returned. There were cops present at the site the whole time?’ Emmet nodded. ‘Then they should have made a note of any comings and goings.’

  ‘And Mary Matto?’

  Eddie waved the stem of the pipe at Emmet. ‘Ah, now that’s an interesting question. The head is gone and there is no wound to account for her death, therefore I think it’s safe to assume that the wound is to the head. I would apply the same principle to Mary Matto’s killing as has been applied to the Charlene Astle killing, which is that the fatal wound was on the back of her head, so the attacker remains unidentified and also so he doesn’t have to see her face. I think taking her head was an amateurish and unforeseen event. It wasn’t planned. She was decapitated in a moment of panic. For some reason the killer couldn’t bring himself to overtly disfigure her. Neither could he bear for her to see his face. The idea of removing a finger was, to the killer, in this case, repulsive, less than it was to an unknown prostitute.’

  Emmet held up a finger. ‘Wait a minute,’ said Emmet. ‘What are you implying? That whoever killed Mary Matto might have known her?’

  ‘I’m not implying anything,’ said Eddie. ‘That is what you are inferring.’

  ‘Don’t be a smart ass, Eddie. Help me here.’

  ‘I am a smart ass, Emmet. I have a Ph.D.’

  Eddie sighed deeply. He hadn’t wanted to bring these thoughts to the fore. They were no more than little itches that refused to be scratched, but the more they itched, the more he wanted to scratch and talking about them had raised them to the level of an unignorable irritation.

  ‘If I say that the killer knew Mary Matto, then it opens up a whole can of worms and, to be honest, it might just be my brain working overtime. But, as soon as I saw the notes, it made me think. The Token Killer doesn’t care about the identity of his victim. He isn’t killing a person, he is just killing. He’s fulfilling a need that stems back to Daddy’s sperm and Mom’s eggs and the effect that society had on the product of the two. He probably doesn’t understand it himself. All he knows is, he feels better after he’s done it. What he took was what a lion might consider the slow deer; easy prey in some way. He did what he wanted to, what he needed to, then dumped them. In Mary Matto’s case, he had left her purse and her ID, as he should have done with Charlene Astle, but there was something too personal in this to allow him to disfigure her in the way that Robinson Taylor or George Curtis had been. It was almost as if by stealing the head, he was removing the horror. Naturally, for everybody else, it increased the horror, but that wasn’t the way he saw it. In some way, by removing her head, he was doing her a favour.’

  ‘Some favour!’ said Emmet.

  ‘Just because he doesn’t think like you and me, doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense in his world. There is no black and white, Emmet. There is no normal. Just a majority opinion. We’re all prone to The Lord of the Flies syndrome. Needs must as the Devil drives.’

  Emmet rubbed his hands across his tired, stinging eyes. ‘Tell me why?’ he asked.

  ‘Why what?’

  ‘Why Charlene Astle and Mary Matto were killed.’

  Eddie considered the question, the pipe in the corner of his mouth, his giant hand wrapped around the warm bowl. ‘In my mind,’ he said with deliberation, ‘there’s only one reason for them to be killed, considering the thoughts we’ve just shared.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘Someone is trying to mislead. To divert. There is something going on…’ He held his hands out as if trying to hold an invisible weight. ‘Something connected to this whole affair that is not sitting well with him. The only thing I can think of is that they are trying to provide some sort of diversion, maybe an alibi for someone you might suspect.’ He shook his large round head, his eyes narrowed. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I can’t nail it down.’

  ‘But we have no suspects, Eddie. That doesn’t make sense.’

  Eddie got up and picked up his battered old brown leather bag. ‘Yes it does, my friend,’ he said firmly. �
��Yes it does. You just haven’t figured out how yet is all.’

  He opened the door. A ghost of smoke brushed past him into the squad room. ‘You know where I am. Call me if you need me.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Emmet. ‘You can count on it.’

  Chapter 25

  Frank Matto had damn near killed himself. All he had done was take the bus to Brooklyn, have a talk with a couple of guys and catch the same bus home, but by the time he got through the door of his apartment he felt like he’d done a triathlon.

  He flopped into a chair and closed his eyes. The sweat on his face made it feel like he had a plastic bag over his head, as if it was boiling and bubbling as soon as it touched the stifling air. He couldn’t breathe, felt like he had to take bites out of the air in order to get enough oxygen to stay alive.

  Christ, he thought. If this is what an anaesthetic does to you, next time I’ll take myself off to the vets and pay thirty bucks to have myself put down.

  Maybe he’d been out of shape to start with. Maybe this was the wakeup call he needed to get himself out of a rut, a downward spiral of whisky and cigarettes broken only by the occasional snatch at insubstantial food. Too many hours, not enough time.

  He would give up the cigarettes. That’s what he would do. He would give up the cigarettes. Then he would have to give up alcohol, because you can’t have a drink without a cigarette. The problem was, if he couldn’t smoke or drink, he would turn to food, so he couldn’t start filling his face with burgers and fries and pizza. He’d have to cut that shit out and start with the lettuce and the carrots and the lentils. Maybe do a little more walking. Walk to work instead of driving.