Faye Kellerman - Decker 11 - Jupiter's Bones

by Jupiter's Bones

  even sure if that's true. We also know that some dude named Nova signed a death certificate.'

  'Anyone talk to him?' Decker asked.

  Oliver said, "They couldn't seem to locate him - which also makes me suspicious. Pluto said I could come back after dinner - around six. Being as it's after two, I figured why push it for four hours. Now I know they're going to prep Nova - tell him what to say and what not to say. But if he's not a pathological liar, I'll be able to see through that crap.'

  Decker agreed. Oliver turned to Marge, 'You want to come back with me?'

  'Yeah, I'll come back with you.'

  'So what are you doing for dinner? Want to do Chinese?'

  'I'll do Chinese.'

  Oliver turned to Decker. 'I don't suppose you'll be joining us.'

  'Thanks anyway, but I'd like to see my wife.'

  Oliver said, 'I used to have one of those.'

  Decker smiled. 'Yeah, well... tell you what. You two come over to the house after Nova's interview.'

  Marge chuckled. 'Rina would love that.'

  'She won't be thrilled, but besides being a good sport, she genuinely likes you two.'

  'Aw shucks, I'm a-blushin'.' Oliver grinned. 'Exactly how much does she like me?'

  Decker wagged his finger, then turned serious. 'So you think something nasty went down, Scott?'

  'Yep. Moving the body is a cardinal sin, and they should have known better.'

  Decker organized his thoughts. 'Let's back it up... to your statement about the body being supposedly dead. For the moment, let's assume that Venus was telling the truth: that she found Jupiter either dead or near death. If Jupiter was near death instead of actually dead, are you saying that someone, during those unaccounted-for hours, knocked him off?'

  'Why not? It's possible.'

  'But why would someone bother to commit murder if Ganz was already dying?'

  'Because maybe Jupiter had a chance of surviving if someone called the paramedics. Could be that Venus was about to call 911, and Pluto stopped her. He sent her back to her room, so he could do dirty work.'

  'Why would Pluto have wanted Jupiter dead?' Decker asked.

  'Because Pluto wanted control of the Order.'

  Marge said, 'Venus claims the Order is now under her control.'

  'There you go,' Oliver said. 'Jupiter isn't even dead for twenty-four hours and already they're at each others' throats. Who knows? Maybe they're in it together.'

  'Who? Venus and Pluto?' Marge shook her head. 'I don't think so.' She flipped through her scribblings. 'Point of fact. Venus claims not to have noticed any medication on Jupiter's nightstand. She said she was taken away and didn't have time to absorb her surroundings...'

  'And that would jibe perfectly with my theory,' Oliver said. 'Pluto pushes her away before she can call the paramedics. Then he places the empty Valium vial in the room to make it look like a suicide.'

  Decker said, 'If someone wanted to fake a suicide, don't you think the vial would have been placed in the room before Venus arrived?'

  'Maybe Pluto was about to do it, but was interrupted by Venus's sudden appearance.' Oliver rocked on his feet. 'Loo, what makes the whole thing suspicious is that the body was fresh. Coroner places the time of death within two hours of the discovery. Rigor mortis hadn't set in.'

  'Most common time of death is in the early morning,' Marge said.

  'But we're not thinking death by natural cause, Margie.'

  Decker said, 'Maybe it took Jupiter all night to summon up the nerve to do himself in. First, he drank the vodka to lower his inhibitions. Next he finished himself off with the pills.' He ran his hand through thick tufts of hair. 'Or maybe Jupiter was a lush and a pill popper, and this was a simple accidental overdose.'

  Oliver looked dubious. 'He downed a fifth of vodka.'

  'We've all known alkies who drink that much for breakfast.'

  'Venus said he didn't drink or take pills,' Marge stated.

  'According to her.' Decker stuffed his hands in his pocket. 'We've got a suspicious death - three options. Accidental OD, suicide or homicide. We may never be able to distinguish between accidental OD or a suicide. But that's not that important for us. The only thing that gets us involved is a homicide. So the question is this. Can you force someone to chugalug a fifth of vodka and/or down a bottle's worth of Valium?'

  Oliver said, 'If the guy was a secret drinker, someone could have dissolved the pills in the booze.'

  'Valium's insoluble in water,' Decker said.

  'Then maybe someone ground the pills up in his food.'

  'Valium has a bitter taste-'

  'So Pluto injected it into Ganz's veins,' Oliver tried again. 'In case you've forgotton, the body had fresh needle marks.'

  'Venus said Jupiter often injected himself with vitamins,' Marge commented.

  'Inject himself?' Decker said. 'He had IM needle marks on his butt.'

  'Sometimes she'd do it,' Marge said.

  'How convenient,' Oliver mocked. 'The logical assumption is that someone stabbed him with an IV needle, telling Jupiter that it was his vitamins. Meanwhile the guy's being shot up with a lethal dose of Valium.'

  'The drug burns like hell when you inject it,' Decker said. 'Jupiter was a scientist. He would have known immediately that he wasn't being shot up with vitamins.'

  'But by that time, it would have been too late-'

  Decker said, 'I don't like it. Too many "ifs."'

  'So maybe Jupiter was dead drunk when he was dosed up with Valium,' Oliver retorted. 'Maybe he'd already been knocked out with the vodka.'

  'You're saying Ganz drank himself comatose, then someone finished him off with the Valium?'

  'Why not?' Oliver asked.

  'For one thing, it's messy.' Decker paused. 'You're saying that someone went to all this trouble just to take over as leader of the Order.'

  'Loo, you met that twerp, Pluto. He lusts for control.'

  Decker said, 'So you not only have a theory, you have a prime suspect.'

  'Pluto had the means, the motive and the opportunity. He was Jupiter's privileged attendant.'

  'He was one of four privileged attendants,' Decker said.

  'But the first one on the scene after Venus, and he's the only one who's come forward as the leader. He needs to dominate. I'm telling you, there's something off with that guy.'

  'Scott, Pluto has been with Jupiter for years. Why now?'

  'Because Jupiter was out cold from the vodka. The perfect opportunity presented itself.'

  Decker conceded Oliver some points. He said, 'Even if the path, report comes back with drugs and booze in Jupiter's system, we'll still have no way of knowing if Jupiter's death was suicide or homicide. Not without other overriding evidence. If you have something up your sleeve, Scott, I'm all ears.'

  'No direct evidence,' Oliver answered. 'Just twenty years' experience.'

  'I don't discount that,' Decker said. 'But we can't open a murder case based on your experience.'

  'Can I put in my two cents for suicide?' Marge asked.

  Decker said, 'Let's hear it.'

  'Venus said that Jupiter hadn't been himself lately. That he hadn't been exactly ill, but... how'd she phrase it?' Marge consulted her notes. 'He hadn't been his usual spirited self. He'd been drained of his energy, he held his head a lot... like he had bad headaches. But when she asked him about it, he assured her that this was all part of the process.'

  'What process?' Decker said.

  Marge let out a small chuckle. 'Well, here goes nothing.' As Marge recounted the leader's supernatural ideas, they sounded even stranger than the first time she had heard them.

  'So he was receiving radiation from all these parallel universes.' Oliver gave her a sneering smile. 'Well, why didn't you just say so. That explains everything.'

  'I'm not giving credence to her hypotheses, Scott. I'm just saying maybe he was ill with something serious and he decided to mask it in quasi-scientific theory.'

  'Why would he do
that?' Oliver asked.

  'So as not to upset his followers,' Marge said. 'Maybe he decided to go out with dignity rather than suffer an agonizing death.'

  'What makes you think he was suffering from a physical illness?' Decker asked. 'To me, it sounds more like psychosis... voices telling you to do strange things.'

  'Or like a drunk after imbibing a fifth of vodka,' Oliver put in. 'I've heard those kind of voices before. They sound a lot like my buddies egging me on.'

  'I'm serious,' Decker said.

  'So am I,' Oliver retorted. 'If Ganz drank a lot, I'll bet he heard voices.'

  Marge said, 'To hear Venus describe Jupiter... it sounded like a man with something on his mind.' She tapped her foot. 'There's more to Jupiter's illness than what Venus told me. I feel it in my gut.'

  'I'm sure you're right,' Decker said. 'But I can't base a case for suicide on your gut feelings any more than I can base a homicide on Oliver's experience.'

  'So what do you suggest?' Oliver asked. 'We keep poking around until we find something that throws us to one side or the other?'

  'Exactly. And you can start with Nova. Find out what on earth possessed him to sign a death certificate. Even if he is a doctor and it's not strictly illegal, it's a gross irregularity.' Decker looked up at the sky. 'Let's keep the files on the Jupiter/Ganz case open for a while, if for no other reason than to look after the Order's kids. I don't want this death paving the way for another Heaven's Gate or Jonestown.'

  'Absolutely,' Marge said. 'With Jupiter gone, who knows what they're thinking.'

  Decker said, 'Meanwhile, there are loose ends that we can clear up, the first being who told Ganz's daughter about her father's death. When I asked Pluto about it, he claimed he didn't know. Seemed pissed about the leak, grumbling something about the chain of command being broken. The guy does walk around like he has a ramrod up his ass.'

  'You don't like him either,' Oliver said.

  'I don't like lots of people,' Decker said. 'But not all of them are criminals.' A pause. 'Just a high percentage.'

  Marge smiled. 'Venus doesn't know who called Europa either,' she said. 'She claims that Europa hadn't seen her father in over fifteen years.' She turned to Decker. 'Weren't you planning on interviewing her?'

  'Planning to do it sooner or later.' Decker looked at his sack lunch, sitting on the passenger's seat of his unmarked. Guess he was going to eat in the car after all.

  Over the phone, there were no signs of tears, no long sighs, nor any mawkish sentiment. Europa was polite, but all business. Of course for her, the loss of her father occurred years ago, so Decker supposed her grief had happened then. She was still in her office when Decker had called, and would be there for at least another hour. She told him to come down although she wasn't sure why he wanted to talk to her.

  'Just a few questions,' Decker said. 'Tie up a couple of things.'

  'For a few questions, a telephone is very expedient,' Europa answered.

  'I'm a face-to-face kinda guy,' Decker told her. 'I hope you don't mind. It shouldn't take too long.'

  'Well, I'm an e-mail-to-e-mail kinda gal. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to make human contact. Sure, come down.'

  Decker got into the unmarked car, apologized to God for not ritually washing his hands, then bit into his turkey sandwich. The fresh meat was thinly sliced with lots of mayo and Dijon mustard, just the way he liked it. No, the food wasn't the problem. It was the lack of company. He picked up the cell phone and dialed home.

  Rina answered after three rings. 'Something tells me you're not on your way here.'

  'How'd you know?'

  'You're talking with your mouth full. You're also on the cellular, which means you're probably driving. Driving and eating mean you're in the field working.'

  'You should be in my profession.'

  'You're not only driving and eating at the same time, you're also talking. If a cop sees you, he's going to pull you over.'

  'I'll fix the ticket. I know people.'

  'It's not the citation I worry about. Just be careful, Peter. Traffic is getting worse and worse each year.'

  'That's true. Is the baby home yet?' The baby being five years old. 'Or is today her long day?'

  'Today is her long day at school.'

  'So we could have had some real time together?'

  'Yes.'

  'Ouch!'

  'Your choice.' A pause. 'What are you working on?'

  'The Ganz thing.'

  'The news is saying it was a suicide.'

  'Maybe.'

  Rina said, 'Maybe as in probably a suicide? Or maybe as in maybe yes but maybe not'

  'Maybe as in I have to investigate every angle before I close up

  the file.'

  'And the department requires a second-grade lieutenant to do the investigation?'

  'Ganz was once a famous man.'

  'I see. Am I wrong or do I smell politics?'

  'What can I say? Strapp said he'd have someone cover for me in the division. When he says that, it means the guy is on the hot seat. Man, you make a mean turkey sandwich!'

  'Thanks. You're my best customer.'

  Decker placed the borrowed videotape in the glove compartment of his car. 'I've got a tape for us to watch when I get home.'

  'What kind of tape?'

  'Don't know.'

  'Sounds exciting,' Rina said. 'Should I breathe hard?'

  'Don't bother. It's probably more spiritual than physical.'

  'Now I'm curious.'

  'Good, it'll keep you up in case I'm home late.'

  'Before I forget, Cindy called.'

  Decker's heart took off. 'What happened?'

  'Nothing,' Rina said. 'She's taking four-day, twelve-hour shifts, that's all'

  'But she's okay?'

  'Great! Never sounded happier.'

  Thrilling, Decker thought.

  'She wants to go with you to the range,' Rina said. 'Call her when you get a free moment.'

  Shooting forty-fives and Berettas at the head and chest region of paper felons - a real father/daughter bonding experience. Decker said, 'I'll call her tonight. Maybe we can go next week if it's okay with you.'

  'It's fine with me.' She hesitated. 'And if you go to a public range, maybe you can take Sammy?'

  Decker was taken aback. 'Why in the world would I do that?'

  'Because Sammy has made up his mind where he wants to study in Israel next year. He wants to go to a yeshiva in Alon Shvut -Gush etzion. It's behind the green line and-'

  'Hold on! What do you mean behind the green line?'

  'It's in the territories, so they do Shmerah there - guard duty. It wouldn't hurt him to have a jump-start on how to handle a weapon-'

  'What?/' Decker suddenly realized he'd missed his turnoff. He also realized his heart was still hammering inside his chest. He pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway, and killed the engine. 'Hold on a friggin' minute! When was this decided?'

  'He was going to say something to you this morning but you rushed off-'

  'Excuse me, I was called off!' He was shouting, but he didn't care. 'Rina, how could you agree without at least talking it over with me! How could you agree to it periodl You're his mother, for goodness' sakes! Don't you care about his safety?'

  'Peter, I used to live in Gush-'

  'And cavemen used to grunt instead of talk.' He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to reach for a cigarette. 'Allowing Sammy to go to Israel was a big concession for me. I love that boy!'

  'So do I-'

  'I'll be damned if I'm going to put him in danger! Going anywhere within the disputed territories is out of the question! End of discussion.'

  The line went dead for a moment.

  Decker said, 'Are you still there?'

  'Yes, I'm still here.'

  'Rina, I'm expecting a united front on this one!'

  'Peter, as his mother, I agree with you one hundred percent. Except we're not just two parents, we're three. He told me that if Gush was good e
nough for his father, then it's good enough for him. Now what do I say to that?' Decker felt his head throb.

  His father. Of course that meant Rina's late husband, Yitzchak. Decker had been Sammy's father for over seven years, almost two years longer than Yitzchak had been with the boy. Still, the word father was reserved for this ghost.