Jem shot his eyebrows.
“I’ve been doing some reading,” Tean mumbled, and he actually blushed.“What I’m saying, though, is there’s a difference between that kind of charismatic appeal, and the excitement of the violent fantasy, and all of that, compared to the actual experience of being involved in murders.That might have shocked her into realizing her mistake.”
“But why now?They’ve been killing people for the last four months.Killing them, probably stealing their identities and living off their money.Why would she try to run now instead of after what they did to Rydel?I mean, he was their friend.If anything was going to shock her, wouldn’t it be that?”
Tean opened his mouth.Then he closed it again.“But then why did they kill her?”
Shrugging, Jem said, “No clue.She tried to take over their little cult, and Kai wasn’t having it.She burned dinner one night.She and Zeb started fucking.She called a friend and said something she wasn’t supposed to.Christ, it could be anything.It’s not like we’re dealing with a real stable group of individuals.”
“But that’s not exactly true,” Tean said.“In some ways, theyarestable.People like this, people who are subordinate in this kind of relationship dynamic, they’re looking for stability of a certain kind—emotional, existential, all of that.And Kai provides it.Kai himself might be unstable in significant ways, but even those ways are managed through this larger vision he has for himself.”When Jem took Tean’s McFlurry and made ago ongesture with the spoon, Tean said, “Kai falls into a category of serial killers—from what I can tell, at least—called ‘mission driven.’It’s exactly what it sounds like: they believe they have a mission.”
“Save all the pretty gay boys.”
“Exactly.Or maybe better said, kill LGBTQ people with the mission of saving children.”
“Great.He thinks he’s doing a good thing.”
“This type of serial killer often does.Or it’s a convenient excuse he can tell himself.Often, the language is around purification.They kill people who are different from them in race, sexual orientation, class, maybe in terms of physical or mental ability.Or they might target professions seen as undesirable.”
“Hookers,” Jem said around a mouthful of McFlurry.
“Sex workers,” Tean said with a frown.“The important part is that this kind of killer tends to be organized.They have specific targets.They choose them in advance.They’re hard to catch because they’re careful not to leave evidence behind.”
“So, you don’t think he’d just snap and kill Tess.”
“I don’t think he’d snap, no.I think if Kai killed her, it was because he had a reason.”
Jem thought about that for a moment, spoon hanging from his mouth.Then he pulled it free, pointed it at Tean, and said, “But he fucked her up first.”
“Yes, well, that’s where the whole mission-driven thing falls apart.It’s obvious that he’s sadistic.The torture is clearly unnecessary, and there’s obvious overkill.I’m not an expert, but I imagine that for most mission-driven serial killers, the mission is simultaneously real and a pretext, because there’s some other need they’re always satisfying as well.”
“Is it weird that it’s interesting that there are different kinds of serial killers?”
“I’m not sure it’s weird, but that fascination is what most of true crime and crime fiction capitalizes on.It might be unsavory, though.”
“What do you think?Are some people born fucked up?Or does life fuck them up?”
Tean hesitated.“Both, maybe?”
After a moment of consideration, Jem said, “That sucks.”
“It’s such a difficult question.Would someone have turned out differently if they’d been born into a different family, had a different upbringing, been treated with more care and kindness?”His eyes were far off.And then he said, “Angeyeghaq.”
“Gesundheit.”
“It’s a Yupit word for a type of walrus.”Tean hesitated.“They’re different from other walruses.Most walruses forage on the seafloor.They eat clams, primarily.Angeyeghaq, on the other hand, eat meat.They’ll get hold of seals and hold them with their flippers and rotate them, tearing off strips of flesh—it creates a unique pattern.”
“Sounds like the world’s most disgusting corn on the cob.”
“They kill more than they need to eat, too.There are differing explanations.That these walruses were orphaned, and so they weren’t taught how to forage.Or that they’re a response to population pressures, because there seem to be more of them as the population grows.”Tean ran a hand across the table.“I don’t know what I’m trying to say.”
“People are animals.Animals get fucked up in the head too.And we don’t know why.Is that about it?”
With a quiet laugh, Tean nodded.“I suppose so.”
“Then,” Jem said, “we’re back where we started?”
“Not exactly.If you’re correct that he didn’t kill her because she was trying to leave, then you’re also correct that there’s something strange here.Why did he kill her?”
