The hunt, p.37
The Hunt, page 37
“SID went over the car, Baer,” Decker said. “There wasn’t a drop of blood in the trunk.”
“That’s because Elsie was driving Pauline’s car. Elsie’s was in the shop and she didn’t get it until the next day. I don’t know where she was having it fixed, but how many auto shops can there be in that area? Check it out.”
Decker’s thoughts were whirling. The story, however crazy, had a ring of truth. “What’d you do after you got Pauline back to Elsie’s house?”
“Cleaned her up. Kept her in the kitchen while we figured out the best place to dump her. Elsie came up with the spot.”
“It’s a long way to drive to dump a body,” McAdams said.
“I didn’t know that at the time. All Elsie said was she knew a spot that was far away and wouldn’t throw suspicion on either one of us. Besides, Pauline didn’t work. It wasn’t like someone was expecting her.”
“Go on,” Decker said.
“We both wanted to do it soon because … fuck, let’s face it. Who wants a dead body in the house? The next night we left Baniff in separate cars. I took Pauline’s body and Pauline’s car. Elsie took her own car. I followed her. After we buried her, we went our separate ways. I never looked back and I never saw the bitch again.”
“And when again did you bury her?”
“I dunno. After midnight.”
“What day?”
“The next night after Elsie knifed her to death.”
“You’re taking a chance, Baer,” Decker said. “You’re riding with a body in the trunk of a car, going a long, long way.”
“Didn’t know it was so far at the time. Like I said, I didn’t choose the spot.” Baer thought a moment. “How long did it take you to find her? The body?”
“Why?”
“I’m just surprised that anyone found her,” Baer said. “We were in the middle of nowhere.”
McAdams said, “If you acted in self-defense, Brock, why not call the police?”
Baer rolled his eyes and cocked a thumb in McAdams’s direction. “Is he a moron or is he just acting like one?”
“Shut up,” Decker said. “You’re in crap up to your eyeballs. If you keep acting nasty, things will get even more difficult for you. Now just answer the damn question. Why didn’t you call the police?”
Again, Baer rolled his eyes. “I don’t have much luck with officers of the law.” Then he took a breath and let it out. “Like I said, we were arguing that night. People saw us, people heard us. I knew it didn’t mean a fucking thing, but they didn’t know it. Pauline and I used to fight all the time. We got drunk, we argued. We always got back together—until I beat her up. My bad. Totally admit that. But the truth was, I loved her and she loved me, and if Elsie hadn’t killed her, we’d be together now, getting drunk and fighting and making up.”
No one spoke.
Baer said, “We put each other through shit, but we were great together when it worked. We’re just that kind of people. We party loud, we fuck loud, we fight loud.”
Silence.
Baer said, “Elsie was fucking psycho. Couldn’t get along with anyone.”
McAdams followed Decker’s lead and they both kept quiet. Keep the guy talking.
“Pauline asked me to come to Baniff so we could talk,” Baer said. “She wanted to get back together. She was crazy about me. Crazy, too, but that’s for another day.”
They still didn’t answer him.
Baer said, “Look, I didn’t have to talk to you two. I could have lawyered up. I know this system. What I told you is the truth.”
Decker waited for Baer to continue. When he didn’t, he said, “We’ll be back in a bit.” He opened the door and called for Stoltz.
When she came, she asked, “Are you finished?”
“Can you get someone to watch him?”
“No problem.” She came back a minute later with a uniformed officer. “What do you need?”
“Do you have an office?”
“Sure. Follow me.”
To Baer, Decker said, “One minute.”
“You tell her how cooperative I’ve been,” Baer said.
“Right.” He closed the door, and the three of them walked into Stoltz’s office, leaving a police officer with Baer.
“Have a seat.” She pointed to some empty chairs. “Man, he’s a piece of work.”
“I’ve seen worse.” Decker sat down. He turned to McAdams. “What’d you think?”
“Part of it sounded plausible.” McAdams shrugged. “I’m probably easily conned.”
“I’m thinking about the scar across his fingers. It could be a slip while you’re stabbing someone. But it looks like a grab-the-knife wound.”
Stoltz said, “I wouldn’t believe a word that comes out of that guy’s mouth.”
“He handed you some good lies?” Decker asked.
“Not even good ones,” Stoltz said. “The stolen goods weren’t his. He was holding the goods for a friend. He bought the goods from strangers and didn’t know the pieces were stolen. Not very original at all.”
McAdams said, “The story he told us was pretty original. He admitted to helping Elsie bury Pauline, just not to the stabbing. But that, of course, could be a deflection.”
“When is arraignment and bail?”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” Stoltz said. “He isn’t going anywhere.”
“Good. That gives me some time to think about things.” Decker paused. “Where is the car he was driving?”
“It’s been impounded,” Stoltz said.
“We need to get it processed. It should have a wealth of information.”
“We’ll get someone from Springfield. It’ll be taken care of.”
“Thank you.” Decker stood up. “Once that’s done, we’ll have more than enough to hold him for murder.”
“Once we’re done, he’s all yours.” She stood up as well. “Where do you go from here?”
“I’m not sure,” Decker said. “The only other witness we possibly have is Elsie Schulung. Trouble is, we can’t find her. In the meantime, he’s behind bars. Good luck to you.”
“And you as well,” Stoltz said. “Can I offer you two anything?”
“No, I think we’ll be on our way,” Decker said.
“We’ve got a long drive ahead,” McAdams said. “Anywhere to grab coffee and a bagel?”
“The diner down the street has bagels in the morning, I don’t know about now. They definitely have coffee.”
“Thanks for the tip,” McAdams said. “This was helpful, even if it wasn’t what we expected to hear.”
“Sometimes it works that way,” Stoltz said. “Whatever the convictions and however temporary, at least for now, we got a bad guy off the streets.”
CHAPTER 27
THEY STARTED BACK in the afternoon, equipped with six bagels, a pint of cream cheese, and a thermos of coffee. Decker took the first shift behind the wheel. Eyes focused on the road, he said, “Now that you’ve had a chance to play it out in your mind, what do you think?”
McAdams said, “Baer’s story explains why his blood was there without admitting to murder. But why confess to anything? Why admit to all the after-the-fact crimes?”
“Maybe he’s thinking that his blood might also be in Elsie’s house. His confession would help explain why it’s there.”
“True,” McAdams said. “Part of me believes the story even though it does sound a little fantastical.”
“What don’t you believe?”
“That Elsie went out looking for them specifically, that she just happened to see them across the road. What’s more logical in my mind is that Baer and Pauline were arguing, and Pauline called Elsie to come pick her up.”
“Go on.”
“Maybe Elsie pulled out a knife. But it wasn’t meant for Pauline, it was meant for Baer.”
“Back off, dude,” Decker said.
“Exactly,” McAdams said. “But what if Elsie missed him and accidentally got her? Or maybe Pauline stepped in between the two of them to break something up.” He took a bite of bagel. “Or maybe Baer killed Pauline. He’s certainly had enough time to concoct a story.”
“Yep.” Decker exhaled. “Can you get me a bagel?”
“Sure.” McAdams fished one out of the bag. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Decker took a bite and said, “Baer is trying to make us second-guess what we know. But I agree with you that it’s a little strange for him to cop to all those after-the-fact charges.”
“So where are you on his story?” McAdams asked.
“Parts of it ring true.” Decker took another bite. “I do think Elsie Schulung had some kind of involvement. Murder? I’m not sure. But I’m thinking that she did something bad enough that she didn’t feel safe calling the police.”
“Protecting Bertram?” McAdams asked.
“I don’t know, Tyler. No one at the home gave us any reason to believe that Bertram had been traumatized. Certainly, if he helped bury the body, he would have been traumatized. But I know what you’re thinking. Why was Pauline buried so close to the diner?”
“Bertram has to fit in somewhere, Deck. He, Kathrine, and Elsie all disappeared around the same time.”
“Right.” A pause. “Is the coffee too hot for me to drink?”
“Let me check.” McAdams filled a paper cup halfway. “I think it’s okay.”
Decker took the coffee, sipped, and gave it back to Tyler. “We’ve got to find Elsie. No one else can put the pieces together except her.”
“From what we found out, she isn’t with Bertram’s family anymore,” McAdams said. “She could be anywhere.”
“And she’s not a fugitive,” Decker said. “She’s just someone we suspect, and that’s not good enough to involve any agency.”
“We have Baer’s story.”
“Which is unsubstantiated right now.” A pause. “At the moment, we are stuck.”
“I would agree.”
“I really don’t want to leave for my sabbatical in Israel until I know what happened.”
“Don’t hold your life up for this, boss. Surely this isn’t the only unsolved case you’ve ever had.”
“No, it isn’t. I left Los Angeles with several open files hanging over my head. But this is the only unsolved case that I have in Greenbury. It would be great to leave batting a thousand.”
ELEVEN YEARS AGO, I left New York, a married woman seeking a divorce and a new life in India. Four months ago, I left India, a married woman seeking a divorce and a new life in the States. What was the takeaway? There is no such thing as a new life. There’s only life.
Chris and I married on the outside deck of the top floor of the Lucky Seven casino, a four-story building in downtown Vegas with a view of the strip, sparkling multicolored gems illuminating the massive hotels. We exchanged our I dos in front of a justice of the peace provided by Guy Benedetto, the CEO of the consortium that owned the casino. Guy had decked the area with white roses, lilies, and mums and draped the railings in silver satin cloth. He had provided the champagne for the toast afterward, and all of it gratis: his wedding present to the “Beast,” his name for Chris. He and his wife, Anna, also served as witnesses.
Like Chris, Guy was a charmer—around sixty years of age with an average height, a slender build, and a full head of pewter hair. He had an avian nose, thin lips, and sharp and focused brown eyes: all in all, not a bad-looking man. He was not only CEO of the Lucky Seven, but he also presided over several other casinos in the area and two in Reno.
He was also Chris’s ex-brother-in-law.
He was the oldest sibling of three, and, like Chris, he came from a crime family. But Guy had managed to keep his nose clean. He had set up several shadow companies that allowed him to squeak past the gaming commission’s ever-watchful eye.
Decades ago, Chris had been married to Guy’s sister, Maria. She was the middle child, and a woman whom Chris barely tolerated. The youngest of the three, Lorenza, had once been Chris’s fiancée. Although she was more attractive and smarter than Maria, Chris really hated her. In our teenage years, he often described her as a Mafia princess, spoiled and entitled. The reason for their union had to do way more with the families than with the individuals. Their engagement dissolved once Chris went to prison. Marriage to much less attractive Maria was Chris’s punishment for being in love with me.
Guy’s wife, Anna, was around my age. She was taller than her husband and towered over me. She was lovely—blond hair and blue eyes, with a great body that included big breasts and shapely legs. How much of it was due to surgery was anyone’s guess, but it looked great on her. When Guy and Chris had business to discuss, the two of us went shopping. Anna was anything but a ditz. She, like me, played it close to the vest, revealing little about herself and even less about Guy. Instead, we talked designer duds, diet fads, fashion trends, and we even touched on politics during lunch. Anything except the men in our lives. Together we picked out a cream-colored Chanel suit that I wore for my nuptials.
The trip to Vegas also included a gift from Chris from a pawnshop and a house hunt. Since I didn’t know the different areas, I suggested that Chris set us up in a rental until I could decide what community was best suited for my family. He refused. No one would have a set of keys to my place except the two of us and an armed guard of his choosing. We compromised on a suburban three-bedroom house with a pool and a price tag that wouldn’t dent his vault. It was late afternoon when we arrived back in our hotel suite. On tap for the evening was dinner at a chef-driven restaurant and the latest show by Cirque du Soleil. He had scheduled the plane to leave around midnight because he wanted to be back in Mountain Pass before the morning. I felt it best to pack up now rather than rush it later on.
The bed was covered with stuff. Chris had neatly laid out his clothes and accoutrements while I was, by nature, much less regimental. But during our years together, I had learned that order was very important to him. Everything that went into the suitcases had to be properly folded—even the dirty laundry.
He came into the bedroom from the living room, clicking off his phone and stowing it in his pocket. He said, “You’re not my valet, Terry. I can pack my own clothes.”
“It’s fine,” I told him. “I know how you like it.”
He approached me from behind and put his hands around my waist. Then he turned me around. “I can look after myself. I’ve been doing it for eleven years.”
He peered into my eyes. They started to water. It had been such an emotional time, and this was just the topper. I just couldn’t seem to control my own life. He seemed to read my mind.
“I know this isn’t what you wanted—”
“Chris—”
“What you wanted was an independent life without a man dragging you down. But a devil took your boy, and you made a deal with another devil to get him back. And although this devil really wants you to be happy, he can’t let go. He did that once and it nearly killed him. But he’s trying hard to give you some independence. It’s not what he wants, but he’s trying.”
I stroked his face. “We’ve both been through so much, baby. Let’s try to make this second act a fresh start, okay? We both deserve that.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his lips. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pack your clothes?”
“No, I’ll do it. You never did it as well as I did anyway.”
I picked up a pair of his black pants and swatted him with it.
He said, “How’re your cuts?”
I looked down at the bandages on my knees. I scratched them while kneeling on the balcony floor, doing … I said, “They’re fine.”
“Good.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’ll push the house through escrow. I know you’re going to want to move in as soon as you get Sanjay. I’m going to Mumbai in two weeks, so there may be a week or so that you and the kids will have to stay with me before escrow closes. I take it that’ll be okay.”
Again, my eyes became pools. “Do whatever you think is best.” I stroked his cheek again. “Christopher, please be careful.”
“I’m not worried.”
“I am.”
“You have more at stake.”
I looked down. “I’m petrified that something will go terribly wrong. With Sanjay, of course, but also with you. I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
“That could happen. And that’s what makes it so exciting. If it was a gimme, you wouldn’t need my help.” He drew me close, picked up my chin, and kissed me hard. “How did I get so lucky? To get a second chance with the only woman I have ever loved.” Another kiss. “What angel was looking after me?” Another kiss. “Teresa, I’ll do everything in my power to get your boy back. These last months have been worth all the pain of the last eleven years.” He kissed my wedding band. “If I died tomorrow, I’d die happy.”
I started to cry. How could such beauty and such cruelty occupy one body? I hugged him tightly. “Don’t die tomorrow.”
“I’ll try my best.” He looked into my eyes. “I want you very badly. Do you want me?”
I nodded. My eyes swept across the bed covered with clothing and then to his three pairs of exotic-hide boots resting on the floor. The heels added two inches to his barefoot six-four-plus height. A slow smile spread across my lips.
He said, “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
I felt my face getting hot. I didn’t know why I was embarrassed. My emotions had become so unpredictable. “No.”
“I can’t do what you want unless you tell.” He stared at me. “Why are you blushing? Terry, we’re married, for fuck’s sake. What?”
My voice was soft. “Putting on your boots and riding the bull.”
“That’s your nasty?”
“Pretty tame, huh?”
“Y’think?” He kissed my forehead and laughed. Then he gave me a blinding smile. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
I broke away and started to clear the clothes from the bed.
He said, “Just leave it.”
“We’ll mess up the clothes.”
He picked up a pair of electric-blue ostrich-hide boots, took my hand, and led me into the suite’s living room. “Baby, that’s why God made sofas.”
