“Hey, guys, I’m gonna introduce the big man to the boys,” Lamar said. “Keep the meter running. I’ll be back.” He steered Decker toward Freddie and when the time was right made the introduction. Vitton’s eyes sized him up. “You were a friend of his?”

“No, I came to his house to talk about one of your father’s old cases.”

“Bennett Little,” Lamar chimed in.

Vitton’s eyes drifted. “Bennett Little. We all knew him as Dr. Ben. The one that got away. That’s what Dad used to say.”

“Did your father talk about the case a lot?”

“No, he didn’t. He didn’t talk much, period. It’s not that I was estranged from my father, but we respected each other’s privacy. We saw each other maybe once or twice a year for holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays. Overall, and Arnie can back me up on this, Dad wasn’t a chatty guy.”

“One hundred percent,” Lamar said.

“I gathered that from your eulogy,” Decker said. “You spoke very well.”

“Thank you. What new information did you have about Little?”

“Nothing,” Lamar broke in.

Decker said, “Arnie, I think your friends are missing you. They keep making some obscene gestures behind your back.”

“I get the hint,” Lamar said. “See you in five, Freddie. We’re still on for dinner?”

“Absolutely.” The son turned to Decker. “I’m surprised Dad agreed to talk to you about Little. After he retired, he was through with police work.”

“He didn’t want to talk to me. I had to press him. But he did agree to see me. That’s why I was so surprised to find him…gone.”

“Do you think there’s a connection between your phone call and his death?” Freddie let out a soft chuckle. “Of course you do. Why else would you be bringing it up? Do you think Dad was murdered? Is that what you’re saying? The death was ruled inconclusive. That means they’re not sure, right?”

“It means he may have been murdered but they don’t know for certain. I’m wondering if there’s something about the Little case being reopened that might have driven him to suicide.”

“What specifically were you trying to find out from my dad?”

“At that time, I was just gathering information. Since then I’ve come across a few things. Does the name Rudy Banks ring a bell?”

“Of course I know Rudy Banks. He’s a con artist. He rips off everybody, and when they protest, he makes their life miserable and sues them. Everyone in the industry hates him. But I also have a personal vendetta. Rudy spent four years torturing my brother. If it hadn’t been for Dr. Ben’s intervention, I think Cal J would have killed himself.”

Decker gave himself a moment to breathe in the information. He took out his notepad. “Torturing him because he was gay?”

“Of course. But also because Rudy could get away with it. Not when I was in North Valley. Rudy was a few classes behind me, and the one time he tried to bully my brother when I was around, I cleaned his clock. After that, he had to wait until I graduated to start his reign of terror. He’s a shithead.”

“He’s missing,” Decker said. “He moved out over the weekend and no one has heard from him since.”

“He’s not really missing then. He probably messed with the wrong people and now he’s running away.”

“Was he physically as well as verbally abusive with your brother?”

“He punched him, he kicked him, he shoved him, he tripped him: that was just the warm-up. I believe the most treacherous thing he ever did was throw acid on his lower back in PE.”

“Jesus! Was he arrested?”

“My brother wouldn’t press charges. Cal was lucky. He had turned around at the last moment. I think you can figure out where the acid was supposed to land.”

“What did you father do about it?”

“Nothing, because my brother never told my father.”

“Surely your father knew something was wrong.”

“I’m sure he did, but Dad wasn’t a person who delved into emotions. Even if Cal J said something, I could see my father telling him to ‘take it like a man.’”

“There’s a difference between exchanging punches and getting acid burns.”

“You’re right. Maybe Dad would have done something about it if he had known about that specific incident.”

“Did your dad know that Rudy was bullying Cal?”

“Don’t know. I found out about the acid incident after the fact. I came home from college break and saw the burned skin. My brother said he had an accident. When I pressed him, he told me the truth. I was ready to confront Banks and beat the shit out of him, but my brother begged me not to. He said that Dr. Ben was handling the situation. I respected Dr. Ben. Lucky for Rudy. Otherwise I would have sliced his balls off.”

He was kneading his hands.

“Look, I know you’re here to find out information, but please don’t bring this up with Cal J. It took him forever to get over the trauma. Not only Rudy, but coming out to my father. He seems all right now. He’s got a good job and a nice boyfriend. I don’t want to see him in any more pain. I mean, who’d want to talk about that?”

Decker nodded. “I heard Rudy left high school in eleventh grade.”

“He was expelled.”

“Because of your brother?”

“That and probably a million other reasons.”

“Who kicked him out? Dr. Ben?”

“Probably the entire administration. What does this have to do with my father’s death?”

“I think Rudy’s involved in Little’s death, but I can’t figure out how or why. This is compounded by the fact that Rudy had been out of the school for at least five years before Little was murdered, so why would he wait so long to murder Little? Did your father ever suspect Rudy in the Little case?”

“My dad didn’t discuss that case with me. I was gone by then. But if there had been a reason to arrest Rudy, I’m sure my father would have done it. He hated Rudy and not just because of Cal. Rudy was always getting into trouble.”

Decker said, “So you’re saying that Banks probably didn’t have anything to do with the Little case. Otherwise your father would have arrested him right away.”

“Maybe he suspected him, but he didn’t have the evidence. All I’m saying is, if there had been evidence, Dad would have gone for the jugular. He hated Rudy.”

“And Rudy hated your dad?”

“Rudy hated everyone.”

“Including Ben Little?”

“Most certainly Ben Little. Little was always on his case, for good reason.”

“The murder had the earmarks of a professional hit. Any way that Banks could have arranged it?”

“Sure. Banks used to run drugs in high school. He’d have a lot of access to unsavory people.”

“Did he have money to pay for it?”

“When Little was murdered, the Doodoo Sluts had some big hits. He would have had money.”

“I understand most of that money went up his nose or in his lungs. That’s what one of his bandmates told me.”

“I’m sure some of it did. I wouldn’t know.”

Decker’s brain started clicking. “How do you know Rudy used to run drugs?”

“People I knew used to buy pot from him.”

“Did you ever know a boy named Darnell Arlington?”

Vitton shook his head. “That name isn’t familiar. Who is he?”

“He went to North Valley, but he’s younger than you by a lot. He was one of the black kids voluntarily bused into the school. He was one of Ben Little’s charity cases.”

“Sorry. I never heard of him.”

“He also ran drugs. Maybe he knew Rudy Banks. Was Rudy still pushing drugs after he graduated?”

“Honestly, Lieutenant, I don’t know if he was or if he wasn’t. I got the hell out of Dodge and never looked back.”