He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 27

27. The Probability of Him Being a Serial Killer

“Lady Murray sent a letter?”

“Yes, sir.”

After more than a week without any news, Lady Murray, feeling impatient, seemed to have contacted me first.

“Here’s the letter.”

“Thank you.”

Upon opening the wax-sealed letter, as expected, it was filled with details about her son’s marriage prospects.

‘I was about to send a message saying that introductions would be difficult, so this worked out well.’

Moreover, with the Burns case currently occupying my mind, it seemed best to send a rejection letter quickly.

‘I feel sorry for the Murray couple, but I can’t introduce Gavin Murray to anyone else.’

Swish – Swish –

Tae-oh finished the letter, stating that he couldn’t proceed with the matchmaking because he couldn’t find a suitable person.

Then, he picked up the stationery Lady Murray had sent and checked the return address.

‘Lord Murray’s home address is…’

But, at that moment.

‘!’

A familiar word caught Tae-oh’s eye.

‘…Beckenham?’

The address on the letter read ‘Beckenham.’

He seemed to have heard it briefly when they first met, but he hadn’t paid attention and didn’t remember it properly.

Tae-oh’s widened eyes quickly moved to the murder locations he had marked on the map earlier.

‘Croydon, Bromley… Beckenham… Beckenham!’

The area of ‘Beckenham’ was definitely within the circle marking the serial killer’s movements.

‘What is this… ominous feeling?’

The moment Tae-oh saw the place name ‘Beckenham’ on the stationery sent by Lady Murray, Gavin Murray, Lord Murray’s son, suddenly popped into his head.

However, Tae-oh soon shook his head.

‘What ridiculous thoughts am I having? Was the matchmaking client the serial killer I’ve been chasing? No, it can’t be. Just because they live in the same area, I’m having these suspicions. What are the odds of that? It’s absurd.’

Tae-oh had worked harder than anyone to avoid biases and subjectivity when conducting psychological therapy.

Yet, he was rashly connecting someone he had only met briefly to being a psychopathic serial killer.

‘Right, not everyone with strong psychopathic tendencies becomes a criminal…’

But, contrary to his rational judgment, his instincts kept leaning in a different direction.

‘Hmm, but… just looking at the probabilities, what are the chances that a psychopath like Gavin Murray exists in this small area?’

According to research, psychopaths or those exhibiting psychopathic tendencies account for only about 1% of the world’s population.

Interpreting this conversely, the probability of a psychopath living near London, England, is extremely low.

Yet, Tae-oh happened to know one of them.

‘Gavin Murray’s behavior during our first meeting clearly indicated a high level of psychopathic tendencies.’

In modern times, the PCL-R [Psychopathy Checklist-Revised] is used to measure psychopathy.

This test consists of 20 items, with a maximum score of 40.

A score of 25 or higher indicates psychopathic tendencies, and many psychopathic criminals who have caused significant social problems score 30 or higher.

Gavin Murray often felt bored, was skilled at lying and deception, and showed very little remorse. Considering his subtle boasting and high level of hatred towards his parents, his PCL-R score was estimated to be at least 25.

‘Gavin Murray, with his high psychopathic tendencies, happens to live in Beckenham, where four serial murders have occurred… Wouldn’t it be stranger not to be suspicious?’

Multiple coincidences can mean that it is not a coincidence at all.

As someone who had directly witnessed Gavin Murray’s strong psychopathic tendencies, Tae-oh couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

After much deliberation, Tae-oh crumpled up the letter he had written to Lady Murray.

‘Too… unsettling. I think I need to go there myself. And if I meet Gavin again, something might come up.’

Tae-oh decided to go to the Murray estate tomorrow.

***

The next day, early in the morning.

Clatter. Clatter.

As the carriage headed towards Beckenham, where the Murray estate was located, Tae-oh’s mind was filled with thoughts about the serial killer.

But whenever he thought about the serial killer, Gavin Murray came to mind.

The fact that Gavin Murray kept being associated with the serial murders in and around Beckenham was quite perplexing for Tae-oh.

‘In the end, I’m going all the way to Gavin’s house because of my suspicions… Am I being too hasty in my suspicions because of the psychopathic tendencies he showed during the carriage accident?’

Although he had conducted a psychological analysis of Gavin Murray, it was only a brief assessment to find a marriage partner.

Moreover, there was a possibility that he had formed an exaggerated misunderstanding because he was too focused on the Burns case.

However, given the clear signs that the serial killings were committed by a psychopath, he couldn’t avoid visiting Gavin Murray, who had strong psychopathic tendencies and lived in the area where the murders occurred.

‘Right… No matter how I think about it, it’s statistically unlikely that there are multiple people with that level of psychopathic tendencies in this small area.’

To resolve his current biased suspicions, he needed to visit Beckenham and meet Gavin Murray again.

If he met him again, he planned to examine him carefully, focusing on the aspects of criminal psychology. That would make things a little clearer.

‘The aristocratic jury verdict on Lord Burns is not far off. If I don’t hurry, the lord will have no way to avoid an unjust death.’

18th-century England was a society with very poor scientific investigation techniques and procedural rationality in trials.

As a result, it was easy for the wrong person to be framed unless there was solid physical evidence or a confession from the real culprit.

Antony Burns was also in a situation where he was unable to move, caught in the unjust snare of being the murderer of his great-uncle.

Fortunately, the records kept by the barrister, Mr. Wilson, revealed at least some of the real killer of Earl Burns.

In the case of Antony Burns, who was accused of murdering the Earl, records confirmed that he had traveled abroad during the period of 3 out of the 9 murders, and he had solid alibis for most of the remaining 6 murders.

If it could be revealed that the 9 murders and the murder of the 10th Earl were serial killings committed by the same person, Antony Burns could be cleared of the unjust charges.

The problem is that no matter how much Tae-oh insists that it is a serial murder with only the data from the primary investigation records, it cannot be recognized in court that the 9 cases and the 10th Earl’s murder were crimes committed by the same person.

‘There is no other way than to find the real culprit as soon as possible. That is the only way to save Antony Burns.’

Clatter. Clatter.

Psychopaths often have genetically low empathy and highly aggressive ‘warrior genes’ because the functions of the frontal and temporal lobes are hardly developed from birth.

These tendencies are easily noticeable to the people around them, such as parents, nannies, servants, and friends, who have lived with them since childhood, so it is possible to confirm.

However, just because someone exhibits psychopathic tendencies in childhood does not mean that they will all become heinous criminals.

Only a very small number of those with psychopathic tendencies choose the path of a criminal.

According to research, in order for a psychopath to become a terrible criminal, one more crucial factor is absolutely necessary in addition to genetic tendencies.

That is the experience of special violence or abuse experienced in childhood.

Tae-oh, who is convinced that the Earl Burns murder case was committed by a psychopath, had a desire as a psychologist to confirm the environment in which Gavin Murray grew up.

This is also the reason for going directly to Lord Murray’s house.

“Sir, we have entered Beckenham.”

“······.”

Clatter. Clatter.

Tae-oh’s heart was endlessly uneasy and anxious as he looked out at the scenery of Beckenham from the swaying carriage.

◈ Beckenham, Lord Murray’s House.

Woah- Woah-

The Murray estate, which [Tae-oh] arrived at a few hours later, was a fairly large and antique mansion.

It seemed comparable to most Earl families.

I could understand why a wealthy Lady was greedy for a noble daughter-in-law who enjoyed a high position.

As Tae-oh’s carriage passed through the well-kept garden and stopped in front of the entrance, he noticed servants busily wiping the floor.

And behind them, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the butler was urging the black servants.

“Johnson! The bloodstains are still clear. Wipe it again! Peter, redo the soil in that flower bed!”

The bloodstains, which stretched long to the end of the floor, seemed to have darkened over time, but there were still clear marks here and there.

‘Judging from their indifferent expressions, it doesn’t seem to be human blood, but animal blood. If Gavin Murray did this, it would be a real jackpot.’

One of the behaviors often seen in psychopathic killers is animal abuse.

Psychopaths, who lack empathy, do not feel the pain or suffering of animals at all.

Instead, they get excited by the sight of animals dying.

If Gavin Murray really did such a thing, Tae-oh’s suspicion would inevitably increase even more.

At that time, the middle-aged man who seemed to be the butler approached Tae-oh and asked.

“How may I help you?”

“Yes. I am Theo Sanderson from London. Lord Murray entrusted me with his son’s marriage problem, and I have something to tell him about it, so I came to visit him directly.”

“Ah, yes. Then please wait a moment. I will inform the Lord.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After a while, the returning butler guided Tae-oh into the house.

*

Lord Murray’s mansion felt the passage of time, but it was clear at a glance that it was a well-built house with expensive materials.

The interior was very neatly organized, as if it had been newly constructed, and unlike the antique exterior of the building, the interior was full of sophisticated and luxurious French style from the late 18th century. It seemed to reflect the Lady’s taste.

Further inside, Lord Murray and his wife and three daughters were waiting in the living room.

“Oh, Mr. Sanderson? What brings you here so suddenly?”

“I received a letter yesterday. I was about to send a reply, but I happened to be passing by here, so I stopped by directly.”

“Haha, is that so? Anyway, welcome. Please come in.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Tae-oh entered the living room and looked around diligently.

But Gavin Murray was nowhere to be seen.

Tae-oh, who greeted the three daughters with the Lord’s introduction, asked.

“But, I don’t see your son?”

“Yes, he has some business to attend to.”

It was a disaster. Tae-oh was about to ask when he would be back, but he stopped, thinking he would be back soon.

“Mr. Sanderson, please sit here.”

“Yes.”

Tae-oh sat facing Lord Murray on a sofa in one corner of the living room.

The Lady and her three daughters sat on the other sofa, chatting.

“But Lord? When I came in, I saw bloodstains on the floor. Did something big happen last night?”

Tae-oh asked with a somewhat worried expression, but Lord Murray replied nonchalantly.

“Oh, no. It’s nothing. A stray dog came into the house and ruined the flower bed and tried to bite our hunting dog, so our son killed it. Those are the bloodstains from that time. Our son cherishes the hunting dog very much, and he must have been too desperate because it tried to bite it.”

‘!’

Tae-oh’s heart suddenly pounded as his worst expectations were confirmed.

Tae-oh praised the Lord with an effort to maintain a calm face.

“Oh my, you have a hunting dog? Then, do you enjoy hunting with your son?”

In late 18th-century England, hunting was a symbol of status and power.

In order to hunt, a ‘hunting license’ recognized by the country was required, and this hunting license was mostly recognized only for royalty or wealthy aristocrats.

“Haha, yes. I’ve been taking him with me since he was young, and he hunts well, unlike what he looks like.”

At that time, the Lady, who was sitting at a distance with her daughters, frowned and snapped.

“It’s not nothing! Whenever a stray dog comes in, Gavin takes a knife and acts so scary that all the servants are terrified, right?

Isn’t it because you let him enjoy hunting so freely that he does such cruel things?”

Then, Lord Murray flared up.

“If I had entrusted Gavin’s education entirely to you, he would probably be more frustrating and stupid than he is now. At least I taught him to hunt, so he became more manly.”

“Humph, why does the child who is said to have improved behave like that? On the contrary, it seems to me that his personality has become more violent.”

Lord Murray ignored his wife as if her words were not worth listening to and proudly boasted to Tae-oh.

“Mr. Sanderson. The first thing I taught that weakling to catch while teaching him to hunt was a fox. On the first day of the hunt, the hunting dogs chased after a fox that was bleeding and running away like crazy, and everyone followed.

But this fox was so fast and good at hiding that everyone was flustered, but wouldn’t you know it, my son grabbed the fox’s neck all by himself and watched it?

When I asked him how he found the fox that even experienced hunters and hunting dogs had missed, he said that the smell of blood seemed to be dancing in his nose?

Hahaha, I liked his manly appearance for the first time then. I was so happy because the guy who was always passive like a girl showed a talent for hunting without fear. Hahaha.”

“······.”

To the Lord, his son’s appearance may have seemed manly and brave, but Gavin Murray’s behavior was typical of a psychopath.

Psychopaths are extremely self-centered, and their primary desires are very strong.

Therefore, the visual desire to watch animals bleeding and dying, the auditory desire to hear them groaning as they die, and the tactile desire to touch their bodies as the blood drains and they cool down are abnormally strong.

Gavin Murray was probably extremely excited by the red color and the smell of blood gushing from the body of the fox that was shot and running away.

‘Everything is fitting together in an absurd way. Gavin Murray seems to have been equipped with psychopathic tendencies and grown into a criminal psychopath in a dangerous environment.’

But that doesn’t mean he can be immediately identified as the Earl’s murderer.

There was something more to find out for sure.

‘I have to find out where Gavin Murray was when the murders occurred. I have to break Gavin Murray’s alibi.’

Tae-oh now considered it fortunate that Gavin Murray was not here.