Inside the Mind of BTK

72 INSIDE THE MIND OF BTK
BTK’s method of killing appeared to be evolving. Instead of
becoming more cautious, as one might have expected, he was taking
more chances. His crime scenes revealed a high degree of organization,
and he still seemed to be planning out his murders, but he’d begun
developing a new skill. He now appeared comfortable with the idea of
improvising when one of his victims didn’t show up, which is what led
to Shirley Vian’s death. What I couldn’t explain was the source of this
impulsiveness. Was it born out of an inability to control his homicidal
urges, of grandiose thinking, or of just plain carelessness?
Then again, was it something else, something none of us in the
criminology business had encountered before? My twenty-minute-old
sense of calmness and composure began to evaporate. There was just
so much I didn’t know, so many unanswered questions. What on earth
could have compelled the UNSUB to tackle such high-risk targets in
the middle of the day? It didn’t make sense.
Yet.