He seemed like a nice guy, you know, quiet, sort of kept to himself.

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When asked for a description neighbors would say “Oh, I don’t know, sort of medium build, average height, sort of sandy maybe light brown hair, plain clothes and shoes, never see him with a hat, I guess that’s about it”. “Anything else, friends, frequent visitors”.?“ “No, can’t recall any.

He seemed like a nice guy, you know, quiet, sort of kept to himself.

“Mmm, well if you think of anything, here’s my card, give me a call”.

Serial killers, gangsters, thieves, and predators of every spot and stripe prefer to blend sensibly into the background. I met one such at a party. I was in my early twenties and knew only a few of those at the party.

He was introduced to me as Bill Jones, or maybe Sam Smith, or maybe some other unmemorable name that was probably not his own. From overheard conversation I learned he was a professional thief. His specialty was stealing cars to order. His customers would provide him with a slip of paper naming brand, model, and preferred color. Some not very long time later just that sort of car would be delivered, complete with proper papers.

I don't know how this was all done. There must have been some larger organization beyond himself. He may not even have done the stealing himself. His role may have been only “rain-maker”, as it’s often put in other sales businesses. He brought in the order. The rest was left to the larger organization.

Nonetheless, he was a criminal, as were the people he took the original order from.

If caught, he couldn’t be charged with Grand Theft Auto, authorities would have to settle for Aiding & Abetting, or some other lesser charge. I imagine he may have thought of himself as businessman rather than criminal. Prettifying predation as, just business, is common. If a lion were accused of eating an antelope he would say, ”of course I ate him, I’m a lion”.

Lions, professional criminals and criminal organizations agree on that. Their crime does not trouble their conscience. Perhaps, like lions, they weren’t born with a conscience, or maybe, the conscience they were born with was primitive, stunted, or maybe malfunctioning.

Psychologists prefer malfunction as explanation for humans and primitive for lions.

I’m not so sure of that. Predators, whether human or animal don’t seem to be primitive or malfunctioning in any way other than conscience. Also, they are loyal to their tribe of thieves or pride, or pack. That shows some kind of conscience. They’re certainly not stupid, they all recognize the value of blending into the background.

That’s true, too, of the most mysterious of all predators, the serial killer. Psychologists trot out their usual explanation, an abusive troubled childhood. I’m unconvinced. Thousands of people have abusive troubled childhoods, very, very few, become serial killers.

There must be a different explanation, if explication is possible.

Lions and thieves kill to purpose, for money, for food.

Serial killers kill for . . . what? Nobody really knows, not even themselves. They’re like demonic apparitions that spring without notice, for no apparent reason at all.

Thieves and killers that seem to be just regular guys.

Some might even live next door.

By K. L. Shipley

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