Faye Kellerman - Sanctuary

“The Rebbe felt that Honey might have come to you because she knew something was amiss.”

“Honey knew that something was going to happen to her husband? So why didn’t she get him help?”

“Perhaps she tried. But Gershon was troubled, Rina Miriam. It could be he refused help for himself, but sent his family away.”

“So that’s why Honey came out here?” Rina made a face. “To escape Gershon’s enemies?”

“You seem skeptical.”

“It just seems illogical.”

“Perhaps not, Rina. It might be Honey sought you and Akiva out because she felt Akiva could protect her family.”

“It didn’t help. Her van was found abandoned.”

Again, the room became still.

Finally Rav Schulman said, “Didn’t you tell me that the van was rented under a false name?”

Rina nodded.

“Then perhaps the Leibbener Rebbe is correct. If Honey had been acutely aware of her husband’s nefarious associates, it would have made sense for her to use a false name. And it would have made sense to hide herself and her children after she’d heard of her husband’s demise. If we find them, Rina Miriam, we may be doing more harm than good. We could be leaving a trail for the gangsters to follow.”

Rina shook her head in confusion.

Schulman said, “I know what preys on your mind, Rina Miriam. What if they aren’t in hiding? What if they were abducted? Should we not intervene just to be certain?”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t have a satisfactory answer for you. I’m simply interpreting the Leibbener Rebbe’s wishes.”

“And he wants us to let sleeping dogs lie.”

“Apparently.”

“And what do you think, Rav Schulman?”

The old man appeared very thoughtful. “Personally, I am concerned for the children. Yet, there was…something in the Leibbener Rebbe’s voice that told me the kids were safe.”

Rina thought about that. The Rosh Yeshiva’s intuition was not to be taken lightly. “Rav, maybe Honey and the kids have returned to the village. Maybe the Rebbe is hiding them until Gershon’s murder has been solved.”

Schulman paused. “I don’t think so. If only because Manhattan police have been investigating the village extensively, have been knocking on doors and questioning the people. Yet you bring up a very important question. If they are hiding for fear of their lives, and they couldn’t go home, where would they go?”

“Well, she took them here,” Rina said. “Maybe it wasn’t far enough away. Maybe she took the plunge and went to Israel.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“But what if the Rebbe’s wrong, Rav Schulman. What if they’re waiting for somebody to save them? I can’t get the faces of the children out of my mind.”

Schulman looked pained. “Yes, the children come first. As this is not a halachic issue, I am no maven. So I suggest we apprise Akiva of the situation, of our concern for Honey and her family, and let the expert decide.”

“Shit!” Decker rubbed his face with scratchy palms. “I forgot to call Manhattan. God, at forty-three, I’m going senile.”

“It’s called preoccupation with a double homicide,” Rina said.

Decker sank down on the guest bed. It was after eleven and the rest of the household was asleep. He was weary, hungry, and mad at himself for not calling New York earlier. Both cases were weighing heavily on his mind, because both cases involved missing kids. He wondered if, by working the two cases simultaneously, he was doing justice to either case. Probably not.

Rina bit her nail. “Can’t you call New York now? Police stations are open all the time.”

“Not the Detective Bureau. Everyone wants a gold shield because the hours are good.”

“Maybe someone’s working overtime, Peter. Maybe someone out there is as dedicated as you.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Supercop.” He rubbed his eyes. “What the hey. I’ll give it a whirl.”

He picked up the phone and punched in the numbers. The phone rang and rang and rang and finally the line was answered by a man calling himself Romero. Decker introduced himself officially and asked for a Detective Dintz.

“Dintz went home hours ago. You know what time it is here?”

“Close to two in the morning.”

“The man can add. Nah, nobody’s here except me. That’s because I just got divorced and I’m drowning my sorrows in my job.”

“It doesn’t work.”

“You’re right about that. It only makes you more pissed at her. Whatdaya want with Dintz?”

Decker updated Romero.

“Yeah, Klein’s the diamond dealer. I know the case.”

“What’s the scoop?”

“Nuttin’ so far. But Klein was in a high-cash business. Plus, he was also a member of that weird cult.”

“By cult you mean the Leibbener Rebbe?”

“Yeah, that weird place upstate-Leibbentown. You ever been there?”

“Nope.”

“You ever been to Plymouth Rock, how the guides dress up like Pilgrims and act like they was on the Mayflower?”

“Haven’t had the pleasure,” Decker said.

“It’s the same at Leibbentown. They dress up like they’re livin’ in an old Polish village. Only they ain’t doing it for a skit. It’s their life. Now I work Manhattan, I used to work Brooklyn. I’m used to your garden-variety Chasid. But these guys are beyond that.”

Decker noticed how Romero had pronounced Chasid, gutturalizing the ch.

“This woman,” Romero said. “The wife who was staying with you. She seem normal?”

“I’m no psychiatrist.”

“Meaning she was a psycho, too.”

“I’m not a psychiatrist,” Decker repeated.

“So the family was staying with you when the old man was popped.”

“Yep.”

“And then they disappeared?”

“That’s a fact.”

“Something’s off.”

“That’s a fact, too.”

“Lemme call up Larry for you. Even if it is two in the morning, I think he’d want to hear about this.”

“’Preciate it.”

Romero said, “Yeah, Larry would definitely want to hear about this. Let me see if I got all your numbers right.” He repeated Decker’s phone numbers over the line.

“You got it.” Decker hung up and turned to Rina. “He described the Leibbener village to me as a cult. From what I’ve heard, I think that’s an accurate description.”

“It’s not coercive.”

“That doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous.”

“So just what are you saying, Peter?” Rina said, angrily. “You think the murder was an inside job?”

“I’m not saying anything because I don’t know anything.” Decker paused. “I’ll tell you what I do know. If this Rebbe cared about Honey, he wouldn’t be telling me to back off.”

“He’s concerned for our welfare.”

“You know, Rav Schulman is a very wise man. He said Honey Klein isn’t a halachic issue. It’s a police matter. He’s right.”

Reluctantly, Rina nodded in agreement. The phone rang. Decker picked it up.

“This is Detective Dintz,” a low voice announced. “I’m looking for a Sergeant Decker.”

“You found him.”

“Man, I wish you’d called earlier. I got all my notes in my desk.”

“Wish I could have. I’m on a double homicide out here.”

“Yeah, a diamond dealer and his wife. It was on the news. You think there’s a connection between them and Klein?”

“So far the only connection I’ve found is me.” Decker brought him up-to-date on the Kleins-the abandoned car on the shoulder of the freeway, Honey’s claim about receiving crazy calls, Gershon Klein’s strange behavior.

Dintz listened without interruption. When Decker was through, he said, “So first you found two Israeli stiffs. Now the Klein family has disappeared. And you don’t think there’s a connection?”