Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar by Gray Cavender (classic literature list txt) 📕

said, “In reading through the various texts and emails, we didn’t see any discussion of a reconciliation…there were discussions of dinner or a movie and I guess some mention of you having stayed the night, but nothing really about the two of you getting back together.”

“No, probably not. We weren’t texting or talking about it over email. But then, it’s not the sort of a topic for those forms of communication. We did talk about it…in person, though.”

When Jillian and Wes were quiet, he filled in the silence. “Honestly, I don’t know if it would have happened. All I can say is that we were discussing it.”

Jillian nodded, then said, “OK…although, the picture we’ve been getting of Professor Siemens is that she didn’t seem to want to settle into a…into a monogamous relationship.” She again left a space for him to fill-in.

“I know, but, at the risk of claiming too much, I think Nelda was getting tired of…of playing the field. That sort of a life can get to be superficial. And I think Nelda was getting to that point.”

Jillian thought of their interview with Miriam Moser and her take on Professor Siemens’ life style. She asked, “So, to be clear, you and Professor Siemens were talking about getting back together AND in a monogamous relationship?”

“Again, Detective, Detectives,” he added and looked at both of them, “I don’t want to claim too much. I mean, we had a nice time together…a couple of times. We spent the night together. And we’d started talking about getting back together…” he gestured as if to prevent some wrong conclusion, “in person, not on email or in texts.”

Roberts had regained control of his emotions. He made eye contact with both detectives. “Nelda and I have a lot in common…our economic ideology…our world view…academically…politically…across the board. I think we were a good couple. But this level of commitment…that was a big step…for both us. Absolutely. We WERE talking, but nothing was set. And now…” Roberts exhaled air in a long sigh and looked away from them.

There was a moment of silence. Wes broke it. “Anything you’d like to add, Professor Roberts? And please, be forthcoming with us if there’s anything more you think we need to know.”

He didn’t answer immediately. He sighed again, then said, “I cared for Nelda…very much. And I want whoever did this to pay. You guys asked about Jonathan Keefer. Maybe Nelda told him it was over and he reacted badly…I obviously have no idea…I don’t even know if she’d told him. As for President Davidos…” he frowned. I don’t think so, but again, I don’t know…not really.” He made a palms-up gesture.

He shook his head, then nodded. “What I do know is that Nelda and Ian Naremore were bitter enemies. They’d had run-ins before…mainly played out in publications, but who knows…maybe there was more…I had a sense that there might be.” He shrugged. “Maybe it was the article…I know that Nelda had confronted him on it and fully intended to take him to…she was not about to back down. And I have no idea what someone like him might do under such circumstances.”

It was too early for lunch so Jillian and Wes headed back across campus on their way to HQ. They de-briefed as they walked.

Wes asked, “OK, your thoughts, Jilly?”

Jillian knew that Wes would ask this once they were away from the Carey Complex, so, as they rode the elevator to the ground floor and then walked past the MU, she’d already organized her reflections on their interview with Professor Roberts.

“So, Professor Roberts misled us about his relationship with Professor Siemens. He described it as being in the past tense, but they’d seen each other recently…they’d even slept together. The obvious question…why would he have done that?”

“Well, he gave us his reason: they had broken it off AND that there was no certainty that they’d really get back together…course, a competing reason is that he had something to hide…that he’d been in more contact with a murder victim than he wanted us to know.”

Jillian jumped on this point. “Exactly. AND he also was inconsistent in his comments about Professor Keefer. During the first interview, he didn’t seem to know about him, but now, he knows a good deal…including that Professor Siemens was involved with him…and that she was going to end it.”

“To give him the benefit of the doubt, he could have learned more about the Keefer thing after they’d started seeing each other again.”

“But don’t forget, Wes, we’d just interviewed him, and he didn’t tell us. At least he didn’t make a lot of definitive claims about her ending things with Professor Keefer. I guess that makes him more believable.”

“Maybe,” Wes said. “Maybe.”

“Also,” Jillian continued, “the messages that we read between Professor Keefer and Professor Siemens do seem to indicate that she’s going to end it…he’s pushing and she’s non-committal.”

“Agreed. What’d you think of his reaction to the info about President Davidos?”

“I know we agreed to tell him some of that…just to see his reaction. Still, Wes, it was odd to say the least. He seemed to be bothered when I brought-up the possibility of something going on there.”

“Which is why we told him. Anyway, yeah, he obviously knew about them being at that conference in Charlotte, but I had the sense that he didn’t know that she’d changed her ticket so that she could fly back with Davidos.”

“Yes, I think that caught him off-guard,” Jillian said.

“Could mean a bunch of things. That he was afraid that she was starting something up with Davidos…you know, competition if he’d hoped they were going to rekindle their romance. Or Roberts could also just be a control freak…especially if he wanted to get back with her…and our info about her and the Prez was something he hadn’t known…something beyond his control.”

“That’s what I was going to say. If, as Professor Roberts said, that they were talking about being back together, this would have been an unforeseen complication.”

“What about that, Jilly? Do