“Yes, in that regard, I guess I have had some experience. And perhaps you're right to work a theory connected with what the popular press is calling the turn of 'true millennium.' I know we Americans are overanxious about it. The teen suicide rate more than doubled at the turn of 2000. I shudder to think it will triple with the turn of 2001. Teens are routinely carrying guns and other weapons to schools, many out of paranoia. Unfortunately, we often downplay the force of change-especially technological change-and the anxiety it breeds. But also this fear of a major shift in time.”
“People are struggling, searching to make sense of a fundamentally unsteady world, a changing, evolving world,” Richard agreed.
“What you said about the millennium is perhaps more true than you know. Historically speaking, any major event brings on a certain return to fundamental fears in mankind. Any turning of a century brings out his fears and frailties. He falls back on the primal urges, the primitive brain mechanisms that aren't so different than those of lizards, alligators, and other carnivores-those flee or fight mechanisms. And if that's true of the usual, run-of-the-mill turn of the century, then it's likely to be exacerbated by something as momentous as the new millennium. It's even exacerbated by the fact that nothing momentous occurred New Year's Eve 2000. So now the prophesies and millennial fears logically flip-flop to the year 2001, which experts tell us is in fact the actual turn of the thousand years.”
“You realize there's a great deal of meat on that mutton. We must pick at it a good deal more to get to the bone,” he agreed. “Historically speaking, the turn of any century sees an intensified unrest with panics, revolutions, and wars.”
“You think the Crucifier is acting out of some reaction to the new age, the year 2001, then?”
He nodded several times, his jaw set, eyes stem and penetrating. “1 think it quite possible, yes. I've read some history, and I've spoken with Luc Sante about the possibility. As it happens, since at least the 1490s, the century ending has normally meant speeded-up events, history and consciousness in the Western world.”
“And the added religious and cultural dimension of this being the millennium to Christianity…” she mused.
He picked up her thread of thought and added, “Should triple if not quadruple the impact of the year 2001. Just as for so many cults and cult leaders, the year 2000 itself fueled fantastic beliefs and practices. We had quite a show of them in London, as reported by the tabloids.”
“Predictable enough. Anyone could claim psychic powers who has studied the history of mankind and its mistakes. Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes. We in America, too, were innundated with millennial madness both approaching and at the turn of the year 2000. Considering history-and the compression of this period in time, 2000 to 2001… Well, we're certain to see an intensifying of the end-of-world, apocalypse-now, end-of-century pandemonium multiplied.”
“As I said, it's been true of past '90s, from 1490 to 1890. There's ample evidence in the history books that turn-of-the-century fears have brought on revolutions and wars, or have accelerated wars, as in both the 1690s and 1790s. The French Revolution began in 1789, and by the 1800s had turned into the Napoleonic wars. Early twentieth century wars from St. Petersburg and Constantinople to Vienna and Berlin began in the tumult and terrorism of the 1890s.”
“Luc Sante told you all this?”
“No, he simply got me thinking, and I rummaged about my memory of what I've read. History's something of a fascination for me. It's so littered with stress-anxiety in general but characterized mostly as panic before the turn of the century.”
“We've already seen plenty of tumult and terrorism in our own wounded, hurting decade,” she readily agreed. “The 1980s to the 1990s have been filled with horrors of all sorts.” Jessica looked deeply into Richard's sea-green eyes, losing herself there for a moment. She thought how he proved as sharp as his name. In the light of day, even where they were in the morgue below the crime lab, Jessica felt her fleeting suspicions and doubts surrounding Richard were so foolish that she wished to die at having ever entertained them even for the flashing moment. She wondered if there could ever come a time in their relationship when she could jokingly tell him about her paranoia. She rather doubted it. She also wondered what it said about her. How had she become such a suspicious shrew?
“I shall hope to see you at end of day, then. It appears you have your hands rather full here,” he said, looking on as she had lifted the viscera from the rib cage.
She half smiled and said, “I'll look for you after I've closed.”
“And I shall look forward to it.” And he was gone.
James Parry could take himself and his newfound love and go to hell, she thought. At the same instant, she chastised herself for the uncharacteristic thought. Once again she thought of lines from Shakespeare's Mid-Summer Night's Dream and how rankled and insane love had made her. Still she did not wish Richard Sharpe to be “revenge” for Parry spuming her. She wasn't about to play that part. In fact, her mind actively fought the notion. She simply wanted to appreciate Sharpe's company. Richard Sharpe, a former colonel and a Scotland Yard inspector, courting her. Now that was something to write home to her therapist about. A smile serenely danced across her lips, for the thought made her momentarily dreamy-eyed: just long enough for Schuller's man, Raehael, to quizzically wonder what had gotten into Dr. Jessica Coran.
Jessica determined that her affinity for the Scotland Yard inspector to be completely genuine, and not some facile remnant of anger toward Parry. In fact, she felt nothing glib, cursory, trite, superficial, or insincere with regard to Sharpe; nothing elementary, apparent, simple, or obvious. Instead, a plethora of complex and confusing feelings proved to culminate in a pleasant acceptance of her admiration of Sharpe. She quieted her thoughts of Richard, returning attention once more to the fourth victim of the Crucifier's cross.
As she did so, Jessica wondered if new DNA testing with laser light to detect trace elements of DNA left on the victim's body from someone in close contact might be of help here. It had recently been shown that humans indeed secreted far more DNA through touch alone than believed, leaving trace elements of DNA on telephones, pens, desktops, anything they touched. She asked Dr. Al-Zadan Raehael if he had the capability at the Yard to run such a test, supposing they could locate and lift the killer's DNA off the dead woman's hands or feet, where the killer had held them down to stake them, or on her lips, for example, where the killer, using the micro brand on her tongue, would have left DNA traces, had the killer failed to use surgical gloves. The killer knew about Brevital and he used precision. Might he be a doctor himself?
“We have the laser equipment and the DNA testing equipment, yes. DNA testing began in Leicestershire County, not far from here, Doctor. Where that fiend killed all those little girls in Narborough, Littiethorpe, and Enderbury.”
She recalled the famous case. Author Joseph Wambaugh chronicled it in his book The Blooding, which not only recounted both the discovery of genetic fingerprint testing through DNA analysis in Dr. Alec Jeffreys's laboratory in 1986, but the first official use of genetic fingerprinting to resolve a murder investigation and put a killer away for life.
“In that case, let's test her hands, feet, and lips for any traces of DNA not hers.”
“At the point of each wound, that's clear enough,” replied Dr. Raehael.