“I don’t know. But if he’s anywhere within walking range, we will find him. Kevin Butterfield is organizing several search parties from the various departments. At some point, if we don’t find him, I’m going to have to go to the residential facility. Talk to the staff as well as the residents. We need to get a sense of who Bertram is and why he’d go off like that. If he has parents and they haven’t been notified, that’s got to happen today as well.”
“I’ll show up at nine to help with the search.”
“Thanks. What’s Gabe going to do?”
“I suspect he’s going back to New York. He’s teaching a class, so I know he has some kind of schedule.”
Decker took a big bite of toast and washed it down with the dregs of his coffee. “Tell him I said hi. And tell him to call me if he has any misgivings about this meeting. You know I could come instead of you.”
“I think he asked me because he knows you’re busy.”
“Or he doesn’t want me there.”
“He thinks you’re still mad at his mom.”
“I’m not mad at all. But Terry turned from this sweet innocent kid to someone who’s cunning and manipulative. He needs to watch out.”
“I’m sure he’s aware of that.”
“Yeah, but she’s still his mother. Mothers know how to push buttons.”
“We had a lovely time with your mother last year.”
“We were both on our best behavior.”
“Maybe Terry will be on her best behavior.”
“That’s what worries me. She’s a lot more charming than my mother.” Decker kissed Rina’s cheek. “Thanks for helping out with the search. We’re such a small department. We’ve recruited a few officers from local PDs, but volunteers can make all the difference.”
“People helping people,” Rina said. “It doesn’t make the news, but it gets us through the day.”
The morning search proved fruitless. By noon, Decker pulled out his cell and called Tyler, who was searching from another police car. He and McAdams had started out as partners. Now they were friends, although Tyler was much closer in age to Decker’s children. Their association had gotten off to a rocky start. But McAdams had proved himself an able colleague. When he answered, Decker said, “Hey, Harvard. Anything?”
“Still dry as a bone. What about you?”
“No luck at all. We don’t even have a scent path for the dogs to follow. It could be he was picked up and that’s why the dogs aren’t smelling anything.”
“It was planned?”
“It was planned or he managed to thumb a ride,” Decker said. “At this point we need more information. Which means we need to talk to people who were there.”
“Everyone has gone back to the facility. Plus, I heard they’ve contacted lawyers. They might not talk to us.”
“Lanz has been missing less than twenty-four hours. It’s crucial that we find out as much as we can as soon as we can. Besides, if a big civil suit is coming from the parents, the facility’s cooperation will look good. Whether we’re wanted or not, I’m going to take a trip to the Loving Care residence and search Bertram’s room. Interested in joining me?”
“Of course. And the plan is okay with Mike Radar?”
“I’m going to call him now. I’m sure it’s fine.” A pause. “Do you have your iPad with you?”
“Always, but I don’t have internet. What do you need?”
“Information on Loving Care Adult Residential Home. See if they’ve had problems in the past. Also, maybe there are comments about them and their level of care.”
“Like a Yelp review of adult homes?”
Decker smiled. “I don’t know if it’s Yelp, but any kind of online reviews. Everyone has an opinion on something.”
“True that. How about if I go back to the station house and we can meet up.”
“Perfect.”
“How far away is the facility?”
“From Greenbury? About a two-hour drive on a good day.”
“Have you eaten lunch?”
“Not yet.”
“Maybe I’ll pick us up something from the kosher deli.”
“Good idea. I’ll take turkey on rye with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and mustard. You get yourself whatever you want. It’s on me. And can you gas my car? I’m just about on empty.”
“Sure.”
“And map out a route to the home. Get directions from several sites. Better yet, get a paper map.”
“Your car has GPS, Old Man.”
“GPS is fine but not in rural areas where things are constantly changing. I want backup if their route suddenly leads to a closure that’s due to flooding.”
“Anything else?”
“Not at the moment. But I reserve the right to dump other assignments on you as I see fit.”
McAdams had a picnic precariously perched on his lap. Atop a cloth napkin was a sandwich, coleslaw, potato salad, and a small bowl of fruit. How he had managed to fit so much on his narrow hips’ worth of space was a magician’s trick. The kid was naturally thin and average height. He was now almost thirty and had filled out across the chest. He had also developed some decent biceps. His brown, curly hair had been clipped short for the summer. His hazel eyes were as sharp as ever, befitting a Harvard man. He took a bite of his sandwich, and something oozed out from the middle. He licked it up and chewed with vigor. Then he swallowed and said, “Not much to report from what I’ve read on the Net.”
Decker stared out the windshield as he drove down rural roads, heading toward the highway. Green clumps of flora on either side of the asphalt flew by in a continuous verdant band. He was hungry, but the pathway was sinuous and unfamiliar. He had to pay attention to the twists and turns.
“What did people say about the home?”
“Didn’t find too much actually. The few reviews I did read reported that Loving Care had clean and attractive surroundings, decent food, good ratio of staff to students, good medical care including therapists, and lots of activities. Residents get single rooms.”
“That sounds like all good news. Any naysayers?”
“The main carp was that the place was ex-pen-sive with a capital E. The monthly rates are outrageous. If you pay yearly, you get a ten percent discount.”
“How much are we talking?”
“It varies but averages out to around ten thousand a month, which pretty much rules out anyone except the very rich. Because it isn’t even like rehab, where hopefully, although rarely, it’s a one-shot deal. This is year after year.”
“Government kick in anything?”
McAdams said, “Probably something, but I suspect not too much.”
“For that money, they should be giving five-star service.”
“I’d expect nothing less than a Michelin-rated restaurant and an aromatherapy spa,” McAdams said. “I’m kidding about the restaurant and spa, but they do give weekly manicures.”
“Sign me up,” Decker said. “Do they make any exceptions?”
“You mean do they give breaks to the less fortunate? Don’t know. There were fifty residents on the field trip. Figure maybe some stayed back. That’s around sixty residents at a hundred twenty grand a year. You can give a lot of services with that kind of money and still make a profit.”