Kelly studied the transcripts for each of the five murders and highlighted the Acid Man’s remarks that directly or indirectly referenced literature or history. There were only a few. She wrote them down on her notepad. Fuck Slate, she was taking these notes home.

1. “You are a temptress and a harlot. The fires of Pompeii could not cleanse your flesh.”

2. “You are the worst of all traitors, the Judas of females. No amount of suffering would atone for your sins.”

3. “Juliet accidentally betrayed her husband by stabbing herself in the heart. But your betrayal was deliberate. It is right your heart should burst.”

4. “You are Guinevere. You don’t care that Camelot is ruined.”

She was supposed to develop a profile with this? None of his references were obscure. The Last Days of Pompeii, the Bible, Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur and the Round Table—everyone knew these stories. It was not as if the Acid Man pretended to have a Ph.D.

Why did he ask Teri if she wanted a glass of milk?

He had asked two of the others the same thing.

Kelly watched the DVD six more times. Despite their duct-taped mouths, she merely had to close her eyes to imagine the victim’s screams. The pain increased with each viewing. It was worse that she could not hear the victim’s final cries. They all died without being given a chance to curse their tormentor.

Kelly tried to relate the four books mentioned. Each was filled with heroes and villains. But of what use were her academic theories in the face of such a monster? There was betrayal in each story. Yet the Juliet reference was curious because Juliet was the classic devotee. She had died because she could not bear to live without her husband. True, the Acid Man did not condemn her, but he did mention her name in the context of his rant about betrayal. Kelly found the inconsistency odd, especially considering his high intelligence.

How could the FBI have failed to locate a single murder site? No one was that thorough, and they had the videos to identify the places. But it was possible Slate had not lied on that point. The Acid Man kept the furnishings sparse, the clues to a minimum. He might have changed the furniture completely from when he had rented the houses. Kelly worked on the assumption they were rentals. Except for their austerity, none of the rooms resembled each other.

How would such a monster dispose of the bodies? He clearly did not want them displayed as trophies, which was a major break from most serial killers. She wondered if he was drawn to return to the places of murder. That would be classic behavior, yet she doubted that was the case with him. His mission was what mattered. He had to cleanse the world of cheating wives. Missions were also classic. He was a deviant but he was not off the chart.