Hangman (10 page)

Marge said, “Maybe you can help identify it.”

When she read off the digits, Crystal shrugged. “Don’t know it. It’s not Greg’s number, that’s for sure. What happens when you call it?”

“The mailbox is full without any identification. Sounds like the person hasn’t checked for messages in a while.”

“Maybe that person is away on a rafting trip,” Oliver said. “What about Garth’s other friend—Aaron Otis.”

“I don’t know Aaron’s cell number. I could find it out for you. I have to make a few calls.”

“That’s fine. We’ll wait.”

“Why would she call Aaron?”

“To get to Garth.”

“Why wouldn’t she just call Garth?”

“I don’t know, Crystal. We’re just exploring all avenues right now.”

“You know even if Adrianna did call up Garth and break it off, I don’t think Garth would care. He wasn’t that into her, you know.”

“He might not care about her, but he might care about the money,” Oliver said.

“And you never know about people, hon,” Marge said.

“That’s true.” Crystal put her mug down. “It’s like what I learned in science way back in high school…that usable energy—you know, energy that does stuff—it wants to turn into chaos. Well, that’s real true with people, too. Sometimes we get it right and it all makes sense. Mostly we just screw up and everything turns to shit.”

O
VER THE LINE,
Marge said, “Crystal Larabee got us an ID on the mystery number. It’s Aaron Otis’s cell phone.”

Decker made a face, although Marge couldn’t see it.

“Garth’s river-rafting buddy?”

“That’s the one. Otis’s mailbox is still full, so it makes sense that he might be in the middle of nowhere, but Crystal has her doubts.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the other buddies, Greg Reyburn, told her that the guys were also headed to Reno for a little R and R.” She recapped their interview. “It seems Garth likes his games of chance and all the vice associated forthwith.”

“Interesting.” Decker was sprawled out on his bed, talking on the extension on his nightstand. “When are the boys due to back in town?”

“According to Garth’s phone message, it should be in a few days,” Marge said. “Adrianna was apparently angry when she found out about Garth’s detour. Maybe she was thinking about finally calling it quits.”

“If Adrianna wanted to break up with Garth, why call Aaron and not Garth?”

“Maybe she knew that if she called Garth’s number, he wouldn’t answer.”

“Or maybe she was having a fling with Aaron.”

“Cheating seems to be a pastime with the two of them. Any indication in her diary of something between Adrianna and Aaron?”

“Not so far, but I’ve only skimmed it. Her last entry was dated five days ago and all it said was that Garth was going out of town on a river-rafting trip. Reading the entire diary carefully is going to take time.” Decker looked at the nightstand clock. It was a little after midnight and Donatti had yet to even call. “I might have a lot of that. I’m still waiting for Chris Donatti to pick up his son.”

“Is he late?”

“Not yet, but until he gets here, I’m skeptical. Anyway, most of what I’ve read so far buttresses what Crystal told you about Adrianna and Garth—that her sex life was lacking and she wondered a few times if he was getting it elsewhere.”

“Was she angry?”

Decker paused. “More disillusioned than anything else.”

“Any candidates for Garth’s fling in her diary?”

“None so far, but I’ve been thinking about Mandy Kowalski. Didn’t you tell me that Garth came on to her?”

“That’s what she told us. She said that Garth was a player and she’s probably right about that.”

Decker said, “If Garth was a player, why did Mandy set him up with her friend, Adrianna?”

“No idea.”

“Ask her about it. And find out where she was the morning of the murder.”

“She was working.”

“Get a time line on her. Maybe there’re some unexplained absences.”

Marge said, “The CI was pretty convinced that Adrianna died from asphyxiation. She had petechiae in the eyes and face. Mandy’s a nurse. She could have poisoned Adrianna, but I don’t see Mandy
having enough strength to choke her to death, then string up the body. Deadweight, no pun intended, is very heavy.”

“Maybe she had help,” Decker said. “That’s why you need to talk to her again. And what’s with this Farley guy, the man that Adrianna met at Garage? Is that a first or last name, by the way?”

“We don’t know, Pete,” Marge told him. “Crystal was pretty hammered when we spoke, so everything is suspect. We’ll take another crack at Garage tonight.”

Decker checked the nightstand’s clock radio for the time. “I should get off the line in case Donatti’s trying to call.”

Marge said, “How are you feeling about handing the kid over to Donatti?”

“He’s the parent. I’m legally handcuffed unless I can prove abuse, and I can’t.”

“And nothing on Terry?”

“Not a peep.”

“That’s disturbing.”

“Yes, it is. Get some sleep, Sergeant. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Decker sat on the edge of the bed and put on his shoes. He went into the living room, where Rina was lying sideways on the couch, a pillow behind her head. She was doing a crossword puzzle and looked up when he came in.

“Can I make you some coffee?”

“No, I’m all right. Where’s Gabe?”

“In the boys’ room. I haven’t talked to him in a while. I figured if he wanted something, he’d ask. I suspect he wants his privacy.”

Decker sat down and placed Rina’s feet on his lap, rubbing the soles. “Why don’t you go to sleep?”

“I hate to leave you alone with him…just in case he tries something.”

“He’s not going to try anything.”

“Peter, you butted into the man’s personal affairs with his wife. You acted as her protector against him. You listened to them argue. You took away his guns, and that’s equivalent to castrating him. In other words, you humiliated him. And you don’t think he’s going to try to get revenge?”

She had made some good points. “He has other things on his mind—like finding his wife.”

“If he didn’t already kill her. He’s probably seething inside. I bet he’s setting you up.”

“As pissed as he may be at me, he’s still answering my phone calls. Besides, he’s a professional hit man. If he wants to get me, he will.”

“That’s very encouraging.”

He smiled. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if he didn’t kill her, he’s worried about her and he knows I can help him. If he did kill her, he’s going to want to sound me out, find out how much I know about it. Either way, I’m better to him alive than dead.”

“Do
you
think he murdered her?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“And you’re handing Gabe over to him after you think he murdered his wife?”

“If Gabe wants to go with him, I have no choice.”

“Gabe only wants to go with him because he doesn’t want to go with his aunt or his grandfather. Maybe he wants to stay here.”

“Rina, if Donatti wants his son and Gabe’s willing to go with him, I’m not stepping in the way. That would be unnecessary provocation. Right now, all I want is for him to get here. Got a lot of questions for him.”

“He’s not going to confess to you, Peter.”

“No, of course not. And there is that possibility that he didn’t do it. Donatti has made lots of enemies. Maybe Terry’s disappearance has to do with one of them.”

Rina thought about his words. “That makes sense.”

Decker kissed her forehead. “Go to bed. Let me get this over with, all right?”

“I won’t be able to fall asleep until you’re beside me.”

“Then you’ll probably be up all night. It’s going to take a long time.”

“It’s okay. I’ll wait up.” She held up the magazine. “This book contains fifty killer crosswords and I’m only on number four.”

AT THREE IN
the morning, Decker got up from the couch and knocked on the door to his stepsons’ bedroom. After a few seconds, Gabe opened the door. “He’s here?”

“You sound surprised.” When Gabe didn’t answer, Decker shook his head and said, “No, he’s not here and he hasn’t called. I have a feeling that he might be a no-show.”

Gabe went back into the room and perched on the edge of Sammy’s bed, folded his hands in his lap. Decker sat facing the boy, on Jacob’s bed. The two twins were separated by a nightstand. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” Gabe said. “I’m relieved.”

“You’re relieved.”

The kid nodded.

“I told you that you didn’t have to go with him.”

Gabe said, “Actually, yes, I would. Chris says go, you go. By not showing up, he made the choice. For once, I caught a break.”

“Now you put me in a bind. What should I do if he does show up?”

“Lieutenant, if he wanted to be here, he’d be here by now. My father’s obsessive. That includes being punctual. He’s not going to show.”

“So you’re okay with that?”

“Yeah, I’m
really
okay with that.”

Decker stared at the teen. There were bags under his eyes and he looked gaunt despite the big dinner. “You’re sure he never hit you?”

“Nope. Never. But just because he hasn’t hurt me doesn’t mean that I want to live with him—especially without my mom. He’s crazy.”

“So why didn’t you tell me this in the first place?”

“Because if Chris wanted custody of me, that would be it. I’m not about to piss him off. That’s suicide.” Gabe took off his
glasses and rubbed his eyes. “If he wanted me, he’d come get me. He’s dumping me on you, Lieutenant. You know that’s what he’s doing.”

“I asked you to stay here, Gabe. You weren’t dumped anywhere.”

But Gabe knew the truth. Although he wasn’t completely without recourse, his future was bleak. So what else was new? “Knowing my father, he’ll probably send some money. That would be his style. He thinks money makes everything okay.” Gabe looked up at Decker. “So what’s next?”

“I don’t know, Gabe. I haven’t thought that far in advance.”

“I am
not
living with my grandfather. My mom hated him.” He looked upward. “I suppose it’s my aunt Missy. She’s nice…infinitely better than foster care.”

“Nobody’s going to put you in foster care, Gabe. That’s not on the table. You can stay here until we have this figured out.”

“Thanks.” He made a swipe at his eyes then put his glasses back on. “I really mean that. Is that okay with your wife?”

“She’s a softer touch than I am. It’s too late to start thinking about solutions. Let’s both go to bed and things will be clearer in the morning.” Decker smiled. “I’ve got work and you’ve got school.”

“I’ve got to go to
school
tomorrow?”

“Yep.”

“It’s three-thirty in the morning.”

“So you’ll be a little tired. I’m sure you’ve suffered worse things.” That got a smile out of him. “You need school because you need to be in a normal environment—although Hannah may debate my definition of ‘normal environment.’ If you’re there, I’ll know where you are and you’ll be supervised just in case he does show up.”

“I feel real bad about dragging you into this.”

“Your mother is missing. It’s a police matter. So you didn’t drag me into anything.” He put his hand on his shoulder. “Get some sleep, okay?”

“Right. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

Gabe bit his lip. “For what it’s worth, my mom really likes you,
you know. She always talked about how she wished you were her father.”

“Your mom is a good kid.”

“And I think, in a weird way, Chris likes you, too.”

“‘Like’ isn’t the right word.” Decker thought a moment. “‘Respect,’ maybe.”

“Yeah…that’s a better word.”

Decker stood up. “I’ll tell you one thing, Gabriel. When your parents were kids—not much older than you are now—they were madly in love. It’s easy to see your mom falling for your dad. She was young and naive and your dad was not only good-looking and talented but a real charmer. But, honestly, your dad fell just as hard for your mom. He was completely in love with her.”

“He still is. He’s absolutely obsessed with her. That’s why I don’t think he’d hurt her. I know he beat her up, but I think that was a fluke. As much as I think he’s crazy, I don’t think he’d kill her.”

Decker nodded, although he knew the truth. The first time was always the hardest. The subsequent times went much easier.

Gabe had a faraway look in his eyes. “I was my father’s meal ticket to get to her, you know. If it hadn’t been for me, she might have escaped.” He stared at the ceiling. “Poor Mom. She was just sixteen. She never knew what hit her.”

T
RUDGING INTO THE
kitchen with a load of clothes under his arm, Gabe was living on borrowed time. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t fall asleep and he gave up by six in the morning. He was surprised to find Mrs. Decker up and about. She was dressed in a denim skirt and a long-sleeved T-shirt, and her head was covered with a kerchief. Hannah had explained to him that married Orthodox Jewish women dressed modestly.

A bit different from what he was used to.

The mothers of his friends were cougars, decked out in wife-beaters or tank tops and miniskirts or sprayed-on jeans. Sometimes they wore dresses as tight as a second skin. They all had had boob jobs. They all grew their hair long and plastered their faces with makeup. The idea was to seduce as many teenage boys as they could. He was always
the
trophy among trophies because he was Donatti’s kid. They tried and tried and he rejected and rejected.

They called him queer but not to his face.

Mrs. Decker gave him a cheery good morning, relieving him of the bundle he was carrying. It was great to be around an older
woman who wasn’t trying to grab his crotch. He was in a terrible mood—enraged, abandoned, sick to his stomach—and wanted to hit something. Just beat the crap out of whatever was in his way. Instead, he decided it was more profitable to wash his smelly clothes when he thought no one would be up. “It’s really okay, Mrs. Decker. I do laundry all the time.”

“So do I.” Another smile. “Gabe, you look exhausted. Would you like to sleep in this morning and I’ll take you to school in the afternoon?”

“I’ll be fine. But thanks.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Not really.” Silence. “Maybe I’ll just rest for a half hour or so.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Okay.” He paused. “Thanks for putting me up and everything.”

“It’s not a problem. The beds are going empty anyway.”

“How old are your sons?”

“They’re in their midtwenties. My oldest son, Sammy, is graduating med school and will be doing his residency in New York. I don’t know about Jacob. He’s got a degree in bioengineering but he’s working as a legal aid. He’s always marched to his own drummer.”

Gabe nodded. “Yeah…anyway, thanks again.”

At that moment, Decker walked in. He looked at the boy. “You’re up early. Or maybe you just never went to sleep.”

“I’m all right.” An awkward silence. “I think I’m gonna lie down for a little bit.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep in?” Rina asked him.

“Can’t.” He smiled genuinely. “Lieutenant’s orders.”

“You know that there’s a rank above lieutenant,” Rina said. “It’s called wife.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. See you in a bit.” Gabe left the room, knowing that as soon as he was gone, they’d be deciding his fate.

“Coffee smells good.” Decker sat at the kitchen table.

“Lucky for you I made enough for both of us.” She handed him a steaming cup. “What can I get you for breakfast?”

“How about a working brain?” He hit his forehead. “What was
I thinking, getting involved with Terry like that? Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

“You couldn’t let her flounder, Peter. Sometimes you need to get involved. And isn’t it good that you did? Your conscience is clear and Gabe has a place to stay.” She sat down next to him. “Did I ever tell you that my parents took in one of my friends when I was fifteen?”

“No, you didn’t. What was that about?”

“I had this friend. Her father was long dead and her mother committed suicide when I knew her. She had an older brother and a younger sister. The brother was on his own and the younger sister was farmed out to some relatives, but the middle one, my friend, had nowhere to go. I asked my parents if they could take her in.”

“And they said?”

“Yes without a moment of hesitation. She lived with us for a year. Then she went back east for two years. Then she came back and lived with my parents for another six months after I got married. It wasn’t easy having her. At times I was mad at my parents for agreeing to take her in, even though I had asked. Sometimes I felt like my space was invaded. But I was never sorry I had asked. And my parents did it because they’re wonderful people and probably, being Holocaust survivors, knew what it was like to be lost.”

“What happened to the girl?”

“Strangely enough, I don’t know. We lost contact. Her name was Julia Slocum. She wasn’t even Jewish. I had met her at an art class after school when we were like twelve. We became fast friends because she was goofy and smart and always laughing. It must have been very hard on her, but she never let it show.”

“Your parents rock.”

“They do rock.” Rina paused. “I do know that she got married and had kids of her own. I know nothing beyond that and I guess I was never curious enough to pursue something more. It was a relationship for that time. My parents felt morally obligated to help and help they did.”

“I know where this is leading.”

She took his hand. “You did the right thing by getting involved.” She paused. “Now on to the problem at hand. What do you want to do with the boy?”

“Right back at you, darlin’. What do you want to do?”

“There are two solutions—a short-run quick fix and a long-run, more permanent resolution. The short one is that we keep him here and hope his situation takes care of itself—that his mother or father or both show up and take him home.”

“Sounds okay. How much time passes before short-run quick fix becomes a long-run problem?”

“I’d say a month.”

“And if we’re still in the same position after a month?”

“Then I’d say at least wait until the school year ends. And then we reevaluate.”

“It’ll be a little late in the game to kick him out by then.”

“So obviously we’re not going to kick him out. But there may be other possibilities. I bet he has money. Maybe he could become legally emancipated.”

“Not at fourteen.”

“No, not at fourteen. More like sixteen or seventeen. If he wanted to live in a place of his own, like his dad did, he could do that. Or he could live part-time with his aunt and part-time with us. I don’t know what the solution would be. We may not even get that far. Could be he’ll hate it here and take off for parts unknown. Let’s ride it out for a while and see what happens.”

“What are you going to do about his schooling? He’s not Jewish.”

“I have to talk to the school. I’d rather him go to Hannah’s school than send him to public school. More quality control. He’s obviously not going to attend the religious classes, but I don’t think it would be a big deal to let him finish up the year in his secular studies.”

Decker didn’t say anything.

“What are your thoughts?” Rina asked him.

“I’m still thinking long run, Rina. I was looking forward to retirement, grandchildren, and travel once Hannah left for college.”

“I’m sure his aunt would take him whenever we were away. And how much are you going to want to be away with a grandchild coming?”

“That’s not the point. If he wants to stay with us, it’s three more years of child rearing. It’s taking in a troubled adolescent. You’re young, but I’m not.”

“Whither you go, I go, buster. We have to be a solid front on this decision because it’s a big one. However, it’s one that we don’t have to make right now. So let’s just tell him that he can stay here until things settle down. He needs to feel that he has some stability. The rest we’ll figure out later.”

“Do we include Hannah in this decision?”

“Her life will be disrupted, but I think the decision is ours alone.” Rina kissed his forehead. “How about the morning paper?”

“As if I’m not depressed enough.” But he took the paper anyway, reading about a world far less organized than his own life. Five minutes later, Gabe came back into the kitchen.

“Hi there,” Rina said. “That was quick.”

“I’m a little antsy.”

“Understandable. How about some toast?”

“Do you have any more coffee?”

“I do. Sit down. Maybe you can cheer up the lieutenant. He looks a little bothered this morning.”

“You gave me the paper,” Decker muttered behind the broadsheet. “How am I supposed to feel after reading all this depressing news?”

“You take things too much to heart,” Rina told him. “Sit down, Gabe. Take some cereal.” She plunked a bowl of Cheerios in front of him. “Eat.”

A few minutes later, Hannah came into the room, sleepy-eyed and half dressed in her school uniform. She had on the blue skirt but was still wearing her pajama top. She regarded Gabe. “You’re still here.” A statement, not a question.

“Sorry about that.”

Hannah sat down. “What happened?”

“My dad didn’t show up,” Gabe said. “Big shock.”

“You can stay here if you want.” She looked at her parents. “I mean that’s okay, right?”

“We’ll talk about that one a little later,” Gabe said.

“You can stay here, Gabe,” Rina said. “The lieutenant and I have already talked about it. We’ll enroll you in Hannah’s school in the meantime.”

“Poor you,” Hannah said. “Going to my school and you’re not even Jewish.”

“No pressure to stay, Gabe,” Decker said. “It’s your decision. We’re here to accommodate. Think about it and tell us what works for you.”

“I’m okay here.” Gabe took off his glasses and rubbed his bloodshot emerald eyes. “I like it. Thank you very, very much.”

Decker got up from the table. “See you all tonight, providing that the good people of my district behave themselves.”

“Bye, Abba. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Pumpkin.” He kissed her flaming hair. “Drive carefully. Oh, and you might want to change your top.”

“Ha ha.”

“I need to sort through a few things on my computer before I go to work.” Rina kissed her daughter. “I’ll see you both later at school. Drive safely.”

“Bye.” When her parents were gone, Hannah turned to the boy. “Are you okay?”

“Tired, but I’m okay.”

“A bummer about your dad.”

“Honestly, it’s better. I’ve known your dad for two days and I like him a hell of a lot better than my own dad.”

“He’s a good guy—my dad.”

“You’re really lucky, having a normal mom and dad and brothers and a sister and a regular dinner and all those kinds of normal things.”

“I am lucky. I love my family. But we’re not normal, Gabe, because there’s no such thing as a normal family.”

She pulled her chair closer to him so she could drop her voice without her mother hearing.

“My sister is from my father’s first marriage, my brothers are from my mother’s first marriage. My mom and her first husband got married when my mother was only eighteen. Then he died of a brain tumor when my brothers were real little. My father adopted them. Actually, my father is adopted. My grandparents from his side are like really religious Baptists who probably think I’m going to hell because I’m Jewish. But they love me and I love them and Grandma Ida makes the best pies in the entire world. My father’s brother, my uncle Randy, has been married like three or four times. My mother’s parents are Holocaust survivors, so there’s always that ghost in the background. My mother’s brother lives in Israel and is a religious fanatic. Her other brother is a doctor and he and my aunt are nice folk. Their first two kids are doctors as well, but the youngest one has been in and out of rehab since he was sixteen. If I dug deeper, I could probably even pull up more pathology.”

She shrugged.

“Sorry to disillusion you, but as far as our family goes, you’ll fit right in.”