Theadore Vance

Theadore Vance is the main antagonist of the Alex Cross novel, I, Alex Cross. Vance is the spouse of female president of the US Maggie Vance. "Zeus" is Vance's alias as a serial rapist and mutilating killer of escorts at service "Blacksmith Farms", in the crosshairs of Alex Cross after raping and butchering Cross' niece, Caroline, the only daughter of his dead brother Blake. Vance raped and killed all the women and girls for seeing Vance's face. Cross and his girlfriend, FBI Agent Bree Stone investigate in Richmond, VA. Cross is devastated to find she was mangled in a chipper and found in a trunk of an organized crime thug. Finding out she has extensive high-end lingerie, Cross tracks her escort services to the agency, found in Culpeper, soon after hearing about "Zeus", a black masked popular client. All the while, Maggie and the Secret Service demand Cross stop and turn over the investigation, but Cross resiliently persists. Cross follows on a country farmer, who reveals, along with her when Cross finds her, the farmer mended an escort's wounds when she escaped Zeus and was shot in the back and ran over to his property. The escort reveals Theadore Vance as the killer, which reveals in turn Maggie and the Secret Service were trying to smother it for the administration and permit Theo's crimes. Theo's never brought to justice, as to protect the reputation of the country, Dan Cormorant murders Theo, leading Secret Service agents to shoot him dead, burying the serial killings for good.