“I’ll walk you out, Rina. As a matter of fact”—Gabe turned to his mother—“tell the kids I went to buy them a surprise. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Will you really be back?”
“Of course, Mom.” Gabe shrugged. “I love my siblings.”
The barb thrown Terry’s way was processed with more sadness than anger.
CHAPTER 13
IN THEIR HEARTS, the Andersons had known for years that Zeke wasn’t coming back. Even so, finality, whenever it knocked, still brought a current of shock. Keith Anderson was in his fifties. He was average height and held a little extra weight around the middle. His eyes were brown, his gray hair was thick and unruly, and his silver beard was little more than stubble. He wore an open-necked white dress shirt and jeans with sandals on his feet. Mary Anderson was petite, and her sloped shoulders seemed to further decrease her diminutive size. Blond hair from a bottle framed a face that held sad brown eyes and a downward mouth. She was painfully thin, with veined, trembling hands. She wore a short-sleeved dark green dress that hung on her bony frame.
The couple invited the detectives into their home in Brooklyn.
It was a generous apartment with a view of the East River. The furnishings were modest, and scattered throughout the shelves were lots of framed pictures of a boy and a girl. The girl had turned into a woman with kids of her own. The boy stopped at twenty. Decker and McAdams were shown a seat on a cream-colored couch. Keith sat opposite in a leather chair, feet up on an ottoman. On the coffee table was a plate of cookies and several bottles of water.
Mary was still standing. “Coffee anyone?” When the answer wasn’t immediate, she announced that she was having some, so it was no trouble.
Decker said, “I’m fine with water, Mrs. Anderson, thank you.”
McAdams said, “I’ll take coffee.”
A fleeting smile. “There’s an honest man.” She disappeared.
Keith fiddled with his hands, eyes on his lap. He took a pen from his pocket and clicked it several times. Then he stowed it back. He remained silent.
Decker said, “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“He was lost to us years ago,” Keith mumbled, eyes on the floor. “You would think that knowing would be better.” Eyes upward. “It’s not better, it’s not worse. It’s all hell.”
“I’m so sorry.” Decker took a water bottle and opened it.
“Why are you here? Surely your sympathies could have been conveyed by phone.”
“I’d rather do this face-to-face,” Decker said. “Also, we’d like to ask you some questions about Zeke. Get to know him.”
“You think you can solve this after sitting on your hands for ten years?”
Decker said, “We now have Zeke, and that’s a big deal.”
“Meaning he was murdered.”
“Meaning he didn’t die of natural causes.”
“Then what else is there, if it’s not murder?”
“An accident. I’m not saying it was an accident. We just don’t know yet.”
“He was buried.”
“The two other boys could have done that if there had been an accident.”
Keith stared at him. “You think those boys are alive?”
“We don’t know. But since we haven’t found their bodies, we keep an open mind.”
“Are you looking for more bodies?”
“Yes. We’re actively looking.” A pause. Decker said, “Do you keep in touch with the other missing boys’ parents?”
“Not anymore. Both families moved away from the East Coast.” Eyes redirected to his lap. “In the beginning we’d call, ask if they’d heard anything recent. After a while, we stopped calling.”
McAdams nodded. “You called them.”
“Yes.”
“Did they ever call you?”
“Occasionally,” Keith said. “The other parents knew each other. We were the odd ones out. Then you figure what difference does it make anyway?”
Mary came back with four cups of coffee. Keith said, “They asked if we kept in contact with the Velasquezes and the McCraes.”
“Not really.” Mary distributed the cups. “In the beginning yes, but as time went on what we had in common was not a foundation for a friendship. They moved away about six years ago. Did Keith tell you that?”
“He did,” Decker answered. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“Just in case.” Mary sat down on the leather ottoman next to her husband’s feet. “Have you found the remains of the other boys?”
“They’re still searching,” Keith said. “The detectives are entertaining the thought that the other two might still be alive.”
Decker said, “Until we find their bodies, anything is possible.”
“What do you really think?”
“More than likely, they are deceased as well.”
“Then why can’t you find them?” Keith said.
Mary said, “Be nice, darling.”
“Why?”
“Because they are trying to help.” When Keith just looked down, Mary said, “It’s a legitimate question. Why can’t you find them? And why didn’t you find our son sooner?”
McAdams said, “The area is heavily wooded. It’s easy to overlook something because the terrain is so similar. I’m not making excuses. Just telling you what’s going on.”
Decker said, “There could be a dozen reasons, Mrs. Anderson. And incompetence could be one of them. I am sorry about your loss and very sorry it’s taken this long to find your son. But now that he’s come to our attention, we will work the case as hard as we can.”
“And you think you’ll solve it?”
“We’re hoping.”
“How?”
“There’s no set answer to that. I’ve worked hundreds of homicide cases and quite a few cold cases. I know what I’m doing.”
No one spoke.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“He was a good boy,” Mary said. “Idealistic. Passionate. He wanted to join the Peace Corps, for God’s sake.”
“I’m sure he had his heart in the right place,” McAdams said. “But college is weird. Sometimes things happen. What do you know about his friends there?”
Keith said, “He didn’t talk about his friends; he talked about ideas.”
“How about his roommate, Jackson Carlson?”
“You mean Jack?” Mary asked.
“Yes, Jack.”
“We met him once. We were going, he was coming. It was a two-minute conversation.”
Keith said, “After Zeke went missing, a lot of attention was focused on Jack. He was supposed to go camping with the boys. I thought he was cleared.”
“He was,” Decker said. “He was with his folks at Parents’ Weekend.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right. So why are you asking about him?”
“Just getting a feel for his friends.”
Mary said, “The truth is, when we asked about friends … or more directly, girlfriends … Zeke said that wasn’t his focus. We only know about his social life from what was dug up by the two private eyes we hired.”
Decker sat up. “Would you have their reports?”
“Of course we do,” Mary said. “It’s in our overbloated files that take up almost all our storage bin downstairs.”
“You have a trove of information,” McAdams said. “Probably more than we do. Mind if we take a look?”
“Well, that’s a sad comment on your competence.” Keith looked McAdams up and down. “Maybe not you. You look fresh behind the ears. Probably weren’t there when it all happened.”
“I came to Greenbury PD five years ago. Detective Decker arrived a year later.” McAdams shrugged. “Together, we’ve got a good track record.”
“We’ll look at this case from a fresh perspective,” Decker said. “Your files will be very helpful.”
“You’ll never go through everything we have in one day.”
“I heard that New York City has a f
ew hotels,” McAdams said.
The remark brought a fleeting smile to Mary’s face. “Come on, I’ll take you down to the basement.” She opened the front door, led him into the hallway, and pressed the elevator button. “Tell me about yourself. Did you always want to be a cop?”
“No, but once I discovered what being a cop was, I was hooked.”
“I’m betting your mother wanted you to be a lawyer or doctor.”
“You win the wager.”
The elevator dinged and they were gone. Decker was left alone with Keith. The man had trouble making eye contact.
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.”
“He was philosophically opposed to guns,” Mary said.
“Okay,” Decker said. “Now I know. When I interview the other parents, I’m going to ask them the same question.”
“Are you going to interview the other parents?” Mary asked.
“Of course. Now that we found Zeke, I have to do that.”
“You think a bullet shattered his hand?” Keith asked.
“We didn’t find a firearm or casings when we found Zeke. Someone could have used a revolver that doesn’t eject the casings. Or maybe the injury wasn’t caused by a bullet. We’re keeping all options open. That’s why I asked about a gun.”
“He didn’t own a gun,” Mary said.
“Okay, that’s fine.” Decker got up. “I’d like to join Detective McAdams and to go through your files.” He took a couple of bottles of water. “We may be there for a while.”
“The light isn’t very good,” Mary said. “You’re welcome to work here. We have an office in the back.”
“We wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“It really would be better than explaining to the super what you’re doing down there.
Keith stood up. “Mary, set them up in the back room. I’ll go down and fetch the boxes.”
“And you’re sure it’s all right if we work here?” Decker asked.
“It’s more than all right.” Mary wiped her tears from her cheeks.
“At last, someone is looking into my baby’s death. At last something’s being done.”
CHOOSING A COFFEE shop close to his condo in the Upper West Side, Rina didn’t have to look at her watch to know the time. Punctuality was Gabe’s forte. If he said two o’clock, Rina could be sure that the church clock would peal out two bells.
“Thanks for meeting up with me,” he said. “I know you must be anxious to see the grandchildren.”
“I’d be lying if I said no.” A smile. “How’d it go with your mother once I left?”
“Once business was out of the way, it was fine. I actually remembered why I liked her. Mom can be a lot of fun. What can I get you?”
“Cappuccino is fine.”
“I’ll be right back.” It took around five minutes, but he was back with coffee and a muffin and her cappuccino. He lowered his head and blew out air. “It was nice. Seeing her was nice.”
“Good to hear.”
“I know she was in a bad way when she abandoned me. But she could have reached out more. I’m sure that Devek didn’t want her to have contact with me. I know he doesn’t like me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Once he walked in when we were Facetiming. He told her to get off, that he needed her right now. He sounded angry. She told him she’d be off in a minute. She sounded weary—like it wasn’t the first time he was angry with her.” A pause. “She sure can pick them.”
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