Autopsy of a Mind

Chapter 81: Extraordinary Piece of Footage

"His target was his classmate from law school, Irene McDuff. Surprisingly, the social vulnerabilities that we usually associate the victim of stalking with were absent in Irene. She was outgoing, intelligent, and well-liked. You could call her naive, though." Sebastian turned to her. 

"I know that look," I squinted at him. "I might not be outgoing or well-liked, but I am intelligent. I'm also very good at protecting myself. Don't worry about me," I said. 

"But as you can see, there are exceptions to the rule."

"Don't try to scare me," I scoffed. "And why is this a topic of conversation? I am not getting stalked."

Sebastian shrugged. "You don't have to worry. You don't really live alone for the most part. I'm with you, so you don't have to worry about such things."

I sighed. So, this was what this was about. I had a small inkling of what this man meant. 

"I already have hypervigilance issues, don't add to my problems," I told him blandly.

"Well, I can help you overcome it." I ignored that sentence. 

"Okay, continue with this," I pointed towards the laptop.

"Williams had asked her out on a date on their first time meeting each other. They had a mutual friend who would be leaving for college and they just happened to be studying on the same campus and department. She declined and wished to remain friends. It is evident that she was trying to soften the blow, but this is something that needs to be taught to girls and boys."

I had to sigh at that. This was what pissed me off. You are allowed to say no and not be polite. You are allowed to voice your concerns when you are uncomfortable. On the flip side of the coin, we also need to teach people that rejection is part of the process and pushing does no good.

"Irene informed her friends multiple times that she felt like someone had been in her apartment when she wasn't there. William, in actuality, had stolen a key to her apartment and had been freely moving in and out of her home when she wasn't there. There were also instances where he went in while she was sleeping. The police also found videos of her going about her normal day. The videos spanned over months and went up to 3 hours before the estimated time of her murder."

The police projected the image and thought that Williams had crept into her apartment in the wee hours of the morning and she had probably awoken from her sleep to see an intruder. He strangled her. From the tissues found under her nails, she put up a fight. The same marks resonated with marks on William's arms and shoulders. She was eventually overpowered and died of asphyxiation. He proceeded to dismember her body in the bathtub with a saw, cutting her into five pieces, placing each in a separate trash bag, and then disposed of each of them across the neighborhood. 

Yes, she knew this. Upon Sebastian's explanation, it made me wonder how far a person living in fantasy could go. How much worse could it get?

"Her friends grew concerned when she didn't show up to classes for two days and went to check her house. Williams had accompanied them. The friends told the police that nothing in her house was out of place. A missing person report was filed and a search commenced. Within a few hours, part of her body was found. The rest of her body was never recovered."

I flipped through the file to see the pictures of the scene. "The disposal method wasn't very advanced but that could be attributed to being engrossed in the fantasy. He must have later realized how bad the situation was."

"Yes, which was why they knew it was an act of passion of some sort. It was not a planned killing. The police began interviews now that the case was that of a murder. One of the interviews was with William Martin. They had spoken to Irene's friends before and had grown concerned over Irene's incessant fear of this man. He had seemed okay when he was coming in, cooperative and saddened by the news that her body was recovered.

"When the police had questioned him and gone through his phone, they had found the videos of him trespassing. At this point, the police could arrest him on minor charges.

"He was bewildered at first, but then quickly his demeanor changed when he found out his house would be searched by the police. It was a common procedure, the police had told him, but he was a student of law. He knew they were lying. What you will see next is the interrogation." I nodded. Sebastian pressed play and the image of a wild-haired man my age sitting inside an interrogation room flashed. 

"Alright, I will ask you a few questions. We've talked in the morning, so there is no need for introductions. You don't have any weapons on you, right?" The detective asked. He was a short and stout man with a southern accent. 

"No," William's voice was lethargic and he sounded almost robotic. 

The detective gave him a curious look and asked, "What's wrong with you, boy?"

Sebastian paused the video and explained what was happening to me. I was sure I looked beyond confused. "Apparently, the monotone behavior and one-word answers started post he was left behind and he knew his house had been searched. The suspect's conduct throughout the entire procedure is not only mystifying but almost impressive. This is one of the extraordinary pieces of footage you will ever see." And then he played the video. I watched in utter fascination as this man played the role of a catatonic yet creepy man.

"You know her?" the detective asked, producing a picture of the victim. 

"Yes."

"Who is it?" the man asked, trying to coax out more words from the suspect.

"Irene McDuff." At least he said two words, even if it was a name. 

"Were you her friend?" Okay, so here the detective was trying to make a clear connection between the suspect and the victim. This I had learned from the previous interrogation video.

"Yes."