“Once you fix it up,” McAdams said. “He’s doing a reno—by himself.”
“What’s wrong with a little adventure?”
“No offense meant, but why would you want a vacation home in Israel?” Radar said. “Isn’t it dangerous?”
“No more than anywhere else. The country just gets a lot of newspaper space.”
But Radar persisted. “May I ask what’s wrong with the Caribbean?”
“Something we all can enjoy,” McAdams answered.
Decker smiled. “I could pin it on Rina and say it’s religious fervor. The truth is, it was my idea. Good weather, good food especially if you’re kosher, and I miss living in a city with some street life. Where the property is … you can walk anywhere.” A pause. “Then I can have some time off?”
“But you are coming back,” Radar said.
“Yeah, sure.” Decker was looking at the ceiling.
“Two weeks can be arranged,” Radar said. “Just sign out the days on the calendar so I know when you’re gone.” He looked around the room. “Anything else?” Silence. “Good work solving a ten-year-old cold case. That doesn’t happen too often. I suppose we have Bertram to thank for that. Having him still a missing person doesn’t feel good. But we’ll take whatever we can get.”
THE SUMMER SUN shone high in the clear cerulean sky: long hours of daylight with mild temperatures rarely going above eighty degrees. Without the exigency of a case on his shoulders, Decker could actually enjoy the ride. It was the height of the tourist season in the Berkshires, people attracted to the many arts and music festivals on the calendar. He and Rina had gone to Tanglewood a couple of summers back. It was a glorious week of fresh air and wonderful music. As he drove, he thought about the future. Approaching seventy, he knew it was folly to take on a renovation project in a foreign country. And that’s what made it so tempting. The unpredictability of it all. A new country, a new language, a new culture, and a new lease on life. It made him smile just to think about it.
As he approached highway 7, traffic backed up, but he wasn’t in a hurry. The Taylors didn’t seem in a hurry, either.
Come whenever. We’re not going anywhere.
It took him around an hour to travel the six miles on the main road to reach the Taylor bungalow. As he was parking the car, Guy and Alison emerged from inside the house and stood at the front door. She gave a wave. Decker got out of the car and waved back. They waited for him and then turned and went inside, Guy holding open the screen door. It slammed as Decker entered the house. Coffee and cookies were waiting for him on the living room sofa table. Alison seemed relatively calm compared to her husband. Guy’s deep blue eyes were jumpy.
“Sit anywhere,” he said.
“Thank you.” Decker was wearing a blue suit with a blue dress shirt open at the neck. No air-conditioning. Although it wasn’t that hot, he was sweating. “Thanks for seeing me.”
Alison said, “Please sit down, Detective. Can I pour you some coffee?”
“Sure. Just black. Can I use your bathroom?”
“Of course. It’s down the hall, second door on the right.”
“Thank you.” He really did have to use the facilities. But being alone also gave him a chance to listen behind closed doors … see if he could detect any movement and hear anything suspicious.
Nothing.
He returned a few minutes later, and his coffee was waiting along with a plate of cookies. The Taylors were sitting together on the sofa. Alison was wearing a loose shift dress with sandals on her feet. Guy wore a white guayabera shirt over olive linen pants.
Sitting opposite them, Decker said, “I’m just here to give you an update. There have been some new developments in Bertram Lanz’s case, but no progress in locating him. I don’t know what Mangrove PD has found out about Kathrine. They’re playing it close to the vest, and since Kathrine is not my case officially, I have to respect how they are proceeding.”
Both of them nodded. Both of them said nothing.
“I’ve actually come to ask you if you’ve heard from Mangrove PD.”
A pause, then shakes of the head.
“This may seem like a blunt question, but have you heard from your daughter?”
Nervous eyes. “What would give you that idea?” Alison said.
“Well, like I told you, it’s Mangrove’s case. But I have checked in with them. You haven’t phoned them or asked for updates. Being a cop for a long time … that tells me that maybe you don’t have anything to ask because you know what happened to her.”
Guy said, “We don’t know anything—”
“She’s safe,” Alison blurted out.
Silence.
Decker waited for them to make the next move.
Alison looked down. “That’s all we know.”
“You talked to her?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t think about reporting the conversation to the police?”
“She said she’s safe,” Guy told him. “That’s all we know and that’s all we care about.”
“You know, we’ve expended quite a bit of energy looking for Kathrine and Bertram. It would have been nice not to spin our wheels.”
“We just found out a few days ago,” Alison said. “We should have contacted the police. We’re very sorry.”
A pause. Decker said, “Okay, I’ll let Mangrove PD know. Is Bertram with her?”
“We don’t know,” Guy said.
“Hmm, I suspect you do.”
“No, we don’t.” Guy added, “It was a thirty-second conversation.”
“Who did she talk to? You or Alison?”
“She called me,” Alison said. “We put her on speakerphone.”
“Did you talk to anyone else besides Kathrine?”
“No,” Alison said.
“And what precisely did she tell you?”
Alison put her thumbnail to her mouth. “Just that she was safe and not to worry.”
“And?”
“That was it.”
“No, I don’t think so. I think she probably told you not to call the police.” His response was met with silence. “She still may be in danger.”
“She’s not.”
“And you know that because …”
Guy said, “Because she said she was fine.”
“She sounded okay,” Alison added. “Even happy.”
“She was with Bertram?”
“We don’t know and that’s the truth.” Alison shrugged. “But yes, she could be with Bertram.”
“And you have no idea where she is.”
“No.”
“Overseas maybe?”
“I don’t know.”
“The phone number came up blocked,” Guy said.
“We have ways of unblocking the phone number,” Decker said.
“It’s not necessary,” Alison said. “No sense in you spinning your wheels, like you said.”
“She told you not to call us, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re not concerned about her safety?”
“I’d be more concerned about her safety if I didn’t do what she told us to do.”
“‘Don’t call the police,’” Guy said. “Those were her words.”
Alison said, “She was adamant.”
“Okay,” Decker said. “You don’t know where she is.” A pause. “Where do you suspect she is?”
“Can I tell you something in confidence?” Alison said.
Decker thought a moment. “Okay. What?”
“She’s in Germany.”
“Ah. And you think she’s in Germany because …”
“The blocked number. We actually did hire a tech person to unblock it. He couldn’t get the complete number, just the country prefix.”
“You know you can get the number by requesting her phone records.”
“No authority,” Guy told him. “She’s an independent adult.”
“You think so?” Decker asked.
Ali
son looked down. “Bertram’s parents are wealthy. If she’s there with him, we don’t have anything to be concerned about.”
“Unless she and Bertram were kidnapped.”
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Guy said.
“She suddenly decided to go to Germany?”
A long sigh. Alison said, “You said this isn’t your case. Let it go.”
“If you know for a fact that she’s with Bertram, you need to tell me that. Bertram is my case.”
“I suspect she is. But I don’t know that for a fact.”
“Are you sending your private eye to Germany?” When neither Guy nor Alison answered, Decker said, “We’ll probably be looking into it, you know.”
“But why?” Alison was exasperated. “If Kathrine and Bertram are safe, what do you care?”
“Because there might have been a crime committed at Elsie Schulung’s house.”
“The nurse who worked at Bertram’s residential care?”
“Exactly.”
“What does she have to do with Kathrine?” Guy asked.
“Maybe something, maybe nothing,” Decker said, “but Bertram and Kathrine may be together. And Bertram is our case.”
“Bertram wouldn’t hurt Kathrine,” Guy said.
“He might not, but Elsie Schulung might not be as attached to Kathrine as Bertram is.”
Alison said, “Getting the police involved might do her more harm than good. Have you considered that?”
“Of course I’ve considered that.”
“You and I are at cross purposes, Detective,” Alison said. “You want to get a crime solved. We want to keep our daughter safe. You go solve your crime, sir, but you’re going to have to do it without our help. The only thing that matters to us is our daughter’s safety. And like I said, she sounded happy.”
“Okay.” Decker stood up. “I understand what you’re telling me. I’m a parent myself. I’d like to know exactly where Kathrine is before I let go. On the other hand, I don’t want to screw up her safety. I’ll talk to my captain and get back to you. But I will have to tell Mangrove PD that you’ve heard from her.”
“But not where she is,” Alison said. “That was the deal.”
“I won’t tell them where. Just that you heard from her and you don’t want to pursue the matter.”
“Do you think that Elsie Schulung is a criminal?” Guy said.
“I don’t know. I wish I did.” He gave a rehearsed smile. “Thank you for your time. I’m very happy that you’ve heard from Kathrine. If you need to contact me again, please don’t hesitate. Believe it or not, I am on your side.”
Alison’s eyes moistened. “Thank you.” She held out a cookie plate. “One for the road?”
“Watching my weight.” Decker patted his gut. “I’ll see myself out.”
CHAPTER 27
IT TOOK ABOUT fifty phone calls, but the family finally decided on a place to eat dinner before Decker and Rina took off for Israel at twelve in the morning from Kennedy. As Decker looked around the table at their five children including a foster son, four spouses, one fiancée, and five grandchildren, he couldn’t help but think that even if he died tomorrow, he’d go out a winner.
As usual, the conversation turned lively, then loud. People shouting across the table, kids interrupting, and the usual spillage. Appetizers came and went. Kids started having meltdowns. Right before the entrées arrived, the server came over with two big bottles of rosé champagne and flutes.
“Who ordered this?” Rina asked. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“Group effort,” Jacob said.
She looked at her son. His blue eyes were twinkling. Everyone looked very happy. She said as much.
“We are happy,” Hannah said.
Decker said, “Happy for us or happy to get rid of us?”
“Oh, Abba!” She threw her napkin at him.
“We’ll miss you,” Sam said.
“We’ll miss you, too,” Rina told her elder son. “But we’re only gone for two weeks.”
“You know what I mean,” Sam said. “You told us you’re planning on going for an extended time after Pesach.”
“Six months without being able to complain to you,” said Hannah.
“There are telephones,” Rina said.
“It’s what … like an eight-hour time difference,” Cindy said. “If I need immediate help on a difficult case, who am I going to call?”
“Or when I need money,” Jacob said.
“Or when I need to deflect my crazy parents,” Gabe said.
“Or when I need a babysitter,” Sam added. “But I must say, it’ll be nice to have a place in Jerusalem. Hotels are expensive.”
“It’s a small place, Sammy,” Decker said.
“It’ll have beds and cribs,” Rina said. “You can use it anytime you want.”
Cindy shushed her twin boys. She looked at her father. “Seriously, Daddy, when do you think it’ll be ready? Koby and I have a bar mitzvah there next year. We’re planning on going with the kids and like Sammy said, hotels are expensive especially at that time of year.”
“I have a gig there next year as well,” Gabe told his foster parents. “I think it’s in Tel Aviv. Maybe it’s Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.” He turned to his fiancée. “You’re coming with me, right?”
“Especially if we have our own place,” Yasmine said. “I don’t like hotels.”
Decker looked at Rina. “Should we be charging rent?”
“Quiet, everyone!” Jacob held up a flute of champagne. “I propose a toast. To the happy couple. May they find peace and solitude in the Holy Land, and may construction go easily and without gonavim.”
“Here, here!” Cindy said. “What’s gonavim?”
“Crooks,” Koby said.
Jacob was still holding up the flute. “To the happy couple. L’chaim.”
“L’chaim!” everyone echoed.
“One more thing.” Jacob held out two envelopes to his stepfather. “For you two. A small gift for all your long sufferings with the clan.”
Rina took the envelopes. “This better not be money!”
“Why not?” Decker said.
“It’s not money,” Cindy said. “Open it.”
Decker complied and pulled out two tickets to Israel—business class.
Rina said, “What did you guys do?”
“Go in peace and go in style,” Sammy said.
“This must have cost you people a fortune.”
“Not so bad between all of us,” Koby said. “We just upgraded your current tickets.”
Rina had tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to say.” A pause. “Thank you, thank you.”
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get seats together for the outbound flight at this late date,” Hannah said, “but you’re together for the return flight.”
“Wow, thank you, children. It makes the trip even more exciting.” Decker held up his flute. “A toast to all of you.”
Just then Gabe’s phone rang. He looked at the window. The number was blocked. No doubt it was his father. He often used burner phones, although he had a regular phone with both burner and hush features. But that was just Chris. Nothing with him was ever consistent.
“L’chaim,” Gabe said. “I’ve got to take this.” He stood up and walked out of the restaurant. The street noise didn’t make it much quieter, but at least his ears weren’t ringing. “Hey.”
Breathing on the other end. Gabe almost hung up, except it wasn’t perverted breathing. It was labored breathing. “Hello?”
“You’ve gotta … get me.”
A woman was struggling to talk. Confusion and then the lightbulb. Gabe’s heart started racing. “Mom?” No response. “Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Yes.” She was crying. “They took Sanjay … Juleen … they’re gone. You’ve got to help me. I’m dying.”
“Mom, where are you?”
“L.A.”
> “Where in Los Angeles?”
“Valley.”
“Mom, call 911.”
“No!”
“You have to—”
“No!”
“You’ve got to call the police, Mom, and right away.”
“They’ll arrest me.” A long pause. “You need to come get me.”
“Mom, I’m three thousand miles away. If you’re hurt, you need to go to a hospital. Call 911!” There was no response. “Mom, are you still there?” She didn’t answer, but Gabe could hear her breathing. “Mom, I love you. Please call for help!”
“Hold on … oh God! I think that’s Juleen!”
“Mom?” But she had hung up. With shaking hands, he dialed the phone number she had given him earlier when she had settled in California. It went straight to voice mail. “Why do you do this to me!”
He called again. And again. And again and again.
He texted her: CALL ME!
Decker had stepped outside, saw his foster son pacing. “Everything okay?”
“No,” Gabe told him. “My mother just called me. From what I could gather, someone kidnapped my brother and maybe my sister. She’s hurt.”
“Your sister?”
“No, my mother. Maybe my sister too. I don’t know. My mom can barely talk. She won’t call 911. She’s adamant about that. I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Where is she?”
“Somewhere in Los Angeles … the Valley, I think.”
“Her old stomping ground. My old stomping ground. What’s her number? I’ll see if I can’t send someone out there to look for her.”
“She doesn’t want the police involved, Peter. Besides, she called me on a phone with a blocked number. It goes straight to voice mail.”
“Why doesn’t she want the police involved?”
“I think …” Gabe paused. “I know that she took her kids out of India. I suspect she had a court order not to leave the country with them. You know she’s divorcing her husband. There’s probably a custody dispute.”
“If she took her kids out of the country illegally, she could be a fugitive. Hence, no police.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
“Maybe her husband kidnapped them back.”
“I don’t know.” Another pause. “Honestly, at this moment I’m less worried about the kids than I am about her. She sounds horrible.”
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