The Shadowed Mind

by Julie Cave

  "So in the absence of a state-run program, perhaps you've decided to carry out your own forced sterilization method," suggested Cage. "Except your method is murder."

  Sable suddenly realized where the conversation was headed. "No, absolutely not!"

  "Have you ever studied a martial art, Mr. Sable?" Dinah asked. The sudden change in direction completely threw Edward Sable.

  "No, I haven't." He looked nonplussed.

  "Ever spent time in Bangkok or Manila?" Cage pressed.

  Sable stared at the two investigators, his eyes swiveling back and forth desperately. "I've been to Bangkok on vacation once."

  "For how long?"

  "It was only two weeks!" Sable seemed to suddenly understand that the interview was much more serious than he'd thought.

  "How many people in your eugenics society advocate violence against certain members of the public?" Cage asked, switching the direction of the interrogation again.

  "Uh, I don't know," Sable said. "I don't think any of them would advocate overt violence."

  Cage looked at him calmly while unfolding a piece of paper he had taken from his pocket. "I found an interesting article on your website, authored and posted by you, only about a week ago. You suggest that society needs to accept the concept of birth restrictions through state coercion." Cage looked at him. "Am I getting this right so far?"

  Sable was pale, but he nodded.

  "Because, of course, while you might be able to encourage people not to have children, they may not necessarily agree with you," said Cage. "So therefore it becomes essential that coercion be used. You suggest that certain families be allowed to have three children, to allow population growth, while others are only allowed to have one child. Still others would not have any children. How do you propose to enforce such a policy?"

  Sable had the sense not to speak.

  Cage continued: "Through forced castration, forced sterilization, compulsory euthanasia, and compulsory abortion."

  Dinah glared hotly at Sable.

  "All those methods sound pretty overtly violent to me, Mr. Sable," said Cage softly. "And you've listed the groups of people to whom such methods would be inflicted." He turned to Dinah. "Do you want to hear this?"

  "Please go on," said Dinah acidly.

  "The drug-addicted. The mentally ill and impaired. The homeless. The physically disabled. Criminals. Those carrying genes for hereditary diseases. And so on."

  Cage looked up and stared at Sable. "Is it just me, or is this one big coincidence?"

  Sable looked around in desperation, as if hoping a supporter might magically appear and save him. "I don't know what you mean."

  "The first victim, who correlates to your list here, was drug-addicted. The second victim, who also correlates to the list, was mentally ill. The third victim was homeless. Do you get my drift?"

  Sable suddenly did understand, and he looked horrified. "You can't think that…!" He seemed to grope for words. "Just because …no, I can't believe it!"

  "Someone is killing people according to your list, very methodically and thoroughly," said Cage, in his soft and ominous voice. "Is that person you, Mr. Sable?"

  Sable stared, mouth agape, speechless.

  "So who is next, Mr. Sable?" continued Cage. "A physically disabled person? Because that would be way too coincidental for me to believe."

  "Listen to me. Please listen," said Sable desperately. "I did not kill those people. I didn't have anything to do with it, I swear! If some psycho is using my list to kill people, then I'm sorry for that, but it doesn't mean that I'm involved in it. I swear. I already gave you alibis, didn't I? So how could I have killed those people?"

  "You can stop babbling," said Dinah dryly. However she knew that Edward Sable was correct — he did have alibis for at least the first two murders.

  "You could still be involved," said Cage. "Just because you don't take part in the physical killing, doesn't mean that you don't know about the murders and approve of them. That still makes you an accomplice."

  If it were possible for Sable to grow paler, he did. He was now as white as a crisply starched hotel sheet. "I swear that I know nothing about these murders," he said, carefully enunciating each word. "I swear to you."

  Cage stood to leave, and his massive frame was even more physically intimidating in the small space. "We'll be keeping an eye on you," he told Sable. "I promise."

  ****

  The two investigators left the supermarket and decompressed from the tension of the interview in the warm sunlight. Cage flexed his huge shoulders and rolled his neck around, stretching it.

  "If you thought that was bad," commented Dinah. "I have a feeling Leonard Marks will be much worse."

  "He does seem more radical," agreed Cage. "Let's get it over with."

  They drove to the apartment of Leonard Marks in Langdon, mentally preparing for another fight.

  The young student allowed them into his apartment with a sarcastic, "Wonderful to see you!"

  Dinah glared at his back and reminded herself not to let his arrogant youthfulness upset her. They sat again on the threadbare couch and Leonard trained his black eyes on them. "So what's it about today?" he asked.

  "We're wondering what you know about the murders of a young streetwalking addict, a schizophrenic, and a homeless woman," said Cage, without preamble.

  Leonard smiled. "Nothing."

  "I believe you mentioned that you aren't particularly upset at news of these murders," continued Cage calmly.

  "I'm not." Leonard shrugged.

  "Does your eugenics society advocate violence toward individuals you feel are inferior?"

  "No. I can't speak for each member, though."

  Dinah and Cage glanced at each other. The vitriol that had spewed from his mouth at their last visit was gone, replaced by a coldly reticent version.

  "Still got no alibi?"

  "No, but then you have no evidence linking me to any of those murders." Leonard looked supremely confident.

  Cage pulled out the list he'd obtained from the eugenics website that listed all the defective individuals, compiled by Edward Sable. "Have you seen this?" he asked, handing it to the young man.

  Leonard read it carefully. "Yes, I've seen it."

  "Slightly coincidental, don't you think?" Cage said. "Considering the first victim was a drug addict, the second victim was a schizophrenic, and the third victim was homeless."

  Leonard shrugged. "I guess. It's not my article."

  "Do you agree with it?"

  "Yes, I do. There are many scientific studies that support the premise that much of our physical and mental health is predetermined by genetics," said Leonard. "Including such things as a predisposition to consume alcohol, anxiety, predisposition to contract Alzheimer's disease and personality disorders, to name a few."

  "And what is your remedy once such unfortunate individuals are born?" Cage asked, his own voice cold.

  Leonard sighed. "That's the problem. Our politically correct, egalitarian society refuses to believe that some people are born flawed. Our fight is to have such individuals restricted from reproducing."

  "I believe this nation was founded on the belief that all men are born equal," said Cage mildly.

  "It's just not true," said Leonard derisively. "How can a person with an IQ of 85 be considered equal to someone with an IQ of 125?"

  "Ever spent time in Thailand?" Cage asked casually.

  Leonard gave several fast blinks. It seemed something had suddenly gotten underneath his skin. For the first time, his ice-cool veneer slipped. "I did," he admitted. "Much of my research for my master's degree was done in Chang-Mai."

  "Really?" said Cage. "Isn't that in the north part of Thailand, where the infamous Golden Triangle operated?"

  Leonard's eyes darted nervously. "That's true," he said. "My research didn't involve the drug trade. I studied poverty and education opportunities."

  "How long were you there?" asked Cage.

  "Two years."
Leonard bounced his knee compulsively.

  Cage glanced at Dinah and Leonard didn't miss it. His knee bounced faster.

  "Learn anything interesting while you were there?"

  Leonard narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"

  Cage spread his hands. "You tell us."

  Leonard smirked. "Well, I learned quite a lot about poverty. That's about it."

  "Yet it didn't soften your stance on helping people living in poverty?" Dinah asked.

  "Oh," said Leonard, laughing. "You think I was helping? No, I was studying the correlation between a nation's wealth and the overall IQ of a nation."

  "Let me guess," Dinah said, with a sigh. "The USA and Europe have the highest IQs, followed by Asia, followed by Africa."

  Leonard raised his eyebrows. "That's it, more or less. Why are you surprised?"

  "I'm starting to feel as though I'll never be surprised again," Dinah replied.

  Leonard smiled unpleasantly. "Is there anything else? I've got to get back to work on my thesis."

  Cage stood up and moved his bulk closer to the young man.

  "I'll be watching you," he said, very quietly. "If you so much as sneeze in a way that I don't like, we'll be back."

  Leonard tried to keep up the facade of calmness. "I don't have anything to hide."

  They stood in intricate stillness, each refusing to be intimidated. Then suddenly, Cage threw up his arm like he was going to strike the younger man.

  With lightning reflexes, Leonard Marks blocked the strike, seized Detective Cage's arm, and twisted. It was almost an unconscious move, one that had been practiced thousands of times.

  All three of them froze. Dinah waited on the edge of razor wire for the violence to continue. She could see Cage's gun in its holster and wondered if she could get to it quickly. Leonard Marks seemed to suddenly understand that he'd been set up, and that Cage had gotten from him exactly what he wanted.

  Marks let go and retreated while Cage appraised him with a small smile.

  "We'll be in touch," promised Cage, as he and Dinah moved toward the front door.

  "Look forward to it!" Leonard answered as they walked down the hallway.

  "Wonder where he learned that move?" Cage murmured, almost to himself.

  "Chang Mai?" Dinah guessed.

  Both thinking hard, they lapsed into silence.

  ****

  As they both climbed into the car, Dinah said, "Do you mind if I call someone on your speaker phone?"

  The detective shrugged. "Go ahead. Who is it?"

  "I happen to know someone who is an expert in the field of eugenics," said Dinah. "But with an opposing view to Leonard Marks. I want to square a few things away."

  Cage shrugged again and started the car while Dinah dialed.

  When Andy Coleman answered, he sounded harried. "Hey, Dinah, what's up?"

  "Are you free to talk?" Dinah asked. "You sound a bit stressed."

  "Just a security threat down here," he said. "Another day in a fallen world."

  Cage raised an eyebrow at Dinah quizzically.

  "But I've always got time to answer your questions, Dinah," Andy continued.

  Dinah outlined their conversations with both Edward Sable and Leonard Marks, including the discussions she and Cage had held with Dr. Sharp.

  There was silence while Andy thought. Finally, he said, "So many topics, so little time. I've already explained the origin of variation in human beings to you, so suffice it to say that I don't believe the human race is evolving. As you know, I believe that God created human beings in His image, and that the DNA of Adam and Eve would have been perfect. We've been going downhill ever since, as I explained to you regarding genetic mutations. And I think it's important to point out that the only reason we have circumstances such as mental illness, physical disability, drug addiction, poverty, and so forth is because of the presence of sin in the world."

  "Are you saying that people suffer these circumstances because they have done something wrong and deserve it?" Cage asked, a frown forming on his face.

  "Yes and no. I'm not talking about specific sin in this instance, even though we all sin every day, but all of humanity is responsible for sin, even if we don't want to accept it," replied Andy. "What I'm saying is that we live in a fallen world: a place ruined by the effects of sin. The Bible tells us that the whole of creation groans in pain because of sin, and so we see the problems that I mentioned. The difference between how a Christian and an atheistic evolutionist think about these issues is quite pronounced. Christians realize that our world is imperfect and that sin has meant tragic circumstances can befall anyone at any time. However, our hope rests in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, the perfect solution to the problem; and we look forward to a sin-free existence with God when we die. Atheistic evolutionists have no such hope, and thus must look to answer these problems themselves. Unfortunately, because they are so determined that the human race must evolve, their solutions require the sacrifice of the weak, vulnerable, poor, and dispossessed. To put it another way, human progress relies on the survival of the fittest. This is basically how eugenics fits into their way of thinking."

  "So you explained last time that Christians believe human life to be of great value," said Dinah, "even if such life is less than perfect mentally or physically. But what about the racial arguments? It would seem that since Darwin's time, specific races of people have been targeted as being less important or less worthy."

  "Absolutely. Let me start by saying that the term 'race' really didn't figure into popular speech until Darwin's Origin of the Species. Before that, it was used to classify people into nations really, by saying 'the English race' or the 'Irish race.' Now we understand the meaning to refer to the physical characteristics of a person, such as the 'Caucasian race' or the 'Asian race.' " Andy chuckled. "I have always said that there is only one race — the human race to which all human beings belong, regardless of the shade of their skin, the shape of their eyes, or the language they speak. Of course, the Bible, in the Book of Acts, specifically says that humans are all of one blood, which is pretty clear that there is no room for racism in Christianity."

  There was a rustling noise for a few moments, and then Andy said, "Sorry, I was just eating a donut. I haven't had lunch yet. So in the late 19th century and early 20th century, evolutionists believed Africans to be less evolved than Europeans, for example. They were thought to be closer to their ape-like ancestors in the chain of evolution and, accordingly, were treated horrendously. As the understanding of genetics deepened, this viewpoint no longer had any credibility. We now know that there is more genetic variability within any people group than there is between any people group. Again, this is a prime example of science confirming the biblical account of different people groups."

  "How does the Bible explain the different people groups?" Dinah asked.

  "It all goes back to the Tower of Babel," explained Andy. "At the time, human beings were living in the same geographical area and had decided to build an enormous tower, for reasons of both pride and unity. However, God had commanded Noah and his family after the Flood to fill the earth, and so the construction of the tower was in disobedience to God's commands. God punished this rebellion by giving each family group a different language, so that they couldn't understand each other. As a result, each family group went in a different direction and eventually became scattered over the earth. Because these family groups no longer freely mixed, the gene pools began to split. Over time, certain characteristics became more common in each family group.

  "Now, these family groups were isolated from each other for a long time — a couple thousand years. Certain features, such as eye shape, nose shape, hair color, and so on would have become more prominent because the gene pool was isolated."

  Andy paused and a rustling noise came from the phone as he presumably ate another donut. "I think you'll find this interesting: did you know that European royal genealogies all begin with a name that is a close derivati
ve of Noah? People groups such as the Romans, Goths, Spanish, Saxons, and Britons all have genealogies that can be traced back to Noah. Ultimately, though, all of us are descendants of Adam and Eve."

  "Hey, can I ask you something?" interjected Cage. "I'm not really a believer, but I did go to church when I was a kid, and there's something that's bugged me ever since."

  "Sure, go ahead." They heard Andy demolish another donut.

  "So I learned in Sunday school about Adam and Eve," said Cage. "But if that's really true, then the children of Adam and Eve would have had to marry each other, wouldn't they? And have children with each other?"

  "You are quite correct, which sounds pretty disgusting when you apply our biased 21st-century understanding to it. We can all agree that marriage between brothers and sisters today is morally and biologically wrong, and one of the major biological reasons is because of the increased risk of birth defects and genetic mutations due to the closeness of the parent's genes. However, remember that I mentioned Adam and Eve were created with perfect DNA? It is thought that Adam and Eve had about 30 sons and 20 daughters, although the Bible doesn't specify. Although sin had entered the world, the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve would have inherited almost perfect DNA. With each generation, mutations would increase over time and this is why God, some 2,500 years later, forbade the marriage of close relatives. But at the time of Adam's children, such biological problems weren't an issue."

  Cage nodded to himself. "I see. Thanks."

  "I have to go," said Andy. "I've got a meeting. But you call if you have any more questions, okay?"

  They hung up, and Cage raised his eyebrows at Dinah. "Interesting," he said, and despite Dinah's efforts to have Cage extrapolate on what he meant, she had no luck.

  ****

  The emergency meeting was held at the bunker that evening, and Senator David Winters was invited. Actually, invited was too nice a word — he'd received instructions to be there. The group was holding talks about crises to two fronts: the murder investigation and the press conference.

  Senator Jerry Devine had held a press conference the previous evening. He had bellowed his message loud and clear: the liberals were hiding something in their Health Reform Bill and proof of this was Senator Winters' motion to waive a full reading of the bill in the Senate.