The Theory of Death

by Faye Kellerman

  “I agree,” Decker said. “Except Eli Wolf didn’t leave a note. Why bother with it at all? And why bother saying the pain is too much? Katrina seemed to be pretty well put together.”

  “But she was doing something behind the college’s back,” McAdams said. “Maybe Rosser found out and was going to expose her.”

  Decker said, “Her murder would make more sense if she was threatening to expose Rosser or someone else.”

  No one spoke.

  Decker said, “Katrina had to have had some kind of personal life.”

  “Some people live for work.” Rina smiled. “Maybe her work was her life.”

  “I’m certain she was hiding more than her sideline with the hedge funds. Mike Radar has a tech guy coming in to the station house around noon. He’s going to attempt to recover everything on her hard drive. I want to read her personal correspondence. Something . . . anything to tell me why someone would want to murder her.”

  McAdams made a face. “I’m still puzzled why you’re so interested in an obviously fraudulent note. Why you think it’s the key to her personal life? It seems almost like a throwaway.”

  “And maybe it is.”

  McAdams said, “Just remember what they say about hearing hoofbeats.”

  “You think I’m hearing zebras instead of horses.”

  “It’s just something to keep in mind,” McAdams said.

  “What do you think, Rina?” Decker asked.

  “Could be Tyler’s right,” Rina said. “Then again, perhaps you live on the savanna. In that case, hearing zebras would make total sense.”

  WHILE EZRA AND Jacob Wolf were outside repairing the lambing shed, Ruth Anne had set the table with a spread: fruit, nuts, cookies, and coffee. She couldn’t quite decide what to do with her hands, so she elected to stick them in the pockets of the apron that covered her brown dress. Her blond hair was pulled back and her face wore an expression of resigned sorrow. “The coroner called us. You didn’t have to come all this way. But it was gracious for you to do so.”

  Decker said, “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am, face-to-face.”

  “Thank you.” She busied herself in pouring coffee. “I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days. I think . . .” She took a breath and let it out. “It’s all because of the accident. It did funny things to his head.”

  Decker nodded.

  Ruth Anne smiled. “Please sit.”

  “After you.”

  “Only for a moment.” The woman sat down. “Ezra and Jacob should be in soon. I’ll need to prepare their lunch.”

  “Need help with that?” Rina said.

  “Sure.” Another smile. “We can catch up.” She poured herself a half cup of coffee and sipped. “Good.” Then she picked up the fruit tray. “Please.”

  Rina picked a bunch of grapes and placed it on a china plate. “Thank you.”

  Tyler took a cookie. “I don’t think we’ve met, Mrs. Wolf. I’m Detective McAdams. I also want to tell you how sorry I am for your loss.”

  “Thank you.” She paused. “We live in a very tight-knit community. Everyone has been very kind and helpful. To my surprise, no one . . .” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Everyone’s been remarkably nonjudgmental, especially because suicide is a sin.”

  “Eli’s death is a loss for the whole community,” Rina said. “I’m sure they care deeply about your family and about Elijah.”

  “I’d like to think so, yes.”

  “I’m not a religious guy,” McAdams said. “I come from a privileged background. By all rights, people like me shouldn’t have a care in the world. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen the rich and powerful just hanging by a thread. We’re all fragile creatures, Mrs. Wolf.”

  Ruth Anne nodded and wiped another tear away. “Kind of you to say.”

  At that moment, Ezra and Jacob Wolf showed up. The two men took off their boots, placed them on a mat, and hung up their heavy jackets. Ezra quickly disappeared into the house, so Jacob spoke for the both of them. “We need to wash up before we eat. Be back in a minute.”

  “I’d better get lunch started.” Ruth Anne got up from the table.

  “I’ll come with you,” Rina said.

  Once both women were gone, Decker gave the kid a pat on the back.

  “What was that for?”

  “You’ve come a ways in the empathy department.”

  “This is just such a sad case.” He paused. “Do you think there’s a possibility that Katrina’s murder is connected to Eli’s suicide?”

  “Until we get it solved, there’s always a possibility,” Decker said. “Katrina was doing a no-no as far as the department was concerned and Eli was helping her out. Maybe he felt guilty about it . . . coming from an environment where ethics are stressed. Maybe it pushed him over the line. Especially with his personality changes due to the accident. Who knows how his actions interacted with his injured mind.”

  Jacob reemerged wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt and jeans, and clean socks. He said, “Thanks for coming all the way out. You know, the coroner called us already. You didn’t have to bother.”

  “I wanted to express my sympathies in person.”

  The kid sighed. “Well, life goes on.” He sat down. “Eli hasn’t really been one of us for a long time.”

  He tried to sound matter-of-fact, but there was an overlay of harshness. Decker said, “This is Detective McAdams, by the way. He and I are currently working a case together.”

  Tyler stuck out his hand and Jacob shook it. McAdams said, “The case we’re on . . . it involves one of Eli’s math teachers.”

  Jacob picked his head up. “What kind of case?”

  “A suspicious death.”

  Jacob opened and closed his mouth. “Suicide or a murder?”

  “It looks like murder.”

  “Oh Lord.” Jacob shook his head. “That’s terrible. Is it a coincidence or . . .”

  “I wish I could tell you.” Decker paused. “Jacob, I know that Eli had been distant from the family. But brothers sometimes tell things to each other when the parents aren’t around. I’m just wondering if maybe he said anything to you that sticks in your mind.”

  Jacob shrugged.

  Decker said, “Or maybe he left something with you for safekeeping.”

  The boy was quiet. Then he said, “Like what?”

  Ezra came back, dressed in denim farmer’s overalls. He had on a clean pair of work shoes. “I’m going to stop into Miller’s and check the mail.”

  Jacob stood up. “I’ll do it for you, Dad.”

  “Nah, you stay here and entertain our guests.”

  “I don’t mind. Really.”

  Ezra put a hand on his son’s shoulder and lowered him back into the chair. “The co-ops got a shipment of oranges in from Florida. Tell your mother I’ll bring her home a case.” He nodded to Decker. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

  After he left, Decker said, “We’re not here as guests and we certainly don’t need entertaining. I hope your father doesn’t feel put upon by us showing up here.”

  Jacob threw up his hands. “It’s hard to tell what he’s feeling. I could say it was because of Eli’s death, but he’s always been that way.”

  The table fell silent. Jacob took a cookie and chewed it slowly. “I reckon you want an answer to your question.”

  “I do.”

  “The last time I saw Eli, he did give me an envelope. He told me to keep it under my bed or something because he didn’t want anyone at school to find it.”

  “Did you ask him what it was?” McAdams asked.

  “Of course I did. He was vague. He said something about changing his thesis and he didn’t want his teacher to know. Does this mean anything to you?”

  “It’s consistent with what we’ve heard,” McAdams said. “Eli wasn’t happy with his current adviser.”

  Jacob nodded. “Yeah. Okay. So he was telling the truth.”

  “Did you suspect he wasn’t?”
<
br />   “Eli’s been known to tell a tall tale. And he changed after the accident. I had a hard time reading him. But I’ll tell you one thing. He did seem upset . . . maybe ‘upset’ isn’t the right word.”

  “What is the right word?”

  “I don’t know. After the accident, he spoke more or less in a drone. It took a while to get used to it. Last time we spoke, his voice seemed more . . . normal. Not totally normal, not by a long shot, but a little more fluctuation, maybe. I hadn’t heard from him in a while. His voice took me by surprise.”

  Decker said, “Did he tell you anything else? Take your time, Jacob.”

  Jacob thought a moment and then shook his head. “Not that I recall. I suppose you’ll want the envelope?”

  “Yes, that would be helpful.”

  “I doubt it,” Jacob said. “It’s all math formulas. I looked at the papers after he died. I was thinking that maybe it could be a suicide note. Of course it wasn’t. I don’t think there were more than ten English words on any of the papers.”

  “Do you understand anything about the math?”

  “Not really, no. He told me it was some kind of analysis.”

  “Fourier analysis?” When Jacob shrugged, McAdams said, “How about stochastic oscillator.”

  “No, that doesn’t sound even a little familiar.” Jacob paused for a few seconds. “You know, he did tell me that he was working outside the math department on an extra project.”

  “We have our suspicions about the extra project,” McAdams said. “And Eli wasn’t the only one working on it.”

  “So you know about this? What was it? That stochastic whatever you said?”

  “Maybe that, maybe something else,” Decker said. “Anything else that he confessed to you?”

  “It wasn’t a confession . . . exactly,” Jacob said. “He told me that there was this girl and she brought him into something. But he didn’t want anyone to know about it because it could mess up his scholarship and he didn’t want to create problems. Whatever it was, he didn’t want Mom and Dad to know about it. Especially the girl part.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Once you mention a girl in this community, it creates all sorts of talk.”

  “Did he mention the girl’s name?” McAdams said.

  “No. I asked him but he wouldn’t say. He said she wasn’t important. Just that she spurred his interests in other directions and that’s why he was unhappy with his teacher. But he couldn’t say anything to his teacher because he might lose his scholarship. So he was working on his own.”

  “Did he ask you for advice?”

  “No . . .” He shook his head. “I did tell him to follow his heart and his conscience and the rest would be okay. Obviously, it wasn’t okay. He killed himself.” A long pause. “He didn’t know what he was doing when he did it. He wasn’t in his right mind.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “I knew he wasn’t all there. I should have been more vigilant.”

  “These kinds of things are almost impossible to anticipate and even harder to stop.”

  The kid let out a sigh. “I suppose I should have told you about the papers the last time you were here, Detective. But then we didn’t know if Eli was murdered or not. And there wasn’t a good time to give them to you. And then I forgot about it.” Jacob looked down. “Sorry.”

  “I’m sure you had many other things on your mind,” Decker said.

  “Maybe.” He stood up. “I’ll get them for you. But don’t mention it to my parents. I don’t want them to think that Eli and I had secrets from them even though we did.”

  Decker turned to Tyler. “Go with him. In case his mother comes out.”

  A minute later, the women returned to the dining room. Rina was holding a salad bowl. Ruth Anne held a plate of sizzling chicken breasts. She said, “Where did everyone go?”

  “Your husband went down to pick up the mail and get a crate of oranges from Florida that just came into the co-op.”

  “Where’s Jacob?”

  “Washing up. He’ll be back in a moment.”

  “Well, if Ezra wants to eat cold meat, that’s his problem.” She sat down and forked a chicken breast for herself. “I’m not going to wait.”

  Jacob and Tyler returned to the table. “Hi, Mom.”

  “It seems your father took off on one of his jaunts.” She passed him the plate. “Help yourself.”

  “It’s been hard for him,” Jacob said.

  “And it isn’t hard for me?”

  “Of course, Mom.”

  The table fell silent. Ruth Anne said, “I don’t know why I’m being peckish with you.”

  “It’s fine.” He gave her the salad bowl.

  Ruth Anne huffed to herself. Then she said, “Where are my manners? Can I get anyone a fresh pot of coffee?”

  “We’re all fine,” Rina said. “Eat, Ruth Anne. It smells good.”

  “Next time you come, I’ll get a separate pan and a kosher chicken. Then you can eat with us.”

  “I’ll take you up on it.”

  “Like there’ll be a next time.” Ruth Anne shook her head. “This wasn’t exactly a social call.”

  Rina leaned over and looked the faded woman in the eye. “My husband and I just moved into this part of the country a little over a year ago. I will take any friend who wants me as long as you reciprocate and come down to visit me.”

  “I don’t think I’ve left this area in over a year.”

  “Well, maybe it’s time for a road trip. You’re an hour away from me.”

  “I just have so much to do.” She looked at Rina. “Why don’t you come up in the fall when it’s jam time. Do you do jam?”

  “I do jam.”

  Ruth Anne smiled. “We do get wonderful fruit from the orchard. And there’s lots of fresh produce from the co-op. I could sign you up for the co-op. But you’ll have to pay if you don’t bring anything to barter with.”

  “I pay the supermarkets. I’d rather pay you. Thank you.”

  The door opened and closed. Ezra was carrying a crate of oranges. On top of the crate were two bouquets of flowers. “I’ll put the crate in the kitchen. One of these is for you, Ruthie.”

  A genuine smile formed on her lips. “They’re lovely. I’ll put them in a vase.” She looked at Jacob. “The other one must be for you.”

  Jacob glared at his father. “I’m capable of buying my own flowers, Dad.”

  “Thought I’d save you the trouble.” Ezra’s face was expressionless. “Go on. Put them in water or else they’ll dry up.”

  Ruth Anne said, “I’ll do it for him. You sit and eat your lunch. And don’t blame me if it’s cold.”

  “First I got to put the oranges in the kitchen,” Ezra said.

  “I’ll take it.”

  “It’s too heavy for you.”

  “Fine. Come in the kitchen and set it down. Do you have the mail?”

  “Yeah, I have the mail. It’s in my pocket.”

  The two of them disappeared into the kitchen. Jacob shook his head, then he laughed. “Now you see why Eli didn’t want me mentioning a girl. Someone in the community and I have been going out for two months and they’re already planning a wedding. Jeez!”

  “It’s a parent’s prerogative to meddle.” Decker smiled.

  “They certainly think so.” Jacob picked up a forkful of chicken and chewed it down. “Ah well. With this mess, there’s certainly been enough rain in their lives. I suppose it won’t hurt me to give them a drop of sunshine now and then.”

  CHAPTER 22

  AS THE CAR edged into Cambridge—traffic was always heavy in Boston—Rina noticed a thinning of the conversation up front. Tyler had drawn inward, as if the mere presence of the university had sucked the life from him. It was all the more puzzling because Harvard was the only college that McAdams had ever known. Perhaps the institution was the embodiment of his father’s authority—odd because Jack McAdams had gone to Duxbury, one of the five colleges of upstat
e. Apparently Peter noticed Tyler’s silence as well.

  “You look thrilled to be back,” he said.

  “Over the moon,” McAdams said.

  Rina said, “Harvard is one of the finest universities in the world. You should feel privileged to be a part of that.”

  “Everyone here feels privileged, and not in a good way,” McAdams said. “Go to graduation, Rina. Hear the valedictories. ‘Since we’re so brilliant and privileged and special, it’s now our responsibility to shoulder the burden of leadership and guide the planet to a better place.’ They’d be appalled to realize that they’re restating TR’s White Man’s Burden.”

  “Somebody’s not happy about upcoming finals,” Decker said.

  “I’m right here, Old Man. No need to talk in third person. And I still have over a week to study, FYI.”

  Rina said, “I know the guys at the station house kid you, but they’d all trade places with you given a chance.”

  “Oh, come on, Rina,” Decker said. “Seriously? Why on earth would any of us trade a life of paramilitary bureaucracy and endless paperwork for the rarefied gift of brilliance and opportunity?”

  McAdams said, “Privilege is not what it’s cracked up to be.”

  Decker said, “Neither is the noble workingman, Bruce Springsteen. Idealized things seldom are. There’s no harm in getting a law degree, Tyler. You can even do some good with it. Even I learned a great deal by going to law school.”

  “You can stop right there, Old Man. You’re sounding like my dad.” McAdams paused. “Although if you were my dad, you’d be screaming instead of speaking. My life is fine. I’m just bitching right now because I’d rather be working on Katrina Belfort’s case. I can study at your place. I don’t see why I can’t stick around to see it through.”

  “Because it could take a lot of time and you’re distracted at our house.”

  “I’ll be even more distracted wondering what’s going on. I know you think it’s debatable, but I am a grown man.”

  “Honestly, Tyler, I don’t want this case screwing up your schooling.”

  No answer. The car turned quiet. Rina looked out the window. Near the university, Cambridge was a mixture of quaint clapboard bungalows, small, colorful Victorian houses, and soulless, cheap apartment buildings that housed students as well as local residents. The streets held the typical college stores and clothing outlets along with lots of fast food in lots of ethnic varieties. The co-op was the official Harvard bookstore that featured almost as many insignia items as it featured textbooks and school supplies. There were some good restaurants and a half-dozen places to stay for parents visiting overnight as well as guests of the university. The Inn at Harvard sat on the edge of campus, fashioned in brick with evenly spaced windows, a semicircular roofline, and a redbrick pathway that led up to the door: a modern take on a Federal style with a hint of Amsterdam thrown into the mix. The town was a mishmash, but it worked nicely.