Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar Page 41

  “Professor Russell Griffiths.”

  “Right. Anyway, he and his partner…they’re all friends. We didn’t speak for very long because he was headed out for the evening, but he did confirm what your friend told you…that things got heated during that committee meeting, that Professor Naremore overreacted, and that he convinced him to leave. He did say that, even though Naremore was in the wrong, Professor Siemens goaded him. We’re on with him tomorrow at 10:30…that’s after his morning class.”

  “So, it doesn’t sound as if Professor LeJohns saw this as a serious physical threat.”

  “Well, they are friends, so I had the sense that he was putting the best possible face on their argument. And, he did say that Professor Naremore overacted. We’ll get to the bottom of it tomorrow, Jilly. For now, fix yourself a glass of your wine and try not to worry too much about this. It’ll get sorted. We’ll do what’s right…whatever that is.”

  At first, Jillian just sat and thought and worried…and read her notes again. Finally, she realized that she was rehashing in her mind the same things over and over…speculating without information, which was never a good way to go.

  At that point, she decided to take Wes’ advice and have a glass of wine. She was till antsy, though, and needed something to do…something that was relevant to the case, but still a distraction. So, IPAD at the ready for note-taking, she hit play to stream The Passion of Ayn Rand, a biopic starring Helen Mirren.

  The film had a real 50s sensibility: lots of cocktails and apparently back then everybody smoked cigarettes (Rand sometimes used a cigarette holder, which was maybe supposed to be glamorous, Jillian wasn’t sure). Mirren’s hair was thinned and slicked-down for the role.

  As she watched, Jillian’s mind was a jumble of images, careening among Rand’s photos on Wikipedia, the two Rand posters in Professor Siemens’ offices, and Helen Mirren in the film. And across all of this, she kept visualizing Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison.

  The film was aptly named, she thought. It was not so much about philosophy or ideology. Instead, it was mostly about Rand’s personal life, in particular an affair between Rand and her assistant, a much younger married man. In the film, his wife knew about the affair and seemed to think it was OK (sorta) and so as did Rand’s husband (again, sorta).

  Jillian took notes during the film. Some were little more than random thoughts, but other notes posed questions about the investigation. She saw both kinds of notes as ‘food for thought.’

  She was reminded of how much she always liked Helen Mirren’s acting. She imagined a resonant voice-over for the biopic saying something like ‘Helen Mirren IS Ayn Rand.’ She smiled, then went to the bookshelf and pulled her copy of Carolyn’s book about women detectives. This meant violating her rule (actually, it was Wes’ rule) about working late, but she returned to the chair and her IPAD and read the article on Prime Suspect. The author was a top British cultural studies scholar. Jillian remembered that this contributor was one that Carolyn really wanted in the collection.

  It had been a while since she’d read this article, but she smiled as it came back to her. She speed-read through the more academic section on ‘the gaze.’ This was the argument that in detective fiction, the reader or the viewer is prompted to derive pleasure, often sexual pleasure, by following the writer’s words or the camera’s eye as it/they dwell on the woman…whether she’s a detective or a victim, or both. This creepy, sexist stance is called scopophilia.

  Jillian made some notes on this, but what she really wanted was in another section of the article…about how London Police Detective Jane Tennison (Mirren) solves cases. According to the article, the series writers avoided the sexist ‘gaze’ by having Tennison actually looked at women victims, and look at them with empathy, which drives Tennison to seek justice for them. It also produces important clues. This ‘look’ includes attention to detail, for example a woman victim’s clothes, which in her first case led to a correct ID of the victim who the other cops had misidentified. According to the article, Tennison’s attention to detail meant long hours, examining and reexamining all the evidence.

  Jillian was tired and her mind wandered as she read. She heard that same imaginary voice-over voice again, this time saying, ‘Helen Mirren IS Jane Tennison.’ She laughed. It dawned on her that she, Jillian Warne, was a police detective, just like Jane Tennison. She was proud…for a couple of seconds, but quickly felt as though she was somehow slacking-off. Would DCI Tennison think she was working hard enough to get justice for Professor Siemens? At least watching the film and then reading the article had been a distraction, one that cleared her mind. Wes was right, they’d sort things out…one way or another.

  Jillian laid the book down and pulled-up her IPAD notes on the investigation. She glanced quickly at the interviews, then turned to the files on the Professor’s two offices. She read these notes slowly, then looked at the photos she’d taken, and also the photos from Angel and the forensics team. Finally, she logged-off and returned the book to the bookshelf. She sat and thought.

  She felt that she was missing something, something important, but had absolutely no idea what. She also felt as though Helen Mirren was looking at her, or actually, that she was looking at Mirren. Which one, though? Jane Tennison? Ayn Rand? The actress, Dame Helen Mirren?

  She turned out the bedroom light at 11:30 (or so). She didn’t really want to know.

  CHAPTER 15

  Jillian was running late because she’d spent almost 10 minutes scrolling through ASU web pages to check-out Professor LeJohns, Professor Sylvester, and Ms. Disis. She scarfed down half a toasted bagel with vegie smear and smoked salmon. There was time for only one cup of coffee, so she was glad that the pot was going when she arrived at the Tempe PD.

  Wes grabbed her a cup and topped-off his. They sat in her office.

  As he handed Jillian her cup, he asked, “So, what’d you think about Georgia?” She figured this was a way to help ease her into what could be a hard day.

  “I like her, Wes. She’s everything you said she was.”

  “I thought you two would hit it off. She texted me after she left Postinos and said how much she enjoyed meeting you.”

  “What’s so amazing about her is that she’s got this career trajectory lined-out. It seems so well-planned, especially the part about being an accountant. I remember you telling me once that if someone wanted to go with the FBI, they should either be a lawyer, an accountant, or know languages.”

  “Yep, she does have her eyes on the prize. Still, there’s a lot that she has to fill-in to get there.”

  “I think she knows that.”

  “Me, too. Still…she’s more nervous about all this than she lets on. Don’t get me wrong, her confidence is no façade, but she’s just a little unsure of herself. In part because she wants to do so well, which is why I wanted her to meet you. You’re similar in age, you’ve got a master’s degree and she’s got the CPA thing going…I thought she needed someone who’s more like her than I am.”

  “Wes, along those lines, I was thinking…is there any way she could work with us on our case? She’s going to partner with you…eventually.”

  “Yes, we will be partners…hopefully soon…if you get my meaning? For now, though, I want to keep our investigation streamlined. Reading her in and then actually incorporating her might slow things down.”

  “You’re right.”

  He was quite for a second, then said, “Why don’t we do this…let’s share our notes with Georgia. She can read through them…on her own, and when we close the case, we can spend some time going over the investigation with her. We’ll need to debrief anyway, and I think it’d be OK for her to be a part of that process. This way, we keep moving forward, but it can still be a good learning experience for her. We can go over the whole thing…from that first call to the Professor’s office…all the way through. How does that sound?”
>
  “Sounds good.”

  “Jilly, were you able to have any down time last night? Your friend’s information about your professor…that was a lot to take in at the end of the day.”

  She took a bigger pull of coffee, then said, “Yes, actually I watched a movie on Netflix.”

  “I’m glad you could detach from all this…at least a little.”

  She made a slight grimace, and said, “Yes, well…so, the movie was called The Pasion of Ayn Rand.” She hurried through the next part, “I think it may have some parallels with our case.”

  Wes smiled, shook his head, then said “Hmm…didn’t know there was such a movie…OK, let’s hear it.”

  “So, it was a biopic that starred Helen Mirren.

  “Well, well...DCI Tennison herself.”

  “Yes. She played Ayn Rand…obviously. Anyway, the movie was mainly about her life and her inner circle of supporters. The main thing that I saw as a parallel with our case is that Rand was having an affair with one of these people…a much younger guy.”

  “The parallel being affairs with a younger man…like Professor Siemens and Professor Roberts…like the Skysong woman told us. Right?”

  “Right. Except that this guy was a lot younger. Also, he was married, and so was Rand, and their partners knew about the affair.”

  “What was up with that?”

  “Well, they saw themselves as being on the vanguard of a social movement—based on Rand’s ideas—and it was like the usual norms didn’t apply to them. At least, they didn’t think the rules applied to them. They were special…some sort of intellectual elite.”

  “Got it. And Skysong told us that the Professor did pretty much whatever she wanted to when it came to men.”

  “Exactly. Look Wes, I know that Professor Siemens isn’t Ayn Rand, but she is a Rand scholar. And there are some parallels in their lifestyles…I mean, if she identified with Rand, maybe that’s why she wasn’t into monogamy. Anyway, it made me wonder about Roberts’ claim that they might be getting back together…even though he equivocated about it.”

  “Yeah. He said it was just something they were discussing.” Wes worried his lip, then said, “Roberts said that she was getting tired of that ‘running around’ lifestyle.”

  Jillian said, “I know. And it does seem as if she was ending the affair with Professor Keefer.”

  “But then there’s the other bit about Davidos. I’ve thought more about that. Ok, so maybe Davidos was straight with us that nothing was going on between them. But, regardless of what he thought, maybe she was trying to get something going. I’m thinking that you were right, Jilly, about her texts and emails to him…they were suggestive. Now, they were careful…she could always deny that she was ‘up’ to anything, but there was an opening…in case Davidos was interested.”

  “That’s my point, Wes. It doesn’t seem to me that Professor Siemens was starting to settle down with just one guy.” Jillian thought as she took a sip of coffee. “I know it was just a movie, but she’s a Rand scholar. I mean, she has photos of her on her wall. And there are some parallels…”

  Nearby, Wes and Jillian heard the sound of a desk drawer closing…hard enough to attract their attention. A chair scooted loudly—more noise—and then Sgt. Halliday flashed by them with a batch of files under his arm. Shaking his head, he hustled toward the door.

  Jillian asked, “What’s with him? He did the same thing the other day.”

  Wes also took a sip of coffee, which he seemed to savor. Then he said, “Maybe he has trouble with authority. You outrank him…you being a Detective Sergeant and all. Or maybe he doesn’t like Helen Mirren.” Wes grinned but he also looked toward the door as Doc Halliday disappeared into the hallway.

  The incident with Halliday was a bit unsettling. He had never been very friendly with her, but he wasn’t Larry Gruber either.

  What she did say to Wes was, “OK, I’m ready…to get back to our case.”

  “Well then, let’s get started. “I will say…just for the record, Jilly, that I’m glad that you relaxed and took a break from the case last night.” He tried to look stern, but laughed instead.

  Jillian didn’t mention to Wes the part about reading the Prime Suspect article. Or her late-night review of the case notes and photos. Or her feeling that she was somehow missing something.

  “Well, remember that I spoke with Ms. Disis and Professor LeJohns last night…but missed Professor Sylvester. I left a message on his voice mail…and he called first thing this morning.”

  “That’s great…so, what did he say?”

  “Well, main thing is, he fessed-up…told me he’s the one who tipped-off the Professor about Naremore’s certificate thingy…even gave her a copy of the proposal. He did this, he said, because she was his colleague…he’s an Accounting prof. Mainly, the guy sounded defensive, even over the phone.”

  “Yes, I checked him out this morning before I came in…he’s a professor of Accountancy. So, they’re colleagues in Carey Business.”

  “Accountancy, huh? Anyway, he tried to justify his actions, but he also said he wished he hadn’t told Professor Siemens about the committee meeting, or given her the proposal. He’d known there was bad blood between them…that, and then, her death.”

  Wes paused while he read his notes, then continued, “He said Professor Naremore was definitely in the wrong—that he was way over the line—but he also said that Professor Siemens really went after him…said she was ‘headstrong’ (a quote), and he also called her ‘imperial’ (another quote). Even so, he said that Naremore had actually threatened her. Sorry, Jilly.”

  She expelled a breath of air, nodded, and asked, “Do you want us to interview him in person?”

  “Let’s defer that…for now anyway. We have a lot on our plate, and I was satisfied with the info that Professor Sylvester gave me. I’m more interested in interviewing Ms. Louisa Disis and Professor Jeff LeJohns…in person. And, we have to get them in before Professor Naremore this afternoon. Besides, we can always add Sylvester back in later, if we think we need to.”

  Before they left for their appointment with Louisa Disis, they organized their notes into two files—one from Jillian and one from Wes—and she emailed them as attachments to Georgia. They discussed the interview with Ms. Disis as they walked to her office in the Foundation Building.

  Ms. Louisa Disis’ office was on the first floor in the rear of the Foundation Building, although they first had to get past a receptionist, who was like a guard at the gate. Eventually, as they wound their way through the labyrinth of offices, some small, some large, Wes said, “For a minute, I didn’t think that woman at the front desk was going to let us pass through. You’d think we were trying to get in to a secret lab…”

  ”Or to see a dean,” Jillian joined in.

  “Yeah, just not Dean Keefer,” Wes said under his breath so that only Jillian could hear him.

  She smiled and said, “It’s this office here.”

  Wes stopped mid-knock because the door was open, but they could see that office was empty. “Maybe she just stepped out,” Wes said.

  A small woman stepped out of an adjoining office, saw them and said, “You must be the detective.” She cut in front of them and re-entered her office, carrying a large stack of folders. “Detective Webb, was it?”

  He smiled, “Detective Sergeant Wes Webb and Detective Sergeant Jillian Warne…may we come in?”

  She motioned them in and they both displayed their identification.

  Ms. Disis was a small woman with an olive complexion and black hair done in a perm so tight that it almost gave Jillian a headache just to look at it. She wore brown pants, a lighter brown blouse, and cordovan shoes with a small heel.

  She neither smiled nor frowned during the interview, but answered their questions with a quick efficiency…they were in and out of her office in under 20 mi
nutes. The main takeaways from the interview were that she didn’t much like Professor Naremore. He had threatened Professor Siemens…she was very clear about this, although she couldn’t remember his exact language. She also gave them an earful about the sloppy and incomplete nature of his certificate proposal. To her, a sloppy proposal, even at an early stage, was a harbinger of “larger problems to come later in the implementation of the certificate framework.” Also, she didn’t much like some of the readings that he’d included in the proposal.

  She said, “Yes, Professor Siemens was well-prepared in her opposition to the certificate, but being prepared is what you’re supposed to do…unlike Professor Naremore, whose proposal was inadequate. So, of the two professors, who was in the wrong?“ She had no idea how Professor Siemens knew that Professor Naremore would be presenting at the meeting or how she came by an advanced copy of his proposal, and she didn’t care.

  Afterward, as they sat in the café at Hayden Library—there wasn’t time to return to HQ before the meeting with Professor LeJohns—Wes said, “Whew, that was intense, wasn’t it?”

  Jillian said, “Yes…she came across as very formidable.”

  Wes had iced coffee; Jillian had iced tea. It wasn’t all that hot yet, so they sat outdoors, but in the shade of the building.

  Wes said, “I’m not sure what Ms. Disis saw as Professor Naremore’s worst offense…that he threatened Professor Siemens, OR that his proposal was “lacking in its attention to detail.” This was a direct quote, so Wes made air quotation marks as he spoke.

  “In a way, it’s hard to take all this seriously…except…” Jillian tapered-off.

  “Yeah, she all but drew a straight line between his threatening behavior in their meeting and the Professor’s murder.”

  When Jillian didn’t respond, Wes said, “Let’s see what Professor LeJohns has to say about all this. Maybe he’ll put things in a different light.”

  At the top of the steps, after they left the Hayden Library Café, Wes and Jillian took a right and kept walking…past Wilson Hall, then straight between ASU’s two education buildings…Farmer Ed and Payne Ed. Wes asked, “The Music Building…that’s the one that looks like a drum, right?”