SMART CRIMINALS

by Deborah Elliott-Upton

Despite my last column, there are some smart criminals out there, too. Real life criminals evading the police include D. B. Cooper, who in November of 1971 hijacked a Boeing 727, held the passengers hostage, and received a $200,000 ransom before jumping from the airplane and quite literally disappearing into thin air.

Although there are many theories to his identity and cover-ups of the crime, even 121 years later, the case is still open for the infamous killer known to generations as Jack the Ripper.

Calling himself Zodiac, a serial killer responsible for at least five murders terrorized America with his encrypted letters sent to San Francisco newspapers. Playing with law enforcement, he bragged, “I like killing people because it is so much fun.” He has never been brought to justice.

Fiction has its own group of smart criminals. Edward D. Hoch’s Nick Velvet only steals things of no value (except to those paying Nick to recover them). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a worthy nemesis for the brilliant Sherlock Holmes with an equally intelligent Professor Moriarty. Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr is a successful thief who has learned how to stay out of jail.

When I consider great bad guys created by authors, the first that comes to mind is Hannibal Lecter. That character provided nightmares for a lot of people. Lecter did get caught, but we all know his escape at the end of the movie, “Silence of the Lambs” was one of its most chilling moments. It took Thomas Harris ten years to write the sequel and I don’t wonder why: Lecter probably kept Harris from good sleep, too. My favorite of the Harris books featuring Lecter was Red Dragon , though the doctor was as prominent a character as in Silence of the Lambs.

I have never met a person who didn’t think he could outsmart someone else for a profit. It always sounds like a winning proposition, which is probably how a lot of those dumb criminals are seduced into committing crimes.

At a writer’s workshop several years ago, former-criminal-investigator-turned-author Jeff C. Campbell asked us to divide into groups of four and prepare the perfect crime. As writers, we were already primed to use our imaginations in such a quest. Within fifteen minutes, our group had a surefire plan, but none of us committed the crime — except on paper. Too many things can go terribly wrong in criminal pursuits. The more people who are involved, the more likely someone will make a mistake. Even if the crime is carried out as planned, at least one member will talk to someone outside “the gang.” Very few criminals in Real Life get away with their crimes as those either in books or Reel Life aka the movies.

Personally, as a mystery writer, I enjoy planning the crimes, creating the criminals but, I’m not much for violence or the sight of blood. I think maybe that makes me a bit smarter, if somewhat less wealthy than any “wise guy” out there. I’ll have to make my money the old fashioned way and earn it.