Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar

by Gray Cavender

  They sat quietly. Students passed them in both directions, oblivious to Wes and Jillian sitting on the bench.

  Finally, Wes said, “Lately, I’ve been reading some newer research. I was interested myself, but I’ve been talking with the Chief, and also with Linda Timms about it. I guess that’s what mobilized me to do some homework.”

  In a way, the idea of Wes Webb reading academic journals surprised her. In another way, not so much…he’d read the article that she and Carolyn had published in Fem Crim. And apparently, he’d read the articles that she had mentioned that day at Town Lake.

  Wes said, “These articles are about how to ‘build a better cop.’ And no, Jilly, this isn’t about RoboCop.”

  She was glad that he was making a joke.

  He continued. “It’s interesting. The people studying this idea want to slow down police decision-making so that we don’t rely just on short-hand definitions. And they want to replace that quick-draw thinking with decision-making that’s more in line with ideas about procedural justice…like treating citizens fairly and with dignity.”

  “This is like how you answered me when we were walking that day…that police had to enforce the law fairly.”

  “Yeah, which is a lot more than just being polite and saying ‘have a nice day.’ It really means treating people with respect.”

  “How do the researchers say we should do this?”

  “Training, for one. Starting in the Academy with rookie officers. We have to change the culture of policing because that culture reinforces the stereotypes…like symbolic assailants.”

  “I haven’t heard of any of this before.”

  “The research probably came out since you left the university. I’ll get you the citations…maybe you can help me with these articles. Sometimes this stuff is hard to read, much less understand. There’s a lot of academic jargon and a lot of statistics, but it makes sense.”

  He leaned forward in that same pose from before, but he was turned slightly toward Jillian. “And it fits with those articles that you put me on to. If citizens are afraid to call or if they won’t help us, what can we do to change the situation? You ‘build a better cop.’ Maybe they’ll shoot fewer unarmed black men. And if this happens, then maybe people will be more likely to call us if they need help, or they’ll help us with cases. The articles I’ve read claim that in places where they’ve implemented this, it worked. The police in those cities make fewer arrests and are less likely to use force.”

  “Is any of this going on in Tempe?”

  “Not yet, although I guess the Chief is thinking about it. That’s why she and Linda talked with me about it.”

  Jillian remembered what Carolyn had told her about interviewing some women who either worked at or even headed state training academies…she didn’t remember exactly which it was.

  “You know, Wes, I was talking with Carolyn Patek…she’s writing a book about the culture of policing. And, she told me that she’s interviewed some women who actually work in police training academies. I’ll ask her if she learned anything in the interviews that might be relevant to you.”

  “That’d be great, thanks.”

  “Do you think she would start something like this? And if she did, would it work? Will the ‘old school’ types get on board?”

  “Who knows…maybe? What I do know is this...we’re dealing with your professor Naremore. He seems to have a real attitude…seems to maybe have a motive for killing Professor Siemens, and given what you said about her politics, maybe that makes for an even stronger motivation.”

  She nodded. “He feels strongly about those shootings…did you see his Black Lives Matter poster?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  Jillian said, “In terms of Professor Siemens…he was angry at her…for her views on race, and for her economic views, too. For Professor Naremore, race and economy are totally intertwined…you look at poverty in the US, and the poor are disproportionately people of color. And this isn’t due to individual failings, it’s the social structure, which is a function of long-term racist social policies.”

  Wes thought for a second, then straightened his posture, and asked, “What was that business he mentioned about needing an alibi?”

  Given the new information about the argument over Professor Naremore’s proposed certificate, Jillian knew that she needed to fill Wes in about some of the problematic comments he’d made when she interviewed him before, but she dreaded it.

  “So, when I talked with him the other day, he asked why I was talking to him about Professor Siemens…and then asked if he needed an alibi. He was joking, Wes.”

  She paused, then said, “I don’t think I told you about another part of our discussion, but at one point, he essentially said he was glad Professor Siemens was dead.”

  “No, you didn’t mention that part.”

  “Sorry, I…”

  Wes looked at her for a second, then said, “No worries, Jilly, but would you check with his partner about being somewhere on a conference? I think his need for an alibi is no longer a joking matter.”

  She nodded, then said, “OK.”

  Wes thought for a second—he seemed content to sit on the bench—then said, “So, here’s where we are…it seems like Naremore had an obvious motive…he strongly disagreed with Professor Siemens’ views on race…and economics,” he added. “They’d had run-ins already. And, given the business about that confrontation at the committee meeting AND that it was going to generate a full-blown grievance, which might bite Naremore later when he tried to get promoted…that’s another, maybe even bigger motive.”

  Jillian said, “One thing that was interesting to me is that when you told him what we’d learned from Professor LeJohns about that confrontation, at first Professor Naremore didn’t seem that upset about it. It was only when we told him about Professor Siemens’ grievance that he seemed to get worried. What do you make of that?”

  “Well, he was an athlete…so confrontations…that’s what they do…it’s part of competition. Maybe it was no big deal to him, even the part about squaring-off with her. Or, maybe he was finessing us…maybe he knew that the Professor was doing a grievance.”

  “It wasn’t mentioned in any of their correspondence…nothing that we saw.”

  “Yeah…course, there are other ways that he could have learned about it. Maybe he found out and that made him mad…you know, mad enough to shut her up.”

  Jillian nodded.

  “He seems to have the temper to do the deed. LeJohns said he ‘lost it’ at that meeting. Who knows, maybe after the meeting he got mad all over again when he learned she was filing a grievance against him. Remember how she died…violently?”

  Jillian swallowed, then asked, “Do you think Professor Naremore murdered her, Wes? Like you say, he has a motive, and he has a temper, too. I know him well enough to know that he really was mad at us, especially you, during our interview.”

  “Yes, but was he mad at the situation—a white detective suspecting a black man—or was he mad at the Professor—mad enough to kill her? That’s what I’m saying…it’s hard for me to get to my detective’s assessment of Professor Ian Naremore because there’s so much other stuff that clouds the picture. And that, Jilly, is what pisses me off.”

  As they crossed University, they were quiet…lost in their own thoughts. Then, maybe to relieve the tension, Wes reminded Jillian that he had an appointment with the Tempe prosecutor when they got back to the office.

  “Trial tomorrow. So, I got to get out my court suit. But first,” he laughed, “I have to visit Diane to get my memory refreshed.”

  “How is Diane?”

  “I had coffee with her last week. We had a good visit, and talked a little about the case and the trial, but we need to get down to business since it’s show time. I think I’d rather work with her than anyone in the prosecutor’s offi
ce. She always prepared, and in court, she’s meticulous. She comes across as the world’s nicest person till the judge drops that gavel, and then she’s a barracuda. Anyway, she’s doing great.”

  “Tell her I said hello. So, on your manslaughter case, how long do you think it’ll last?”

  “Will do…and by the way, at coffee she did ask about you. As for the trial, I have to be in court tomorrow starting at 9, and I assume I’ll be there a good chunk of the day. As for how long it’ll go, who knows?”

  “That works out well for me…I’m already scheduled to meet with Ersula on drafting the police comments on the Sexual Assault Task Force Report. And I talk with Al after that…to go over those comments. Maybe we can touch base in the afternoon to see where we are on our case.”

  “Sounds good. Obviously, we have to multi-task right now, but I don’t won’t us to lose momentum on our investigation. So, tomorrow, after you meet with Ersula and Al, I’d like to ask you to re-read your files…everything, Jilly.”

  “Anything in particular I should be looking for?”

  “No, …just give it a good, close re-read, and I’ll do the same whenever I have any down time. It’s just that you’re especially good at organizing your files…so do that…and see if anything jumps out at you…any inconsistencies…or whatever.”

  Back in the office, Wes sat at his desk and started to gather his case notes for the meeting with Diane. Jillian went to her office.

  As soon as she entered her office, she saw it laying on her desk: a single page—ragged and uneven—torn from the Arizona Republic. It was the movie guide for the movie theaters in The Valley. Across the top, written in red ink and all caps, it read, ‘Detective Movie 101.’ This was a double slam, she assumed. ‘Detective Movie’ was a reference to her earlier discussion with Wes about the Ayn Rand biopic. And ‘101’ was a reference to her having graduated from ASU. Halliday had an AA degree in Criminal Justice Administration from a community college…she didn’t remember which one.

  She had forgotten about Doc’s earlier ‘acting out’ scene because of the interview with Professor LeJohns, then their tense interview with Ian Naremore, and after that, Wes had been so upset. She figured that it must have been her discussion with Wes about the Rand biopic that set Doc off…for some reason.

  Jillian didn’t miss a beat. She charged into Doc’s office. He looked-up as she approached.

  “Thanks Doc. I’ve been meaning to see the new Nancy Meyers’ film and you’ve left the movie guide for me. How thoughtful,” she said, and shoved the page toward his face. She smiled and glared all at the same time.

  When he first looked up, it seemed to Jillian that he was about to feign surprise. But her comment and her attitude, and then shoving the page in his face…got to him.

  “I don’t even know who Nancy Meyers is…guess she’s a chick flick star. And I was referring to your crime-solving skills, you know, on campus, which apparently you get from the movies.” He almost hissed this out.

  Jillian, who had said her piece, was turning to leave, but Halliday’s comment stopped her, mid-turn. She wheeled back around, put her hands on his desk—the movie guide still in the right hand—and leaned as far forward as she could.

  And exploded. It was a rage that was pent-up after the interview with Professor LeJohns and everything that it revealed, then their interview with Professor Naremore…and her concern that she might very well have to arrest him.

  She was livid, but she didn’t yell at Doc. Instead, she grew quiet, measured. “Actually, Doc, Nancy Meyers isn’t an actress. She’s a successful movie director. But then you wouldn’t know that because she doesn’t direct action/adventure flicks or adolescent boy flicks, you know, with a lot of fart jokes.” She stood-up, literally separated only by his desk, and waited for his reply.

  By now, Doc was now standing, too, his chair pushed back when he jumped up, glaring as well.

  Wes was in Doc’s office in a hurry. “OK, look, you two,” he included both of them but looked mainly at Halliday, “you’re on the same side…remember?”

  Halliday reluctantly looked away from Jillian and toward Wes. “This doesn’t concern you, Wes. It’s about my view of her…her…approach. She’s more of a college girl than she is a detective. Talking about movies, for Christ’s sake, and always going on about googling.”

  “If this is about detective style, Doc, it’s simple: her methods work for her and yours work for you. You’re both good detectives. While she was here, she’s closed as many cases as you did.”

  “Yeah, but she closed them because she had you as her partner.”

  “Yeah, Jilly and I were partners, but, we worked as a team. Just like you and ‘The Pope’ (Halliday’s partner was named John Paul, so of course…). “When you guys closed a case, you both got the credit. Same for us,” he said. He gestured toward Jillian, and then started counting numbers with his right forefinger: “Two murders, three manslaughters, a sexual assault. You know the name of that song.”

  Jillian wanted to confront Halliday some more—she could almost feel it—but she didn’t want to interrupt Wes. She could see that his comments had reached Halliday…at some level. He wasn’t as agitated as he’d been.

  “You both need to stand down. Especially you, Doc,” he said, his eyes back on Halliday. “You’re the veteran here…you know what’s right. I heard you congratulate Jilly after we closed that big one early last year…man, you were first in line, and you weren’t just blowing smoke, either…you meant it.”

  “Yeah, well…”

  “Unh uh, Doc. We are all on the same side. A woman gets murdered. Beaten to death. She’s a professor and everyone over there,” he pointed in the general direction of the ASU campus, “is freaked. We have to get this thing sorted. And we are. And Jillian is up front on this. So…”

  Wes waited them out until Jillian and Doc shook hands. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Thanks, Doc. Me, too,” Jillian said.

  Doc said, “Good luck tomorrow, Wes. You got Diane which is about as good as it gets.”

  “You got that right.”

  After Doc had left, Wes sat at Jillian’s desk. He had his case notes and was about to go to Diane’s office to discuss the upcoming trial.

  Most of her adrenalin was spent, so she was a little shaky. “Sometime I just don’t get it, Wes. What did I do that was so wrong?”

  “Probably not any one thing,” he said, looking at the movie guide laying on the edge of her desk. “I imagine that this is partly about you having a college degree.”

  “You have a college degree.”

  “Indeed, I do. And you have two of them…and, you’re a woman. He’s been at this for a while now, you…not so long, and you already outrank him.” Wes scratched an imaginary beard. “You know, earlier we were talking about a symbolic assailant, and what that means to a cop. I figure that in your own way, Jilly, you are a kind of symbolic assailant to Doc.”

  “Like I was to Larry Gruber?”

  “Well, not exactly. Doc is nothing like Larry.” Wes thought for a second, smiled and said, “Well, maybe they are a little alike…sorry. Whatever…you’re a threat to someone like Doc. He’s a by-the-book cop. He’s pretty good, but you, you’ve been here for a lot shorter period, and you are on the upswing. Just imagine what he’s going to think about Georgia…with her go-getter attitude…and she’s from LA so she’s not going to take any crap from the likes of Doc Halliday.”

  “I guess what drives me crazy is that this job is hard enough without Doc’s BS. I mean, you heard what Professor LeJohns said…I may have to arrest my former professor.”

  “Well, Jilly, if that bothers you, I can arrest him…and you can just…watch.”

  “Wes…I’m serious…everything is lining-up against him,” she tapered-off, frustrated.

  “Sorry…just trying to make you lighten up.”

  “I
know. I’m just worried, that’s all. I mean…”

  “OK, quick review…Naremore is an angry man, maybe with good reason, but maybe for other not-so-good reasons, too. It seems like he was obsessed with the Professor…emotion could be relevant here, but so could just flat-out self-interest…his desire to stop her grievance against him before it happens. Does that make him our murderer…I don’t know…it might. But, here’s the thing, Jilly, if it comes down to it, and Naremore’s our killer and you have to arrest him…you will. You’d be sad, but you’ll do what you have to do…if it comes to that.”

  She sighed, then asked, “What do you think, Wes…about the evidence?”

  “Let’s just wait and see. I think we’re getting close, but I do want you to review your case notes…bear down on that…you just might see something that we’re missing. We could still use another break. Hey, I know…maybe you can watch some more movies tonight.”

  Jillian threw the movie guide at Wes.

  “Sorry, I got to run…Diane’s on the other side of the building.”

  “Seriously, Wes, thanks for stepping-in with Doc…I appreciate it.”

  “No problem…that’s what partners do, Jilly. Besides, I was afraid that you’d use some sort of judo move and throw Doc on his ass.” He mimicked the Karate Kid stork pose, then left.

  Jillian could hear him laughing out in the hall.

  She picked-up the movie guide from the floor. At first, it made her mad all over again…then, frustrated. She’d said to Wes that this work was hard enough without the extra crap from people like Doc. Wes was right…Doc had always been OK to her, had congratulated her when she and Wes made arrests in their cases…but now this. Is what he really thought of her…that whatever successes she and Wes had had…were attributed to Wes?

  She mentally shifted gears, seeing beyond herself to the bigger picture. This business with Doc reminded her of her of her masters’ project…about how hard it still was for women in policing. She remembered the women she’d interviewed. Some of the women were stoic…others were pissed-off. A couple of them had cried, and then they’d made her swear that she wouldn’t mention it her paper that they’d cried. Would it ever end?