“How can that be?” Harriet exclaimed. “They all disappeared at the same time.”
“We realize that. We have people out there scouring the woods. We’re hoping that something will materialize.”
She sighed loudly. “Have you talked to Wanda Velasquez yet?”
“We were there yesterday,” McAdams said.
“What does she say about all this?”
“Not much.”
“They hired a private detective. So did Zeke’s parents, and so did we. We figured we could compare notes and come up with some ideas.” She dismissed the outcome with a wave of her hand. “Waste of time and money. More than that, it was a waste of hope. So where are you in the investigation?”
“At the beginning,” Decker said. “We’re going over everything from page one. Now that we have Zeke’s remains, we have an actual case to look at.”
McAdams asked, “Did you keep the notes from the private investigator?”
“We threw them out. Like I said. Waste of time and money.”
“You threw out everything?”
“We did . . . about five years ago. Doesn’t matter, Detective. Ask me any questions. I had his notes practically memorized. Not that there was all that much. He wasn’t very good.”
“Anything you want to share?” McAdams said.
“If there was, I would have called you a long time ago.” She took a sip of lemonade, and the others followed. “Ten years, Detective. A whole decade has come and gone with no resolution.”
“And I’m very sorry for that.” Decker put his glass down on a pink glass coaster. “I’ll do whatever I can to move this forward. In that spirit, do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”
“Of course not. I mean why else would you come here.”
“I understand Bennett and Max knew each other before Duxbury.”
“They went to the same high school. They were nothing alike.”
“Friends?”
“Hardly. Bennett used to say he didn’t need a pet because Max was his puppy dog. Not the nicest thing to say, but the boy was a nuisance. I think Max applied to Duxbury because that’s where Bennett wanted to go. Once there, Bennett, being social and witty, made lots of friends.”
“And Max? Did he have a lot of friends?”
“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t keep track of him.” A shrug. “Bennett said he was as socially inept in college as he was in high school. Sometimes Bennett found him a pest. Other times he took pity on him. Like when the boys needed a fourth roommate to complete their suite. Bennett asked Max. I think he just felt sorry for him.”
“Any reason why Bennett would put himself out there for a guy he felt was a pest?” McAdams asked.
“Because he was a nice boy!” Harriet’s eyes moistened. “I know people thought he was full of himself, but they were jealous because Bennett had the world at his fingertips.” The tears were stronger. “He had his whole life ahead. He could have been a wonderful, productive member of society—the kind of person this world needed. And now he’s gone!” She was sobbing.
Decker said, “We will keep at this case until we have some answers.”
“No, you won’t,” Harriet shot back. “You’ll look for a while, and then newer cases will push my son to the back of the line. I’m not blaming you, but I know how it works.”
“I am sorry you’re frustrated,” Decker said. “But it’s different this time, Mrs. McCrae.”
“Harriet.”
“Finding out what happened is our top priority.” Decker paused. “Harriet, was Bennett an experienced camper?”
“Not from us. We’re not campers, but he went to sleep-away camp for five years. Maybe he got a taste of it there.”
McAdams said, “Did he tell you he was going camping that weekend?”
“Not specifically. He phoned me and said he wouldn’t be on campus over the weekend. Naturally, I asked him where he was going. He said he had a three-day holiday because of Parents’ Weekend and he was deciding between several places. He was thinking about Vermont or Canada. He also mentioned camping. He said the weather was going to be nice and he wanted to be outdoors. None of us knew how much colder it was in the forest until we got to Greenbury. That’s when I really started to worry.”
“I’m sorry I have to ask these questions,” Decker said. “I know it’s hard, but if you can think back a little. When Bennett told you he was going camping, did it strike you as odd?”
“No. Like I said, he told me the weather was going to be nice. He was a strong boy. He was athletic. Why not go camping?”
“Did he own camping equipment?”
“I don’t know, Detective.”
“No gear stored away at your house?”
“No. Like I told you, we didn’t camp.”
Decker said, “And there was no specific reason why he went camping that weekend other than he wanted to be off-campus and in nature.”
“I would think that would be enough of a specific reason.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Decker said. “Getting away from campus is always a good reason.”
She nodded her head. “Zeke was found buried in the ground. So his death wasn’t accidental.”
“His death could have been accidental, but burying him was not,” Decker said.
Her lip quivered. “How did he die? Or can’t you say after all these years?”
“Still investigating, but he had a shattered hand.”
“He was shot?”
“We haven’t found evidence of a firearm yet,” Decker said. “We’ve asked this question to Zeke’s parents and to Max’s parents. Please don’t be offended. Did Bennett own a gun?”
Harriet’s lower lip was still quivering. She bit it with her front teeth. “Not when he lived at home.”
“Okay,” Decker said. “How about at college?”
“I don’t think you’re allowed to have a gun in your dorm room.”
An idea suddenly popped into Decker’s head. “There’s an indoor shooting range up there—at the Five Colleges. Did he ever go to it?”
She didn’t answer.
McAdams said, “If you don’t know, we can check it out. They’re required to keep a logbook.”
She looked sheepish. “I believe he said something to us about going to the range.”
“Okay,” Decker said. “Thanks for being honest—”
“I told him that whatever he did up there, that was his business. But he was not to bring a gun home. I was adamant about that.”
“Then he did own a gun?”
“I don’t know if he did or didn’t. He did mention that he was learning to shoot. There wasn’t a gun when we got his things back from his dorm room. That much I can tell you.”
McAdams turned to Decker. “It’s possible that he kept a gun in a locker at the range.”
“It wouldn’t be there after all this time, but we could find out if he kept a locker.” Decker turned to Harriet. “Did you ever get any kind of a bill from the gun range? Perhaps a storage fee or membership bill or anything like that?”