“We’ve been holding group therapy sessions all day—ten residents at a time. Our people are shaken up. They’re concerned about Bertram, but they were also ill at ease about being interviewed by the police yesterday.”
“We didn’t actually interview the residents,” Decker said. “We mostly talked to the chaperones. A few residents asked questions, and we tried to answer them honestly. Things were very chaotic. We were attempting to get a simple timeline for Bertram. Looking for him was and is our top priority.”
“Well, maybe it was just the police presence that made them nervous.”
“Perhaps. At some point I would like to interview the residents. Sometimes they know things. Which brings me to another point. The residents are of legal age. Does Loving Care operate as their legal guardians?”
“Well, that is a bit of an issue,” Lewis said. “Loving Care is not legally responsible for any of our residents. This is more or less a co-op for like-minded people.”
“Does that include Bertram Lanz?”
“Absolutely. Bertram was emancipated. I suppose you could call us de facto guardians, but the walls aren’t prison cells. Our people can come and go as they please as long as they check out so we can keep tabs on them—for their safety.” The doctor was quiet. “Very rarely does anyone leave permanently. Most of the residents are very happy here. This is their home.”
“And Bertram was happy?” McAdams asked.
“Bertram came here around a little over a year ago. From what I could tell and from the feedback, there was some adjustment. I found him polite but quiet. We tried very hard to draw him out. There might have been a language barrier. Bertram was a native German speaker, but he did speak English quite well. At that time we had a woman here—a nurse—who was fluent in German. She, more than anyone else, seemed to have developed a rapport with Bertram.”
“Then we should talk to her,” Decker said.
Lewis made a sour expression. “She left about two weeks ago.” A big exhale. “She got along well with the residents but was a bit of a queen bee. I wouldn’t say she sabotaged other employees, but she certainly wasn’t a favorite at staff parties.”
“Okay. Can I have her name and phone number?”
Lewis looked uncomfortable. “I’m not in a habit of giving out information about employees—past or present.”
“We have a missing person,” McAdams said.
“And what could Elsie possibly have to do with that?”
Decker said, “In all honesty, Dr. Lewis, we’re not sure he’s missing or if he may have left with someone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the tracking dogs never got a good scent. That sometimes mean that the missing person left in a vehicle. How old is Elsie?”
“Early forties.”
“And she was a nurse?”
Lewis nodded. “Yes. And a good one.”
“How long had she worked at Loving Care?”
“I have to think about that.”
“Just give me a guesstimate,” Decker said.
“Maybe three plus years.”
“And after three years plus working here, she just decided to leave two weeks ago?”
“As I told you, she didn’t get along with the staff.”
“But still, she stuck it out for a while,” McAdams said.
“We pay very well.”
Decker said, “Maybe someone else was paying her more.”
“Like who?”
“From what I understand, Bertram Lanz comes from a very wealthy family.”
Lewis stared at him. “You’re suggesting that Elsie ran away with Bertram.”
“I’m considering everything,” Decker said. “There’s an easy way to answer this. Could you give Elsie a call? What’s her last name, by the way?”
A long hesitation. Then Lewis said, “Schulung.”
Decker wrote it down. “Can you give her a call?”
“She’s probably not home.”
“Only one way to find out.”
Lewis paused, then picked up the phone and depressed a button. “Linda, can you please get me Elsie Schulung’s phone number.” A beat. “Cell and landline, thanks.” He hung up. “Linda is my right arm. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Decker said, “Anything else I should know about Elsie Schulung.”
Lewis said, “She was competent at her job. I never had problems with her. But I was her boss. I know she had her own way of doing things, but I can’t see her kidnapping Bertram. That would be pure idiocy.”
“Who said anything about kidnapping?” McAdams said.
“Well, why would he leave here with her? There is no way she could provide the services we have.”
“Maybe they ran away together,” McAdams suggested. “A man has needs.”
Lewis wrinkled his nose. “He’s a fine person, but he’s cognitively disabled.”
“So what? He’s still a man.”
“And a man with very wealthy parents,” Decker said. “You told us he came here about a year ago?”
“That’s correct.”
“Where did he transfer from?”
“A residential facility in Connecticut.”
“Okay,” Decker said. “And do you know why he came here to Loving Care?”
“Loving Care is light-years ahead of any of the competition. We have more activities for our residents—more classes for those who want to further their education. We have job training, more interaction with the outside world, and more freedom than any other place around.”
“Is dating allowed?” McAdams asked.
“We discourage one-on-one activities, simply because it leads to drama.”
“By ‘one-on-one activities,’ do you mean sex?”
“We discourage sex, but we also discourage romance period. Someone always gets hurt. But despite our best efforts, people pair off. And if we know there are couples who are engaged in sexual activity, we do have sex education. But as far as I know, Bertram was not involved with anyone.”
“What was the name of Bertram’s prior residential home?” Decker asked.
“I’d have to look that up.”
Linda came in and handed a slip of paper to Lewis. “These were the numbers on Elsie’s application, Doctor. I don’t know if they’re current.”
“Thank you, Linda.” When she didn’t immediately leave, he said, “There’s nothing else, thank you.” Lewis picked up the phone and dialed the top number. It rang twice and then he was given a message that the number had been disconnected. He hung up. “That one’s no longer working. From the prefix, it was probably a landline that had been canceled.” He tried the second set of digits. It rang and rang until voice mail kicked in. Lewis left a brief message and hung up. “No answer.”
McAdams said, “Try texting her.”
“That’s a good idea.” Lewis sent the message off with a swoosh. “I don’t know if she’ll answer or not. She was angry when she left.”
“Did she leave or was she fired?”