Match Play

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Book: Read Match Play for Free Online
Authors: D. Michael Poppe
generally seventy-two. Depending on the sum of your scores on each hole you will either be par, under par, or over par. You add up your score for all the holes at the end of the round of eighteen holes and low score wins.
    “In match play, each hole is scored separately. If you are the low score on the hole you win the hole, but you win only that hole and you are said to be 1 up. If you lose, you are 1 down and the players move to the next hole. Then if the same player wins the next hole with a low score, he is 2 up. The player you are playing is 2 down because he lost both holes. Ties are carried over so no one wins if the scores on the hole are the same. If you are playing eighteen holes the first person to win the majority of holes is the winner. Example: Two players playing eighteen holes: Player A wins seven holes; Player B wins eight holes, and they tied on three holes. Player B, who won eight holes, wins the majority and wins match play.”
    “So, our killer is saying he won the hole and with a birdie?” Jackson’s eyes widen and he shakes his head with the realization. “We are 1 down.”
    “But if he’s playing match play, he has to win the majority of holes to win the match. Do we win if we catch him?” asks Detective Howard.
    “That’s right,” agrees Nancy. “If he is playing a typical eighteen hole match, and we don’t know that or the reason for the birdie, but if what we’ve surmised is correct, he is just beginning. We don’t know how to tie or win a hole.
    “As I said earlier, I can’t explain the placement of the breasts or the absence of the nipples. We found hairs on the bagged clothing, some did not belong to the victim, but without someone to compare them with they are as valueless as the prints. The rest of the golf equipment was of no help; the 3 iron had some blood residue that matches the victim. There is no evidence that she had been struck with it.”
    Nancy hesitates and takes a breath. “In my years with the Phoenix PD, we haven’t had too many cases exhibiting this kind of carnage. I have read the related literature and I will tell you what I believe. If as the evidence indicates, he is just getting started, there will be more killings until he is caught. As I said, he needs to win a majority of the holes to win the match, but the match could be nine, eighteen, thirty-six or even seventy-two holes. The planning, the cleanliness, the absence of evidence are all what you would expect from this type of killer.
    “In his mind, he is a hole ahead of us already. If his conception is realized, it will play out systematically and predictably, which may be the only chance of catching him. This is an individual who is twenty-five to forty years of age, intelligent, self-assured, and probably isolated socially. I would surmise from the crime scene that he is also a very compulsive individual. Everything is calculated, carefully orchestrated and executed with complete detachment and no remorse. One might compare it to a recurring sexual obsession: now that he has tasted the power, the omnipotence of the act, he will have to repeat it again and again.
    “The report on the knives is a perfect indication of this type of compulsiveness. ‘Sharp as scalpels’ is what I said. You can bet the killer’s tools are like religious relics, almost sacred; they have seen him through extraordinary circumstances. Believe me, he treats these knives with love, he trusts them. The crime isn’t about sex, it’s about power. He’s saying, ‘I can do whatever I want, and you can’t stop me.’ The crime and the contest are essential to him, everything else is secondary.” Nancy Cochran pauses, rubs her eyes, and stares directly at Detective Sharp. “I have concluded that the nipples are his trophies.”
    Detective Sharp stands and addresses the group. “We need to get this to VICAP as soon as possible. Does anyone have information not discussed here today?”
    Officer Barrios says, “The

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