Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (red scrolls of magic TXT) 📗

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 office. 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