Creatures of Appetite by Todd Travis Page A

subdued parents and or babysitters with a sap three times and a stun gun four, including last night,” Simms continued. “He’s taken them from their homes, from church, from bathrooms at malls, outside in their parents’ cars, and once at a pediatrician’s office. We have fibers and footprints in several instances but so far nothing conclusive.
    “We’ve recovered remains of only nine of our missing children, victims three, seven, eight, twelve through fifteen, nineteen and twenty-one. We’ve never recovered a body whole, usually we only get parts, so our guy is probably keeping trophies. Victims thirteen, fifteen, nineteen and twenty-one were left the most intact, with torsos and heads. He may have been interrupted at work in those situations.”
    Kane wasn’t new to this sort of talk, but still she felt bile rise up to the back of her throat. It affected Scroggins and Gilday as well; she could feel the visible anger from the troopers as they listened to Simms recount the details. Thorne just stared impassively.
    “He’s using a blade with a serrated edge, but never the same one, to part his vics out; that coupled with his choice of prey and appearance are the only signs of consistency he’s demonstrated. The consensus is that our subject is not a newbie at this, he’s too clean and bold. That’s what we know so far.”
    “What don’t we know?” Kane asked. Thorne glanced at her and for a moment she thought the look in his eye was one of approval, but the moment passed quickly. Simms cleared his throat.
    “Unfortunately, there’s a lot that we don’t know,” Simms replied. “We don’t know how long he keeps them alive before killing them. We don’t what he does to them when he has them, we don’t have any evidence of rape so far, we don’t know where he keeps them when he takes them or where they’re killed when they get killed.
    “We don’t know how he chooses the girls he chooses or why. His incubation periods have no consistency, those that we’re aware of. Sometimes body parts show up a couple of days later, sometimes a couple of weeks. Sometimes they don’t. All we really know is he takes little girls and kills them. That’s it.
    “We think we’re dealing with a trapdoor spider personality here, someone with a house with some privacy and probably a big basement. Given the ease with which he’s handled alarms and locks, we also think that it’s likely he works as a locksmith or for an alarm installation company, if not at this point then sometime earlier in his life.
    “He’s probably self-employed now, which gives him freedom in terms of time and schedule, and he owns a panel van. He’s probably a sexual offender, most likely has a history of such offenses from an early age and he has trouble adjusting socially even to this day.”
    Simms coughed and patted his comb-over again. “Any questions?”
    “What’s that on your hip, is that a forty-four?” Thorne gestured toward the weapon just visible under Simms’s jacket. “Looks like a Taurus forty-four Mag.”
    “Uh, yes,” Simms replied and instinctively touched his gun, reassuring himself that it was still there.
    “That’s one hell of a revolver. Handy if you think you’re going to run into any rhinos.”
    “It’s a stopper,” Simms said.
    “Do you know what you smell like to me, Mr. Simms, with your squeaky voice, cheap shoes and oversized elephant gun? You reek of inadequacy.”
    Simms flushed and allowed himself a quick glance at Kane.
    “What?”
    “I said you reek of inadequacy, that’s what I said. You smell. Let me guess. Grew up watching Hawaii Five-O, didn’t you? Dreamed of someday being like Steve McGarrett, catch criminals and kiss girls in grass skirts, is that it?”
    “Listen …” Simms stuttered.
    “Only thing is, you live in cow country, you’re not quite tall enough, your jaw isn’t square, your voice isn’t deep as Jack Lord’s and you look like a fucking librarian. Everyone is always