“Actually,” McAdams said, “I was planning to go into the city on Saturday. Call me when you get there, and we can interview everyone together.”
Rina said, “What’s the occasion?”
“I want to pay my siblings a visit.”
“That’s very nice of you, Tyler. I’m sure your siblings would love to see you.”
McAdams smiled sadly. “Maybe.” He picked up the coffee cup on his desk. “For me?”
“Yep,” Rina said.
“Thank you.” McAdams helped himself to food from the cooler and put it in a paper bag. “This looks great, Rina.”
“Take whatever you want.”
“I’m fine.” McAdams smiled. “See you tomorrow, Rabbi.”
“See you tomorrow.” After he left, Decker said, “Did you know that Tyler has a brother with Down syndrome?”
“I did know. Chucky. I suppose this case is getting to him personally.”
Decker wrinkled his brow. “When did he tell you?”
“About two years ago.”
Silence. “He told you and not me?”
“It wasn’t like that. I was going down to visit the family, and Tyler asked me to bring Chucky some Boston Celtics paraphernalia from the NBA store. Chucky is a big Celtics fan.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Not really. It’s better than rooting for the Knicks.”
“No, not that. I meant unbelievable that he told you and not me.” A pause. “Did he ask you not to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Rina sighed. “I asked him why. He couldn’t answer. Want to know my opinion?”
“Lay it on me.”
“Tyler didn’t want you feeling sorry for him.”
“Why would I feel sorry for him?”
“Because maybe that’s how people have reacted when they found out about Chucky. It doesn’t take much to light Tyler’s fuse. He’s an angry young man.”
“Okay.” Decker kissed her forehead. “We never had this conversation.”
She returned his affection with a kiss on the lips. “Mum’s the word.”
Chapter 7
Since Decker never slept with blackout shades, he often awoke with the sun, and at this time of the year dawn was early. No matter how quiet he was, Rina stirred as soon as he swung his legs over the mattress and planted his feet on the floor. By six-fifteen, coffee was brewing and bread was toasting and there was background music courtesy of one of the many streaming services. They had yet to install any communication assistant and probably never would. Having worked law enforcement, Decker knew all about spy bots, even those that were coded under cute names.
Mozart’s delicate notes were coming from the iPad as Decker sat at the kitchen table and buttered his toast. Rina sat down opposite him and placed a cup of coffee in front of his plate. He said, “Thanks. What’s going on with you?”
“Today’s my teaching day.”
“Ah, right. It is Thursday. How many classes are you doing this summer?”
“Two—Hebrew Language and Chumash. Actually, it’s Tanakh. I’m starting Melachim Alef.”
“Kings 1,” Decker said. “That’s a good one. Full of juicy stories. How many students?”
“Hebrew is twelve, Kings is twenty-five. The classes are open to the public, and there’s lots of interest in the Bible studies from all sorts of people. What are you up to?”
“First, I’m going to the crime scene. Also, I should pay a visit to the coroner’s office.”
“But?”
“It’s an old murder, so time isn’t urgent. I’m really concerned about Bertram Lanz. It’s going on two days. I don’t think he’s in the woods, Rina. We’ve scoured the area. I think someone picked him up. I think it was prearranged. I just hope . . .”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“An abduction?”
“The thought crossed my mind.”
“Ransom note?”
“Not that I know of. But parents could have gotten something and haven’t involved the police.”
“Or the director of the facility?”
“That too. Dr. Lewis was going to call the parents. I’d like to talk to them myself.”
“What’s stopping you?” Rina asked.
“If Bertram was abducted and the parents don’t want the police involved, I don’t want to mess anything up.”
“Isn’t it always better to involve the police in something like this?”
Decker nibbled on his toast and thought for a moment. “If it was my kid and the kidnappers said no police, I might try to handle it myself.”
“But you are the police.”
“You know what I’m saying.”
“I do.”
“I feel like I’m missing something. I want to go back to Loving Care and reinterview people. Yesterday, I didn’t have time to do everything I wanted, including a visit to Elsie Schulung’s house. We’re just in the dark with this case.”
“What about CCTV from the diner and on the main road? Did that turn up anything?”
“Most of the cameras were broken. That’s not unusual. Stores put them in and forget about it. Butterfield did get a few tapes from the highway, but if someone took the back roads, we’re sunk.”
“The diner doesn’t have CCTV?”
“Just one at the front entrance. The quality is poor. And the place was overcrowded with all the residents. Kevin and McAdams will go through what we do have. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“What about the nurse’s car? Has anyone spotted it?”
“I don’t think anyone has put out a BOLO because she isn’t a suspect. For all we know, it still could be in the garage. The police haven’t done a welfare check.”
“Why not?”
“No evidence. Just some mail piling up.”
“How much?”
“Nothing alarming. She’s a grown woman. She could have gone anywhere.” Decker shrugged. “The thought of an abduction is so depressing. I’m really worried about Bertram. I’m hoping to find out more about him. Yesterday, we just scratched the surface.”
Rina looked at the kitchen clock. It wasn’t even seven. “It’s super early and traffic is light. If you leave now, you’ll make good time.”
Decker took a big swig of coffee. “Do you mind?”
“Do I mind? Why would I mind?”
“Cutting our breakfast short?”
“Oh please. I’m used to you leaving on a moment’s notice. But it’s nice of you to ask.”
Decker got up and opened the refrigerator. He took out a plastic container: lasagna from a week ago. He sniffed it. “This looks pretty good.”
Rina snatched it from his hand. “I meant to throw that out. I’ll get you something fresh.” She opened the freezer. “I’ve got individual containers of meat loaf. It’s frozen but it should thaw out by lunch. How does that sound?”
“Great.”
“Go get yourself ready, and I’ll put together a care package.”