Looking for two clues that become complementary in their step one solved form, I hit on "Touch-Tone" and "Four-H Club". If we assume that "H"="4" as it does on a touch-tone phone, and converting Jim's grid from alpha to numeric,
Code:
T I C T A C T O E
P E N S A C O L A
R E B E L Y E L L
G E R A L D I N E
T H R E E S O N S
G I L L E S P I E
M I C R O C H I P
F O U R H C L U B
S O U T H P A R K
T O U C H T O N E
becomes:
Code:
8 4 2 8 2 2 8 6 3
7 3 6 7 2 2 6 5 2
7 3 2 3 5 9 3 5 5
4 3 7 2 5 3 4 6 3
8 4 7 3 3 7 6 6 7
4 4 5 5 3 7 7 4 3
6 4 2 7 6 2 4 4 7
3 6 8 7 4 2 5 8 2
7 6 8 8 4 7 2 7 5
8 6 8 2 4 8 6 6 3
Does that get us anywhere? Actually, it does. Look at the first clue again; it says "Tic Tac Toe". What is the object of Tic Tac Toe? To get three in a row, of course. And so look at our numeric grid. There are six, count them, six instances where the same number is located three times in a row. Left to right, top to bottom, they are 3-3-4-6-8-4. Take those numbers, turn them back into letters, and what do you get?
"E-D-I-M-U-G". Ed, I mug.
It's simple, and it explains Quiksand's fascination with puzzles. He's a hardened criminal, toying with us by broadcasting his intentions to commit crimes against poor Ed. Who else do we know who announces their evil intentions in sadistic puzzles?
Serial killers.
It's a fact, folks. Quiksand's snapped and he's going to kill us all.
Well, 2/3 of us, anyway.
(The message actually spells "F-E-I-N-T-I". Feint, I. There's no puzzle, it's a sham...or a feint. Quiksand hasn't a clue what the answer is, just like the rest of us.
Well, 2/3 of us, anyway.)
Actually, dunno if a numeric grid makes sense at all, but there it is, if it helps anyone. I thought the touch-tone and 4-H thing made some sense while I was drifting off to sleep.