Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar

by Gray Cavender

  She stepped away from her desk to see if Wes was back. He wasn’t, but, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Halliday was watching her. Maybe her loud laugh had caught his attention. Before she could turn toward him, Wes came in, walked to her office, and sat by her desk.

  “So, has the English Department got a new chair?”

  “Yes…Professor Naomi del Valle. When I finished meeting with ZZ, I went back to Ross-Blakey and met her…Grace introduced us…she’s happy about her selection.”

  “That’s good…and what did you think about her?”

  “She seemed pretty self-assured, and I mean that in a good way. At the same time, she’s smart enough to know that she’s becoming the chair at a bad time. Professor Siemens’ murder, the situation about Professor Keefer essentially being ousted, and now the business about their affair.”

  Wes shook his head. “I would not want to be in her shoes. A new job under bad circumstances AND her predecessor, her deposed predecessor, still around. She’ll constantly be looking over her shoulder.”

  “Yes, all true, but she came across as very poised.”

  “And, you say that Grace Wilson likes her for the job”

  “Right, but in any case, I don’t think Professor del Valle has any bearing on our investigation.”

  “OK…so, what about your interview with Professor Szabo?”

  “Not much new. Actually, she said she’d never even spoken with Professor Siemens, but she did know her to be a provocative figure.”

  As Jillian talked, she scrolling on her IPAD back to her notes of the interview with ZZ. She found her place, then looked up. “The one thing she did say is that she didn’t much see Professor Keefer as a viable suspect. OK, she didn’t say it exactly like that, but still, that’s what she meant. She characterized his research as mainly reactive. Apparently, he criticizes other professors and their research, but he just criticizes…he isn’t a doer. ZZ didn’t think he’s proactive enough to actually commit a murder.”

  Wes waged his head and made a non-committal hand motion. “OK, but ‘react’ is maybe exactly what he did. If he is a climber, maybe he was pissed that the affair could cost him a promotion, even cost him his job as chair. Maybe he blamed Professor Siemens. And, as a lover, who knows? Maybe the affair wasn’t going well. I mean, he’s in counseling supposedly working on his marriage, then along comes this affair. Maybe he was betting the ranch on a woman after his own heart, but Professor Siemens doesn’t seem to be a ‘one-man woman,’ if you know what I mean.

  Wes started singing, “I’m a one-man woman, and I want a one-woman man.”

  Jillian asked, “Did you just make that up?”

  “No, it’s The Judd’s.

  “And who are “The Judd’s?”

  “Wynonna and her mother, Naomi…a big country act from the late 80s, early 90s.”

  “OK, I think maybe I’ve heard of Wynonna, but not The Judd’s.

  “Yes, that’s her…she became a solo act. And, her sister is Ashley Judd, the actress?”

  “Oh yeah…I’ve seen some of her movies. And also, saw her amazing speech about the ‘#Me, Too’ movement. I just didn’t connect her with Wynonna, the country singer.”

  “Talented family. Anyway, back to the professor...maybe for any of several reasons, Keefer did react violently. From what Angel and Forensics said, this was a violent murder.“

  “Well, in her defense, ZZ did say that her characterization of Professor Keefer was as an academic, and that as the police, we might see things differently.”

  “That’s sensible,” Wes agreed.

  “She also said that she sensed that you are a good person and a good mentor.”

  “Really? I appreciate that.”

  “Yeah, we were talking about me being a detective. ZZ said that this had initially troubled her…because she’s Roma, and they often have trouble with the police.”

  Wes’ shoulders sank a bit. “But she’s OK now, I hope…with your decision I mean.”

  “Yes. She even said that maybe I could make the police better.” Jillian tried to arch her eyebrows, but could tell that she wasn’t as effective at it as ZZ.

  “See, Jilly, she’s also predicting a future in admin. Everyone agrees,” he said, and opened his palms as if presenting a fait accompli.

  As she laughed, Jillian thought about ZZ’s prediction that they would catch Professor Siemens’ killer. She also remembered her warning about danger. She didn’t share any of this with Wes.

  Wes said, “OK, two points from me. First, I heard from Crim Intel. They had warrant and got a copy of the Professor’s will…in a safety deposit box at her credit union. The will was in a folder with the name and address of her lawyer, who they also called. The will they found was THE WILL. Anyway, nothing heavy in it…the Professor leaves everything to her dad. There were some contingences in should he predecease her, but he didn’t.”

  Jillian nodded.

  “And, second, I talked with the Chief. She’d never heard any problematic stuff about President Davidos, although she did encourage us to ‘tread lightly’…her words. And, she reminded me that Davidos is a player, especially in Tempe. ASU has a big footprint in terms of the local economy: students and staff and faculty spend money on housing and food and entertainment…not to mention the development of the lake front. For a lot of reasons, ASU contributes to Tempe…and everywhere else in the Valley.”

  Jillian sighed. “ASU as economic engine. This feels like a Sara Paretsky mystery. You know, V.I. Warshawski is trying to solve a murder and runs up against the economic structure of society.”

  “But doesn’t V.I. usually capture the bad guy?” Wes smiled.

  “Point taken. Oh, did you have a chance to talk with Al? “

  “I actually called him first…before the Chief. I asked him point blank about any rep…Davidos as a womanizer, affairs, rumors…anything.”

  “And?”

  “Nothing…with a capital ‘N.’ Al said it could be that Davidos was too smart to be messing around with anybody at ASU…or that maybe he was just too smart to get caught. He did say that Davidos fancies himself a player…on many levels. And, sometimes that means… Well, who knows what that means? At the very least, it’s something that Al and the Chief agree on…Davidos being a player. Actually, I guess there are two places where they agree…Al also says we should proceed with caution. He reminded me, or I guess reminded us, that President Davidos has a temper.”

  “Let’s see…Professor Keefer is a reactor and President Davidos has a temper. So, in terms of personalities, both these guys are still possible suspects.”

  “Yep. Of course, Keefer didn’t do himself any favors by omitting his affair with Professor Siemens. And, in terms of re-interviewing Davidos, what would we get from another interview…other than a measure of grief? And if we do re-interview him, what do we ask that we haven’t already asked him? At least with Keefer, we had new lines of inquiry: his job situation and its link to his affair with a murder victim. Re-interviewing him was a no-brainer. As for Davidos, I need to think about this. The Chief didn’t warn us off, she just said to be careful. Same with Al.”

  “OK. As for me, after work I’m going to canvas Professor Siemens’ condo. I’ve downloaded more photos—I even added Professor del Valle…just to be through. I’ll call ahead and see if Mr. Sasour can have someone meet me over there.

  “Sounds good. And Jilly, try to give some thought to how V.I. Warshawski would proceed on our case.”

  They didn’t debrief at Postinos after work because Jillian wanted to get over to Professor Siemens’ condo before it got too late. Wes did take her to her home, weaving through rush hour traffic, which was even worse than usual. She’d called Saadh Sasour, the management rep, before she left the station, and he agreed to meet her himself.

  Jillian didn’t change clothes and di
dn’t start dinner. She did brew a cup of strong black tea and ate a banana and some almonds to tide her over. Dinner would have to wait till later.

  Later, after the canvas at Professor Siemens’ and back at her own condo, Jillian texted Wes. “Hits on profs Keefer and Roberts…still iffy on Davidos…nothing on the others…will fill you in tomorrow. Nite, Jillian.

  She made a hefty salad with kale, carrots, onions, avocado, fresh mango, pine nuts, and a hard-boiled egg that she cooked before she’d left for Professor Siemens’ condo. She watched the 10 o’clock news to see the coverage of the demonstration. There was footage of the speaker—the guy with the bullhorn—of the counter-demonstrators, and interviews…lots of interviews…with the speaker, with Cedar Lanning, even a blurb from Andrew Paxton.

  They all said pretty much what Jillian would have predicted they’d say. Maybe, like Professor del Valle, it was getting harder to surprise her.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Did that Sasour guy meet you at the Professor’s condo?” They were having morning coffee, seated in Jillian’s office, and she was briefing Wes from her IPAD notes.

  “Yes, and he was really helpful. He met me in the lobby and keyed me up to Professor Siemens’ floor. He even gave me a print-out of the names and unit numbers of everyone on her floor.”

  “Your good deed continues to reap benefits. I like that.”

  “I guess so. We talked about that day in class when I spoke-up for him, although I did fess up that I didn’t remember it very well. We also talked a little about what we’ve been doing since ASU. He was interested in how I became a police detective, so I told him that story.”

  She hit a key on her IPAD and the screen changed. “Anyway, two people ID’d Professor Keefer from my photos. They’d seen him several times over the past month, even as recently as last weekend. Remember, he told us that he’d been there then…had stayed the night with her.”

  “Good…so that fits,” Wes said, and took notes in his small spiral pad.

  “And as for Professor Roberts…OK, a couple who live two doors down from her…Trent and Cynthia Newcomer…” she referred to her IPAD…”said they’d seen Roberts. The husband was vague—he was sure he’d seen Roberts but couldn’t remember how long ago. The woman was more specific. She saw Roberts leaving Professor Siemens’ condo unit. He was saying goodbye to the Professor who was standing in her doorway…she said hello to Ms. Newcomer. This was late Tuesday afternoon of last week. Ms. Newcomer was certain because she’d been shopping and was coming home with her grocery bags. She’d also seen Professor Roberts at least one other time…within the past month, she thought.”

  “OK, good work, Jilly. So, we’ll want to re-interview Roberts for sure. He seems to have had more going on with the Professor than he told us. First Keefer…now Roberts. These professors…” he said and shook his head. “And Davidos? You said that was iffy…”

  “First, I agree about Professor Keefer and Professor Roberts. They most definitely have not been forthcoming. As for Davidos, OK, nothing from the Newcomers. I did talk with a Michael Tannon, who Officer Voss had interviewed earlier. He’s the one who thought that he’d seen Davidos there…now, he’s not sure. He said that maybe he’d seen him on TV, maybe KAET on a special about universities in Arizona. And another guy—James Rush, who wasn’t originally interviewed by Voss and his team—said basically the same thing. So…”

  “No definite ‘hits’ on Davidos, then?”

  “No. Those two guys who said they’d seen him were ‘possibles’ at best. I guess this argues against interviewing President Davidos again.”

  “Let’s not rule out another interview with the Prez, but, let’s put it on hold…for now.” Wes checked his notes, then looked-up and said, “Look, Jilly, I know you sensed that something was going on between them…and, you might be right. I appreciate your instincts…you know that. It’s just that, if we are going to re-interview the President of ASU as a part of a murder investigation, I want us to have a solid reason…firm footing.”

  “I agree, Wes. We’d need more.”

  “Well, the main thing is that you went back over to her condo there and came away with new info. This just goes to show something about canvassing…you’ll never find everyone at home on the first go-around, so…”

  Wes was interrupted by his desk phone ringing. He darted back to his office and answered the phone by the third ring. “Detective Sergeant Webb, Tempe Police Department.” He listened for maybe 20 seconds, then said, “That’s excellent…I owe you a drink, and thanks, Greg. Yes, perfect. Thanks again.”

  Wes hung-up and called Jillian over to his office. As she took the proffered seat, she said, “That’s your smiley face, Wes. What’s up?”

  “Happy days are here again,” he sang. “That was Greg Bromley…they’ve finished the forensics on Professor Siemens’ devices: cell phone, computers, laptops, the whole shebang. He’s sending me a PDF as we speak.” Almost on cue, Wes’ computer pinged. He pointed toward it.

  “Wow. That was fast.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. The thing is…Paul Miller—you remember Paul, he’s still Tempe PD’s legal advisor—anyway, he got immediate warrants on all of the Professor’s stuff, from car to condo to electronic devices. Paul’s how we got the Professor’s will so fast. Anyway, none of the Professor’s devices were encrypted. So…”

  Jillian had worked with Wes for long enough to know that he’d print everything rather than work from computer screens. He wasn’t going paperless anytime soon. “Why don’t we get a conference room so we can spread out?”

  “Sounds good,” he said, and hit print.

  They snared a smaller conference room and Wes hung an “in use” sign on the door. They sat at a one-chair diagonal across from each other so they could spread out. They organized their materials and were both quickly ‘in the zone.’

  An hour passed, then part of another. They read quietly, the only noise in the room was the turning of pages, pens scratching across paper, the occasional swoosh of Jillian’s yellow highlighter, and the on’s and off’s of the air conditioner. At some point, sandwiches appeared. Jillian had a fizzy water and a turkey and swiss on wheat (she thought, because she ate without really noticing). Wes ate, too, but she couldn’t say what.

  Jillian smiled now and then as she read. At these times, she wrote more quickly and underlined her print-out. At other times, she pursed her lips or even went wide-eyed, and her note-taking became more aggressive. She underlined, sometimes in pen, sometimes with her highlighter. Once, she took a restroom break, and called Grace Wilson while she was out of the conference room.

  When Jillian finished her reading, she looked up, stretched her neck and shoulders, and saw Wes smiling at her. He asked, “You done?”

  She nodded “yes,” then asked, “How long have you been finished?”

  “Five minutes at most,” he said. “I don’t know if you’d call this a treasure trove, but I’m excited.”

  “Go for it.“

  “OK,” Wes said. “Well, first of all, Professor Siemens doesn’t much seem to have deleted her texts…she just keeps responding…keeps them going…and, there are a lot of them…calls and texts. Looking through the calls and syncing them with names, we have many business-related calls—I’m assuming they’re business-related—to people all over the US...internationally, too. Most of these people are other professors, although a fair number are with non-profits, foundations, and businesses. I take it that these are the paid boards and affiliations that the Skysong woman mentioned.”

  “Moser…Miriam Moser. I tracked the same thing.”

  “Right. Now, there were a couple of calls with Jonathan Keefer—both from him—this was over a period of months. There are more calls, again, especially from him, after that conference where their affair started-up.”

  He checked his notes again. “There were quite a few calls
from David Roberts late in the spring, and basically none during the summer…that’s when she was out of town. Then, there are a couple from him in late summer after she returned. And, no calls to or from President Davidos, but there were several to and from his staff…again, none to or from him directly. And as for her former lovers—the professor at the downtown Phoenix campus and the other guy, the lawyer—any calls from them were way back in the spring…nothing since. Oh yeah, and some Amazon restaurant deliveries…a professor’s gotta eat,” he smiled.

  Wes shifted to a different set of print-outs. “Now, the texts are more revealing. Just as an example, there’s a bunch of texts between the Professor and Miriam Moser. Moser said they were friends and their texts bear that out…arranging get-togethers, observations about this or that, comments about dates they’d been out on (some with accompanying fireworks),” he looked-up and smiled, “…and some business-related communication…mostly Skysong stuff. But, the most important texts are with Roberts and Keefer.”

  Wes sorted the papers into several different piles. “Roberts first. Lovey-dovey messages back in the spring, then, radio silence. I assume this is when they broke-up. Later in the summer when Siemens was away, some ‘hope your trip is going well’ texts. There also was a ‘welcome home’ text.”

  Wes raised his index finger for emphasis. OK, there were more texts from Roberts over the last two weeks. They were fairly generic, although one mentions missing Professor Siemens and he invites her to dinner. She answers that she was booked for the next couple of nights, but says ‘maybe another time.’ Several days later there’s another dinner invite from Roberts…this one she accepts. There’s another text arranging the details: Roberts picked her up. The day after, there’s a text where he says ‘last night seemed like old times.’’ She responds with a smiley emoji. Then, another dinner invite from him…she declines. A couple of movie invites from him…she accepts one of these.”