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Cassie turned back to George and felt the color rise in her cheeks. “It’s a bit unorthodox.”
“I love unorthodox.” He leaned back in his seat. “Hit me.”
“I’m doing some research on my own, outside of work, and I’m stuck. I guess I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction?”
“I can do my best. What are you researching?”
Cassie braced herself. “Ritualistic sacrifice?”
George’s eyes sparkled and for a moment Cassie considered the idea that he saw through her farce and knew why she was asking him for help. “A fascinating subject.”
“Is it?”
“It’s part of why we enjoy Ms. Gentileschi’s work, isn’t it? Often violent and gruesome, but there’s a strange catharsis there. Art, whether it’s a painting or a book or a movie, is designed to tell us a story. We can relate to it in a myriad of ways. Art can invite us to join in on a celebration or it could warn us against danger. Old wives’ tales, for example, are an oral tradition that stem from real-life horrors. Urban legends might make us pause before we step out into the middle of the night for an evening stroll. Ritualistic sacrifice has been around for millennia. It’s nothing to glorify, but we as a global community continue to be fascinated by it. I think that’s human nature.”
“That makes me feel a little better,” Cassie admitted.
George smiled. “So, are we talking about human sacrifice according to the Aztec empire, or were you shooting for something more modern?”
Cassie felt sheepish. “I’m not sure. I feel like it could all apply.”
George was excited. “That’s true. One lays the foundation for the other. Did you know that it wasn’t until recently we discovered the Spanish accounts of Aztec sacrifice were true? Apparently, they would cut open the chests of their victims and offer their still-beating hearts to the gods. Sometimes they would consume parts of their bodies to be closer with their deities.”
“But why?” She knew this was the question entire groups of scholars spent lifetimes trying to answer. She decided to narrow it down. “What did their hearts symbolize?”
“The Aztecs considered the heart to be the seat of an individual, an important part of their personhood. Liberating this part and giving it to the gods was a great honor.”
“So, the sacrifices were voluntary?”
“Not always. It depended on the objective. Was a person offering themselves in sacrifice to a deity, or was someone sacrificing another person to their deity? It sounds like splitting hairs, but you can imagine the difference is extreme when you’re sitting at the sharp end of the knife.”
Cassie couldn’t argue with that. She was sure the three women killed over the last few weeks would agree. But Cassie couldn’t say for certain they had been ritualistically sacrificed. The detectives hadn’t found the hearts which was more significant than not.
“So,” Cassie wondered how long it would take George to catch on. “How has this ritualistic sacrifice transformed over the years?”
George leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “Different cultures have used human sacrifice for different reasons all throughout history. As you can imagine, modern society frowns upon such practices.”
“But it does still happen.”
“There are cults around the world that still believe in the power of human sacrifice.” George gave Cassie a significant look. “Many serial killers also conduct such a practice.”
“I’m not being as clever as I think, am I?”
“No, you’re not.” He tapped the side of his nose. “But, to your credit, I wouldn’t have connected the dots if it hadn’t been for your visitor the other day.”
Cassie hung her head. “Detective Harris. I’m sorry about that—”
He held up a hand. “There’s no need to apologize. You’re not in any trouble, are you?”
“No. She wanted to know if I had any insight into the killings given my prior, ah, experience.” George did not know about Cassie’s ability to see spirits, but he was aware of her connection to Novak. “I told her I didn’t know of anything that could help, but I haven’t been able to get the case out of my head since.”
George nodded sagely. “It is not always clear why serial killers act the way they do. I am by no means an expert here, although I don’t think it takes a genius to see that each person, each killer, has their own motive and ways of coping with trauma.”
“So, if a person were to, say, cut out someone’s heart and drain all their blood, what do you think their motive and trauma would be?”
George laughed. “I think that’s a question better suited for the police. But, if we’re considering this an act of ritualistic sacrifice, it could have several different meanings. A lot of cultures place great emphasis on certain organs as well as a person’s blood. The heart, for instance, is what keeps us alive, but it also represents love. People can die from a broken heart. The Aztecs also knew of its power, which is why they offered it to their gods. Its removal, I would imagine, could either represent a freeing of the victim’s personhood or love, or a punishment for those same two principles.”
“And the blood?” Cassie asked.
