The Tower

"But not always," Jade agreed. "I just don't think it fits. I think the positioning of the bodies mocks what he perceives to be the parents' hypocrisy. He left them as he sees them: blind to the truth, but going through the motions as if everything's all right."

"Let's talk about Allander's parents."

"No serial killer's profile is complete without them."

"Abusive, neglecting, violent?"

"Kind, normal, healthy," Jade said.

"That's a first."

"Literally."

"What gives? Does it all have to do with his molester?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

Jade crunched another piece of ice and spat it back out into the cup. "I think he's just fucked."

"That's your professional opinion?"

Jade nodded. "I think he was fucked before that even happened. I think the problem was already there; the molester just brought it to life."

He glanced at his watch. "I'm heading up to Ressler to interview the prison shrink."

Travers was quiet.

"I guess you can come," he said. "Just try not to talk too much."

"Won't be hard with you around."

Chapter 31

T H E Ressler Institute's main building was mostly experimentation labs and classrooms. The doctors themselves enjoyed a small cluster of offices a few blocks away. It looked almost like a park; thin walkways threaded around open quads filled with lush vegetation. Beside the complex, a small brook made its way over a bed of gray rocks pushed into the soil.

A thick wooden directory stuck out of the pavement beside the parking lot. Jade ran his finger down it until he saw the listing he wanted: "Dr. Kim Tai Yung. Ph. D. A-18."

"Looks like we're here," Travers said as Jade strode up the narrow walkway and barged into the waiting room. He was a practiced barger, Travers thought as she followed him in, realizing she actually admired him for it.

He walked past several children reading Highlights for Kids and Dr. Seuss, and banged on the glass partition separating the receptionist from the waiting room.

The woman slid the glass over and peered out angrily.

"I need to see Dr. Yung. Now," Jade said, flashing his badge.

"Do you have any idea what his schedule is like this week?"

"Do you have any idea how little I care?"

Her head reared back. "Well, he's in with a patient. You can't just-"

"I can just whatever I want. And I suggest-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Travers said, sidestepping Jade as she pulled him back by his elbow. "We're FBI, you see, and we're in the middle of an intense manhunt. I realize that the doctor must have a tight schedule, but we really need to see him as soon as possible."

"Immediately," Jade added.

The receptionist glared at Jade, then turned a smile to Travers. "I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you," Travers said.

The kids in the waiting room stared uneasily at them. After a minute, a young East Asian man led a small boy who had been crying out into the waiting room, where a concerned mother folded him in her arms. Jade rolled his eyes.

"Hey, pal," Jade said to him. "We need to get in now to see the doctor."

The Asian man wore a pair of corduroys and a pin-striped shirt with no tie, unbuttoned at the top. A pair of silver-framed glasses perched neatly on his nose. His hair was slightly disheveled, but it didn't look messy. Jade calculated the man to be in his early twenties.

The man chuckled softly. "And everyone's schedules should bow to your needs?" he asked. "The doctor spends weeks working with children to get them to the point of catharsis. The point which you so gracelessly interrupted."

"Well, why don't you tell the doctor we'll make it up to him later. I'm sure he'll forgive us," Jade said.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"And why not?"

"Because I'm the doctor. And I have an unforgiving nature."

Travers closed her eyes. Jade looked over at her, than back at the doctor. "You'll have to excuse my colleague," Travers said. "If it's any consolation, I have to work with him."

Dr. Yung smiled and nodded at her gently. "I can imagine it's quite taxing."

He ushered them down a hallway and into an office.

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Jade whispered roughly to Travers. "He looks like he's not old enough to shave."

Although the room they entered was dark, it didn't have a heaviness to it. An open window allowed a breeze to move through the room, carrying with it the smell of the foliage outside. Jade and Travers sat down on a brown leather couch, and the doctor took his place on a large, comfortable chair.

A poster of the yin and yang symbol hung on the wall behind Jade and Travers. In the darkness of the yin curled an immense dragon with red and orange limbs unfurled. Its glaring eye doubled as the white circle of the symbol.

Dr. Yung cleared his throat and spoke, hiding whatever anger he might feel under the calmness of his voice. "Needless to say, I hope that the matter before us is an important one."

"We're here about Allander Atlasia. I'm Jade Marlow. I'm in charge of the investigation."

"Yes." The doctor leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "My office manager mentioned something about your waving a badge."