BAXTER, RODERICK (1965 - ) Blackmailer, poisoner. Throughout his school career, Baxter bragged about his connection to the soup dynasty of the same name to which he was tenuously related. He endlessly extolled the virtues of Baxter's products while apportioning rival brands with unedifying descriptions, summoning images of vomit and botulism. His schoolmates found his fixation peculiar, but learned to humour him: ferociously loyal to the 'family' business, he was once suspended from school after reacting violently to being duped into complimenting the flavour of a Campbell's soup which had been presented to him in a Baxter's tin. "I hate Campbells," he seethed while mauling the perpetrator of the prank. This was the first instance of the type of over-reaction that would recur throughout his subsequent career.

On leaving school, Baxter wrote to his 'parent' company seeking a placement. He was mortally offended, however, when offered a menial position in the staff kitchen. After two weeks of drudgery and repeated warnings to desist from attempting to enter the boardroom, he was dismissed after being caught in the act of spitting into a pot of beans being prepared for his co-workers' lunch. His appeal for a personal audience with the directors was rejected and, after a twenty four hour delay caused by his barricading himself into the executive toilet, he was escorted from the premises.

As any experienced investigator will concur, a fantasist is at his most dangerous in the immediate aftermath of disillusion. Embittered by what he perceived as unfair treatment, Baxter embarked upon a poison pen campaign, randomly targeting Baxters he found in the phone book, many of whom had no connection to the food group. At the same time, he started placing doctored tins of Baxter's produce on the shelves of his local supermarket. Thankfully, the introduction of foreign materials was so clumsily executed that the adulterated tins were almost immediately spotted and other stores were alerted. Baxter, meanwhile, oblivious to the fact that his handiwork had already been spotted, wrote to Baxter's informing them of the doctored tins and his intention of continuing his campaign regardless of any financial inducement to desist. It was, he concluded, "a matter of principle."

Analysis of the tampered tins revealed the introduction of various pernicious ingredients including urine and cleaning fluid. Despite the ineptitude of the contamination, Baxter's were left with no choice but withdraw over five thousand tins of soup. Any sense of jubilation enjoyed by Baxter, however, was short lived. In writing to Baxter's, while taking care not to leave prints, he had made no effort to disguise his handwriting. A straightforward comparison of his declaration of malicious intent with his original job application was sufficient to bring about his apprehension.

 

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