Catherine Deane

Living… inside people's minds. By using the Neurological Cartography and Synaptic Transfer System, Catherine can get a highly detailed map of the human mind. The system, as explained to her, “reads and processes electronically, allowing information to be transferred and interrupted.” She can stay inside a person’s internal monologue for as long as necessary.

Profession… child psychologist, tasked withentering the mind of a serial killer named Stargher in order to determine the location of his last victim. The authorities believe his most recent target is not yet dead, but trapped in a mechanism that will drown her before long if she’s not found. Stargher's neurological system was infected by a virus in utero, after which it laid dormant for about 30 years. While symptoms may have surfaced prior to his recent kills, it has now emerged in full force. He has no ties to reality or awareness of others. In short, he is a literal sociopath who must be stopped.

Interests… finding out the legal implications of her task. Stargher is in custody, but he’s also in a coma. He’s yet to be read his Miranda rights and does not have the capacity to waive those rights. The result is a dilemma between saving a possible victim and breaching the Constitutional rights of the suspect. Their only recourse in this case is the Public Safety Exception.  

Relationship Status… complicated, to say the least. Being in Stargher’s twisted dreamscape had unexpected effects. Her professional relationship with Special Agent Peter Novak may have crossed the line, but given the extreme circumstances, the fallout from their encounter may be minimal.

Challenge… saving Stargher's victim from the cell. Each tape they receive from the cell, a glass enclosure that is slowly filling with water, is the same. He’s providing the basic necessities for the victim in a strict regimen, keeping her alive until the water raises high enough to drown her. He seems to want the victims to think they are a part of a normal kidnapping and that rescue or survival are possible. In truth, this may be his cruelest tactic, his greatest act of torture.

Personality… empathetic. Catherine’s always been driven by her desire to understand people. What better way than to literally enter their heads? But the more she learns, the more questions arise. Even Stargher, a monster, has an innocent child dwelling inside him. Should the terrible things he has done – and is doing – make him undeserving of rights, or even pity?