Chapter 12. Vic’s Quandary
Monday morning, Vic returned to the team office. Dr. Angelo was out till after noon, so Vic greeted Dan and Miriam, stacked the materials from his conference trip on his desk, sat down, and reflected. His mind was awhirl. He tried to organize his thoughts.
When Vic’s Mother had picked him up at Lambert Airport, Saturday evening, she had handed him a check for ten million dollars. It was the proceeds from a life insurance policy Grandma Berkmann had purchased, naming him as the sole beneficiary. She had given Vic’s Mom the rest of her extensive estate. Suddenly, he was rich, and he was sure he would inherit even more when his parents passed.
“This is good,” he mused. “I’m rich and I’m free. Grandma is gone. No more trips to that blasted nursing home to feed her beleaguered body. And, Shelly and the fetus are dead. No more entanglements with that clutchy female, and no more fears of becoming a parent. All this is good. Now, I’ll pursue my dreams. I’ll become a world-famous scientist, and I’ll capture Miriam.” His eyes fell on her. She was as beautiful as he remembered her. Immersed in her work, she did not notice his stare.
Really, Vic didn’t love Miriam. He lusted after her beauty. He wanted to own her. He saw her as a part of his emerging collection of pleasantries. With his new wealth, he would have a marvelous mansion, a stylish sports car, and a gorgeous mistress. His motives were ugly, but all his ravenous fervor was cloaked by his princely persona and his disarming smile.
Quickly, he surmised that the office atmosphere had altered in his absence. Dan and Miriam were exchanging warm smiles and glances and finding reasons to collaborate. Both of them seemed cool toward him. He didn’t know what they knew ... Sam Moreno was coming, soon.
Dan was exasperated. He was disturbed by his memory of Vic passionately caressing Shelly in that dark hall at the Berkmann Visitation. Dan brooded, “How could he act like that, and then, skip her Funeral. He hadn’t loved Shelly; he was using her.” Still, Dan needed to have a working relationship with Vic, so he said, “How did the conference go? Did you learn something exciting?”
“Yes,” Vic acknowledged. “It’s a complex story. I’m going to work up a report and present it at the Morning Meeting, tomorrow.”
Miriam, also, had negative feelings toward Vic. She recalled the ardent expressions Shelly had voiced in the laundry room at the dorm, and she remembered Vic’s cold response to Shelly’s sudden death. And, she couldn’t forget that Vic refused to find time to visit his dying Grandmother. And, she knew that Detective Moreno had suspicions about Vic. She sensed an invisible barrier between him and her. Nevertheless, in his email, Vic had written that he was going to take a closer look at spiritual matters pursuant to these two deaths. So, as a Christian, she felt an obligation to offer him some help for this endeavor. One by one, she reviewed the three books she had selected for Vic to read. They were: “Fundamentals of the Faith” by John MacArthur, “Peace With God” by Billy Graham, and “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis. To minimize eye contact and conversation, she wrote a short note, “In your email, you indicated you were going to take a serious look into spiritual matters. I hope these books will help.” She placed the note on top of the books and encircled the stack with a large rubber band. She walked to Vic’s desk and said, “A gift for you,” whirled, and retreated to her desk.
Vic’s senses were stimulated when he saw Miriam approaching. He relished every move she made. But, a chilling wave washed over him, when she spun about and returned to her desk.
Vic read the note. He scarcely remembered what he had written in his email to Miriam. As he considered it, he recalled that he had tried to con Miriam into thinking he was going to “get religion”. With this gift, she had boxed him in. He would have to read these books and feign interest in them to get on her good side. “That’s quite a chore,” he thought. “But, she is worth it.” Feeling he had to say something, he mouthed, “Thanks. That’s very generous of you. I’ll give these serious attention.”
Dan was riled. He didn’t want Miriam anywhere near this handsome “ladies man”. It hurt him to see her give Vic a gift.
As he stewed, Sam Moreno burst into the room. He surveyed the trio and fastened his eyes on Vic. “You must be Victor Bobreaux,” he declared. “I’m Sam Moreno, a detective with the St. Louis Police Department. I need to interview you to complete my report on the suspicious death of Shelly Ruskin.”
“Me?” Vic squeaked, his heart pounding. “What have I to do with that? I was out of town when she died.”
“I know ... I know,” Moreno said. “Can we find a private place? I’d rather do this on a friendly basis. I don’t want to get the criminal lawyers involved. Let’s go downstairs. I checked. There are some small conference rooms adjacent to the lobby where we can talk.” They left the room; Moreno looking tough and Vic looking wounded.
Miriam sensed that Dan was upset. She explained, “When Shelly died, I notified Vic by email. In his response, he said that the death of his Grandmother, combined with the death of Shelly, had convinced him that he ought to take a serious look at spiritual matters. So, I gave him some books to help him get started.”
“You did a good thing,” Dan sighed. “But, I don’t trust that guy. I almost jumped up and stood between you and him. At the Visitation for Mrs. Berkmann, I saw him loving on Shelly like you would not believe. Then, he doesn’t attend her Funeral? It makes no sense.”
“Loving? ... at the Visitation?”
“Yes,” Dan explained. “I saw them behaving like man and wife in a dark hall at the Church.”
“Wow!” Miriam exclaimed. “Pray for him. He has a long way to go on his spiritual journey.”
Detective Moreno was direct, “Victor, I need your help. I’m investigating the death of Shelly Ruskin. She seemed to be in perfect health, but her heart stopped beating. That’s strange. The girls at the dorm, the first responders, the doctors at the hospital ... all commented on her appearance. Her face was unusually radiant. It glowed. Those that examined her at the hospital said her whole body was luminous. They had no explanation for that. So, I asked the embalmers. They said they had seen this radiance only once before, in the case of your Grandmother, Sonja Berkmann. Now, it happens that I saw both of these corpses. You may remember, I was at the Visitation for your Grandmother. I was with Edith Kilmaury. I saw your Grandmother in her casket, She was luminous. And, I saw Shelly when she was being embalmed. She glowed. So, I’m looking for some connection between these two very different females.” Sam paused and stared into Victor’s eyes. He continued, slowly, “The only link between these two ladies is you. One was your Grandmother; the other, your girlfriend. Can you shed any light on this matter?”
“Not really,” Vic responded. “Grandma did look nice at the Visitation. I just thought that the embalmers had used a special kind of makeup to make her look well.” He hesitated. “I was out of town when Shelly died. I never saw her corpse.”
“And, why was that?” Moreno queried. “Why didn’t you attend her Visitation and Funeral?”
“I was at an important conference in Colorado. I felt I should stay there. Shelly and I were friends, but ...”
“Friends?”, Moreno exclaimed. “You were lovers. The girls at Browning Hall said she often spent her nights at your apartment.”
“Well, we did share a bed from time to time, but that’s not unusual among college kids. We enjoyed dancing and romancing, that’s all.”
Moreno looked at his notepad and turned a few pages. He put his finger on a notation and said, “We examined Shelly’s computer. She was researching arrangements for ‘Wedding and Honeymoon’ packages in Las Vegas. Were you two planning to elope?”
“Not me!” Vic exclaimed. “We were just close friends. She often talked of marriage, but I wasn’t interested. She had many of her friends convinced we were on the verge of tying the knot. We weren’t that serious. I never met any of her family. I never visited her home. I saw no reason to go to the Visitation or Funeral. How could I comfort people I didn’t know?”
“Was she pregnant?” Moreno asked.
Vic lied, “No. She was quite intelligent and she always took her pills.”
Moreno fumbled with his notes again and said, “I’m looking for motives. Our intelligence department sent me a message. They say you received a large insurance check when your Grandmother died. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Well,” Moreno opined. “One might say that if Shelly was pregnant, you might want her out of the way and that you had a monetary interest in seeing your Grandmother pass. Right?”
“No,” Vic insisted. “Shelly wasn’t pregnant, and I loved my Grandma. I wasn’t around Grandma, when she died, and I was out of town when Shelly died. How could I have done them in? You’re just chasing the wind.”
Moreno continued, relentlessly, for several hours, delving deeper and deeper into Vic’s potential role in these two deaths. He smelled a rat, but he was having trouble trapping him.
By the time Vic returned to his desk, Miriam and Dan had gone to lunch. He was fatigued. He needed a drink, badly, so he headed for a nearby bar to recoup.
Dan and Miriam were having a pleasant time in the Student Union cafeteria. They discussed many things, but especially, they wondered why Detective Moreno was spending so much time with Vic. After lots of chatter, Dan paused, nervously, looked into Miriam’s eyes, searchingly, and said, “I’d like to take you to a fireworks show Friday night. Are you up for that?”
Miriam blushed, fidgeted, and responded, “You know, Dan, I’ve never been on a real date before. At an early age, my Mom taught me to say ...
That exciting guy you date,
may become your lifelong mate.
So, be careful who you date,
and you’ll find your true soul-mate.
“I concur completely,” Dan said, with a warm smile. “I have friends who are girls, but I’ve never had a committed relationship with a girlfriend. I’m hoping you’re the answer to my prayers for a spiritual soul-mate.”
“Then, my answer is yes!” Miriam exclaimed with a glorious smile.
“Hallelujah!” Dan declared,
loudly. Some of the other cafeteria patrons turned their heads to see what had
caused his outburst. Quietly, he continued, “We’ll leave from work. We’ll
drive out to the park in Washington, Missouri and stuff ourselves on carnival
food till the fireworks begin.”
When Vic returned from lunch, Dr. Angelo was in his office, so Vic went in to visit with him. Immediately, he noticed the photograph of Amy Angelo sitting on the credenza beneath the large mural. He was stunned by the striking similarity between the photo and the depiction of the lady on the narrow path to Heaven. As one who scoffed at the idea that God intervenes in the affairs of men, this coincidence made him uneasy. It added another tension to his unpleasant day. But, before he could censor his amazement, words tumbled out of his mouth, “It is uncanny ... the resemblance ...”
“It’s a miracle,” Dr. Angelo asserted. “Amy asked me to join her on the Narrow Way. She wouldn’t even date me until she was sure I was a Christian. She’s the reason I’m saved.” He fell silent in remembrance of his departed sweetheart.
Vic was irritated by another thought, “I’ll bet that Miriam thinks a lot like the Doctor’s wife thought.”
Dr. Angelo shifted back to the business at hand, “Say, how did the conference go? Did you learn a lot?”
“Yes, a lot,” Vic responded. “I’m organizing my notes. I’ll have more to say tomorrow morning, but, in general, the experts at the meeting were divided on the notion of cosmic strings filling the Universe. However, there was one impressive, young man there, from Norway, who loved the idea. He believes that all the known atomic particles are assemblages of tiny strings. And, he thinks that strings are also behind energy forces, such as magnetism. He’s a jolly, rotund, exceedingly bright fellow named Knut Sorensen. It might be helpful to have him come here to collaborate with us from time to time. I’ll give you his contact info.”
“That’s a great idea. I like that,” Dr. Angelo stated. After a few more minutes of conversation, Vic returned to his desk.
His exterior persona was as handsome as ever, but inside Vic was seething. He was galled by the fact that he was the “outsider” in the office. Dan and Miriam were warm toward each other and cool toward him. He was galled by the fact that Detective Moreno was trying to pin two murders on him. He was galled by the fact that he had to read the books Miriam had given him to have a chance of co-opting her. Truly, he was a wicked wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Wild thoughts shot through his head, repeatedly, “Where did this Moreno come from? ... Why did Nurse Edith bring him to Grandma’s Visitation? What a fluke! ... He shouldn’t call these deaths ‘murders’ ... Grandma was wasting away in pain ... Flare released her ... Now, she’s free from all that ... maybe in Heaven with Grandpa ... Shelly did a dumb thing ... She didn’t take her pills ... Flare saved her from being a single Mom ... a college dropout ... I did good in both of these cases ... and I kept my career in tact ... The scientific world needs my genius ... I’ve got to get Moreno off my back ... Wait! ... I’ve got it! ... What if some other glowing corpses were found ... girls I didn’t know ... That would free me from suspicion ... I have the power of a god in this Flare! ... If a few girls have to be sacrificed to save me ... so be it ... Saving my important career will be their contribution to science.
“With Moreno off my trail, I’d be free to pursue Miriam ... Every girl I have wanted, I have won ... Miriam will fall under my charms ... Dan is no real obstacle ... I’m better looking, richer and smarter than he is ... She’ll choose me ... I’ll play the Christian role ... I’ll get ‘saved’ ... Once she’s under my powers, I can back off from religion.”
