“Sure.” Decker rolled his shoulders. “I suppose I can use a cup of coffee anyway. The thermos is just about empty.”
“Just let me dump this out in the garbage.” McAdams hoisted up the cooler and looked around for a trash can. “No sense smelling up the car. I’ll save the drinks.”
Decker got in the driver’s seat and turned on the engine and AC. He waited until McAdams was back and seat-belted in, then took off. Ten minutes later they were parked in a lot and eating in the car. It didn’t take long for Decker to polish off his lunch.
“You still hungry?” McAdams said. “I am.”
“I’ll go for round two.”
“Another coffee?”
“No, when they say a large coffee, they mean large.”
McAdams went inside and emerged five minutes later with the grub. He slid into the passenger’s seat and doled out the food. “Are we going to talk about the case or just stuff our faces?”
“Does it have to be either/or?”
“Kathrine left voluntarily,” McAdams stated.
“And Bertram?”
“My opinion? Him too. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t turn into something bad. I’d feel better if you hadn’t found blood in Elsie Schulung’s kitchen. Any news on that?”
“Not yet.” Decker took another bite of his bagel. “I keep coming back to what you said a couple of days ago—that Elsie took off before Bertram went missing. Maybe she’s using Bertram and Kathrine as shields. Who would think that a woman with two dependent adults would be hiding something sinister? She’s not old enough to be their mother, but she could pass them off as her sister and brother.”
“Escaping with two dependent adults would slow Elsie down if she was running away from something. And all that blood makes me think that she is running away.”
“No argument from me.”
McAdams said, “Baniff should be looking for her. I hope they know what they’re doing.”
“I’ll call up Jake Quay when we get home. I should have a few hours before Shabbos. I want to write up a few notes. There are a lot of tentacles, and I want to make sure we’re not missing something.” Decker wiped his mouth, threw the napkin into a bag, and started the car. Driving off, he said, “Are we all set with Zeke Anderson’s parents?”
“Sunday at three in the afternoon.”
“Has Kevin found anything else in the woods?”
McAdams checked his phone log. “He hasn’t called. Let me give him a ring.” A pause. “Straight to voice mail. Maybe that means he’s still in the woods.”
Decker said, “I forgot to tell you. We’re going out to dinner with the family before we leave the city Sunday night. You’re invited. But I’m warning you. It’s going to be disorganized and loud with the children, their spouses, and the grandchildren.”
“Yeah, how many are you up to?”
“Five. Hannah had a baby a couple of months ago.”
“Wow. Amazing!”
“Yes.” Then Decker said, “What’s amazing? Do I look too young?”
“You don’t, but Rina does.” McAdams grinned. “Am I still invited even after the snide comment?”
“Yes. But now the invitation is given begrudgingly.”
McAdams patted his shoulder. “Rina is meeting Gabe and his mother, correct?”
“Yep.”
“Is she staying with Gabe?”
“No, Terry’s at a hotel.”
“And you don’t know what the meeting between Gabe and Terry is all about?”
“I don’t know the specifics, but I’m sure Terry wants a favor. Probably a big one. The last time we did her a favor, we ended up with Gabe for four years.”
“How old was Gabe at the time?”
“Fourteen.”
“How old are Terry’s current children?”
“I think around eleven and five. It isn’t going to happen again for us. I think Terry knows that. But Gabe is their brother. She might be hitting him up.”
“Why do you think she’s dumping her kids on Gabe? Maybe she just wants money.”
“That request can be made with a phone call. And Gabe would give her money. He has plenty of it. I think she’s escaping something and she doesn’t want the kids with her. Call it a hunch.”
“Is her current husband as bad as Donatti?”
“Devek? Don’t know a thing about him other than his name. But Terry’s in New York with the kids and without Devek. If she is running from him, it wouldn’t surprise me. The girl is a doctor; brains aren’t the issue. Her heart is another thing. And the heart can lead to some very poor choices.”
Chapter 12
About fifteen minutes after the start of the sabbath, Decker’s cell buzzed. It was Kevin Butterfield. Decker had spoken to him an hour before, regarding progress on the search for the two other missing college boys. There had been nothing to report on that front, but obviously something had changed.
“What’s going on, Kev?”
“One of the uniforms just found Elsie Schulung’s car. You don’t need to come down, Rabbi. I’ll have it towed and brought in for processing. I’ve got someone out here taking pictures. I’ll send them to your phone when she’s done.”
“Where was it found?”
“About a mile and a half from the diner.”
Decker’s stomach dropped. “How’d we miss that?”
“According to the officer—it was Bill Jensen—the vehicle was parked behind a big clump of brush and not visible from the road. But in answer to your question, I have no answer except that we’re looking at a very overgrown area.”
“Of course. Did you have a chance to look it over?”
“For forensics, not yet. But Bill did a once-over check including the trunk. No bodies, so that’s hopeful.”
“Yes, it is.” Decker gathered his thoughts. Let’s keep going with a search crew and make sure we didn’t miss anything else.”
“I’m on it, Deck.”
“Any luck with residences or businesses in the area?”
“No, not really.”
“I know. It’s rural. I just keep hoping.”
Kevin said, “There are some trailers, but no CCTV that I could spot except for the rest stops, which so far haven’t yielded anything.”
“I think McAdams said something about a truck stop about two miles away?”
“I’ll check it out. We’ll be out there again at daybreak, canvassing the woods and knocking on doors of any structure in the vicinity. I’ll call if we find anything important. If we don’t, I’ll call you after the sabbath.”
“Do you have enough people? Between this and searching for the lost boys, we’re getting stretched. Should we ask for more people from neighboring departments?”
“I think we’re okay for now,” Butterfield told him. “Lucky for us that there’s not much crime in town. Enjoy a little peace, Rabbi. Isn’t that what you say? Shabbat shalom?”
Decker smiled. “It is indeed what we say. Shabbat shalom to you as well.”