Keith said, “I didn’t know anything about his college friends.”
“What did the PIs find out about his social life? Friends are usually the first thing they look into.”
“I don’t remember everything. The reports said that Zeke spent a lot of time working out.”
“You mean working out—as in a gym?”
“Yes. That’s where he met Bennett McCrae. They were workout buddies.”
“How about Max Velasquez?” Decker asked. “Where did he meet him?”
“I think through Bennett. Apparently, Bennett was a force of nature. An opinion on everything.”
“Do you think he got Zeke into trouble?”
“How should I know? I never met the boy.”
“The boys told people that they were going camping for the weekend. Did Zeke like to camp?”
“We went camping when he and his sister were kids.”
“Often?”
“Once a year.”
“Then Zeke would be pretty self-sufficient?”
“I wouldn’t say we had survival skills, but we knew how to pitch a tent.” Keith thought about the question. “It wasn’t something foreign to him, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Okay,” Decker replied. “Mid-October can be cold in the woods, but if they were experienced campers, maybe it makes sense.”
“I wouldn’t say experienced, but he wasn’t a novice.”
“Okay.” Decker redirected his questions. “Did Zeke work when he was in high school?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Kids need money. I’m wondering how Zeke got his pocket change.”
“He had a job in the athletic department,” Keith told him. “He’d do whatever the coaches asked him to do. Tutoring some of the players who needed a little extra help. Sometimes he led warm-up sessions for the JV teams. When he asked for money, we’d give him some. His requests were always reasonable. But he worked because he liked the feeling of being independent.”
“Was this high school or college?” Decker asked.
“College,” Anderson said. “In high school, he did some typical summer jobs. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“What kind of friends did Zeke have in high school?”
“Mary would know more than me.”
“Nice kids?”
“I liked some better than others. He was buddies with a kid named Leo Novis. He’s now a lawyer. Moved out of state.”
Decker took out his notepad. “Anyone else that you remember?”
“Let’s see. Leo and . . . Josh something.”
“Girlfriends?”
“A few dates here and there. Mary would know better. Zeke wasn’t interested in being tied down. He wanted to travel the world.” At that moment, Mary walked back into the apartment. “He’s asking if Zeke had a girlfriend.”
“In college? I wouldn’t know.”
“High school, Mary.”
Mary said, “He went out with the Kelton girl for about six months.”
Decker said, “What’s her first name?”
“Sally. Last I heard she married and moved out of state.”
“Where are her parents?”
“Probably around. Why do you ask?”
“And what was the last name of his friend Josh?”
“Oh wow, this is memory lane. Josh Freed something.”
“Freelander,” Keith said.
“Yes, you’re right,” Mary said. “Freelander.”
“And where is he?” Decker said.
“I have no idea.” Mary shrugged. “When Zeke came home from college, he didn’t hook up with his old friends.”
“He outgrew them.”
Mary’s eyes watered up. “He was so excited about seeing the world, helping to make the globe a better place.” A pause. “Like I told you, he wanted to join the Peace Corps.”
Decker nodded. “He sounds like the kind of son every parent would want.” A pause. “I hate to ask you this, but had Zeke ever been in trouble?”
Mary said, “Every kid gets into trouble.”
Keith said, “He means trouble with the law. No. Never.”
“Do you know if he took drugs?”
Mary sighed. “We found pot in his bedroom in his junior year of high school. A very small amount.”
Keith said, “He said he smoked when he was nervous—to calm him down before a big test. I didn’t see the harm in that. My main concern was not the smoking, it was where he was getting the drug. I didn’t want him to associate with dubious people.”
“And?”
“He said he bought it from friends. Now it’s a different world. Who cares about pot?”
Some people do, Decker thought.
“He didn’t smoke all the time,” Mary added. “Just occasionally. Which made sense with the small amount we found. We didn’t see the necessity of making a big deal out of it.”
Decker said, “And that’s the only drug he ever admitted to using?”
“That’s the only drug he did use.” Keith turned angry. “What difference does it make what he took? He’s the victim here.”
“Of course, he’s the victim,” Decker said. “But just like you, I want to make sure he didn’t associate with dubious people.”
Mary said, “He didn’t.”
You knew nothing about his college friends, so how do you know who he hung out with? Out loud he said, “I’m sure you’re right. He’s your son. You know him better than anyone else.”
Keith said, “Besides, what happened to our boy didn’t happen here.”
“Absolutely.”
“Go talk to people at the colleges. He was there, not here.”
“Of course,” Decker said. “You’ve been gracious. Again, I’m so sorry.”
Mary said, “You said you’ve worked hundreds of homicides. Is Greenbury rife with crime?”
“I was with Los Angeles PD for over twenty-five years.”
“Ah, that explains it. And you were a homicide detective?”
“I retired as a lieutenant actually. I ran the detective squad. When I hung up my badge in L.A., I didn’t want to work in a busy city but I still wanted to keep my foot in the door. Hence Greenbury.”
“So how are you going to solve this?” Keith wanted to know.
“Patience and doggedness. But unlike L.A., where I had stacks of incidents, I can make this one of my top priorities.”
“What other priorities do you have, if I may ask?” Mary said.
“We have a missing person . . . two actually. We’re trying to locate them just to make sure they’re all right.”
“And?”
“No luck. But they may have left on their own accord. Anyway, Detective McAdams and I are now concentrating on that case and Zeke’s case. It’s more than enough to keep us both busy.” Decker paused. “This may sound odd, but do you know if Zeke owned a gun?”
“A gun?” Mary was aghast. “He was shot?”
“His hand was shattered.”
“If his hand was shattered, why would you assume that Zeke had a gun?” Keith was angry. “No, he didn’t have a gun. He hated guns.”