Galen was killed by something in that syringe?”
“It’s ambiguous at this time, Admiral,” Mcnair admitted. “Just like the Walsh case.”
“And the common thread,” Sherman said. “I suppose that’s still me?”
“Yes, sir, it is,” Bettino said, speaking for the first time.
His voice was smooth, almost silky. There was an abrupt hush in the room. Sherman’s face tightened perceptibly.
Mcnair moved to fill the suddenly awkward silence.
“Admiral Sherman, are you aware of the provisions of Admiral Schmidt’s estate?”
Sherman blinked. “Estate? You mean his will? No. We were personal and professional friends. Since 1977. He has a lawyer. His name is-“
“We talked to him today, Admiral,” Mcnair interrupted.
“He informs us that you are the sole beneficiary of Admiral Schmidt’s estate. With the exception of a stipend for his housekeeper, everything he had is now yours. That house and the acreage in Mclean, everything.”
Train was watching Sherman, who was starting to nod his head. He looked first at Mcnair, then at the lieutenant. “I I was going to say that I’m surprised. But I guess I’m not surprised after all. He was like a father to me. His own family is gone-his wife, his son. No, I didn’t know about this, but …” He ran out of words.
The lieutenant leaned forward. “Admiral, as of now you are not a suspect in this investigation. But as you are aware, we had a strange forensic situation in the Walsh house, in that we didn’t find a normal forensic background. In the admiral, s house, on the other hand, we have found evidence that you had been there.”
“A fact which I told you earlier,”
Sherman pointed out.
“On Wednesday night-last week. No, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I went to Elizabeth’s memorial service. Galen was there.” He looked around the room as if to make sure that everyone had noted that point.
“Yes, sir,” Mcnair said, picking it up, almost as if they had rehearsed this. “Admiral Schmidt died sometime Thursday night. You were with Commander Lawrence until what time, around eleven?”
“Yes, something like that, We left the restaurant. And then found that syringe. Called you people.”
“You called us, Admiral?” the lieutenant asked.
“No. I meant someone called. I guess what I’m saying is that your patrol officer can vouch for the fact that I was with Commander Lawrence.” He looked around the room again, then realized how he was sounding. “Look, I was surprised by the . fact that Elizabeth had named me in an insurance policy. The situation with Galen … well, that’s a little less surprising. But I still think I’m being set up.”
“By this Galantz individual?” Mcnair asked.
“Yes. I’ve told you all this, Detective.”
Mcnair sat back in his chair. “That’s right, sir, you have.
But as of now, we have no way of corroborating the existence of the threatening letter or even the existence of Galantz. Or, for that matter, the incident that supposedly set him off after all these years.
All the Navy has produced is a closed-out personnel file.”
“Which proves that he certainly did exist,” Karen interrupted.
“Yes, Commander,” the lieutenant said. “But did exist isn’t the same as does exist. Admiral Sherman, we need two things: We need to find this guy, or at least to establish that he didn’t die out there in Vietnam.
And secon(fly, we would like to ask your cooperation in allowing us to examine your personal situation.”
““Personal situation,’ ” Sherman repeated. “As in-“
“As in personal finances. Whether or not you are overextended or have a big tax problem. Or if there’s a pattern in your bank accounts that would indicate that you’re a big time gambler, or you’re being blackmailed, or you have other personal habits requiring more money than you make in the Navy. Stuff like that.”
” ‘ Stuff like that,’ ” Sherman repeated slowly, his face darkening. “I see. All of which you could do with a court order. If I werea suspect, that is.”
“That’s right, Admiral,” the lieutenant said smoothly
“But since you’re not, we’re asking nicely. If you have’ nothing to hide, your cooperation and the absence of any of these indicators would bolster your credibility. I’m sure an officer of your seniority and experience will understand where we’re coming from with this, right, sir? You know, sort of an easy way/hard way situation?”
Sherman and the lieutenant stared at each other, but then the admiral composed his face and sat back in his chair.
“Anything you want, Lieutenant,” he said in an icy tone.
“I am none of those things you mentioned. I’m not a closet gambler, I don’t have any debts other than my mortgage, I’m not being blackmailed, and I don’t have a drug habitalthough you’ll have to take the Bureau of Medicine’s word for that, as we’re all drug-tested in the Navy-but, yes, I’ll open the books for you. I’ll instruct my accountant to provide full disclosure and my last five years of tax returns.
You can even have a look inside my house if you wish, as long as you agree not to tear it up. How’s that sound?’; “Like the full cooperation of someone who is eager to help us solve two homicides,” the lieutenant replied, ignoring Sherman’s tone of voice.
“Okay. But I’d like to ask a favor in return.”
“Which is?”
“That you inform the Navy JAG-that’s Commander Lawrence’s boss, Admiral Carpenter-that I’m not a suspect.
Mcnair and the lieutenant looked at each other for a moment, but then the lieutenant nodded. “We can do that, Admiral,” Bettino said. Mcnair nodded his agreement.
Sherman stood up. “Then I think we’re done here,” he announced. “If you don’t mind, I want to go home and have a drink and try to wash this mess out of my mind’for a couple of hours.”
The two policemen stood up, as well. “We’ll call you to make those arrangements, Admiral,” Mcnair said. “Tomorrow morning okay?”
“I’ll call you, if that’s all right, Defective. I’m trying to keep this problem from becoming public knowledge in my office.”
“We understand, sir,” Mcnair said quickly, extracting his card case and handing him a card. “I’ll be in the office by eight o’clock. Commander Lawrence, thanks for letting us meet here.”
Karen nodded and escorted the two policemen to the front door. Train was still perched in his spot by the fireplace when she came back. Sherman was buttoning his uniform jacket when Karen asked him to stay for a few minutes. She needed to find out something, but she had not wanted to bring it up with Lieutenant Bettino there, showing teeth.
“I can offer you a drink,” she said. “In fact, I think I’ll join you.”
Sherman looked over at Train for a moment, then nodded.
“Oka . Scotch, if you have it.” They went out to the kitchen. Karen brought the admiral his scotch, Train a beer, and fixed herself a glass of white wine.
“That was a definite change of tone,” she said.
Sherman nodded. He looked dejected. “And that’s with me not a suspect,” he said. “I’d hate to see how they treat their suspects.
“Well, for one thing, you’d be meeting them on their turf, not out here on yours,” Train said. It was only the second time he had spoken all evening, and Sherman looked over at him. The admiral was getting that cornered look again., “Tell me, Mr. von Rensel, what do you think about the possibility that Galantz survived the Rung Sat, a Chinese jail in Saigon, and was able to make it back to the States?”
Train shrugged. “It’s possible, Admiral. gut notwithout some help, especially in Saigon.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that there is a government agency that did some recruiting in that manner during the Vietnam War.
Think about it: A guy’s officially MIA, which is the same as dead in most people’s minds. He’s trained in the disciplines and techniques of Special Forces warfare. He’s field experienced. And if he survived the Rung Sat, he’s one tenacious sumbitch. Those are pretty formidable qualifications for the clandestine intelligence services.”
Sherman sipped his scotch, absorbing what Train had just said. One of the horses whickered from a back pasture, and another answered.
