Detective (69 page)

A few days after the news
conference, Ainslie relayed to Leo
Newbold his wish to leave Homicide.
Newbold was understanding and
sympathetic. Many other detectives
had traveled the same route, and it
was accepted that longtime Homicide
duty imposed emotional strains that
eventually could be disabling. While
Ainslie was awaiting word about new
duty, Newbold removed him from
current Homicide

582 Arthur Halley

assignments and placed him in charge
of "cold cases" old homicides being
investigated with the aid of new
technologies a productive but "low
emotion" area.

After three weeks, Newbold stopped
by Ainslie's desk and said,
"Figueras wants to see you now."

"Hi, Sergeant Ainslie!" Major
Figueras's secretary, Teodora
Hernandez, greeted him as he entered
the Criminal Investigations chief's
outer office. "Before you go in,"
she asked, "would you do me a
favor?"

"If I can, Teo."

"Well, my kids keep seeing you on
the tube and reading about you. Then
when I said I knew you, they got all
excited, asked if I could get your
autograph." She produced two white
cards and held out a pen. "Would you
mind?"

Embarrassed, he protested, "I'm not
a celebrity."

"Oh yes, you are! Write 'For
Petra' on one card and 'For gusto'
on the other."

Taking the pen and cards, Ainslie
scribbled the names and two
signatures. He handed them back.

"I'll be a hero at home tonight,"
Teodora said as she led him toward
the inner-office doorway, which, he
noticed, was ajar.

Mark Figueras stood up as Ainslie
came in, and he was grinning. "So,
our celebrity! How does it feel?"

"Out of place, totally." Ainslie
grimaced.

"Well, it won't stop soon. Can you
live with it?"

"I suppose. But how about the
Department, sir?"

"There might be a problem."
Figueras gestured dismissively.
"Anyway, forget the formality,
Malcolm. This is a talk I've been
instructed to have with you man-to-
man stuff. Oh, but first there is
one piece of formality.

DETECTIVE 583

You are Lieutenant Ainslie, as of
this moment." He extended his hand.
"Congratulations. A little late,
maybe, but in the right direction."

Ainslie wondered what was coming.
The promotion pleased him, and he
wanted more than anything to phone
Karen and share it with her. But he
waited for Figueras.

"Career-wise, you're in good shape
right now, Malcolm, and there are
severe! routes you can go most of
your own choosing. The first is to
command Homicide." As Ainslie looked
surprised, Figueras continued, "Leo
Newbold is being made captain, and
he'll move to a new assignment. In
your case you'd normally move, too,
but your record in Homicide is
outstanding, and an exception could
be made if that's your wish."

"It isn't." Ainslie shook his head.
"I already told Leo why I want out."

"I'd heard that unofficially, and
I understand it. We simply wanted
you to know all the options."

The "we" was significant. Whatever
Figueras was relaying had come from
the top.

"Okay, let's weigh your future in
the Department," the Criminal
Investigations chief went on.
"You've made lieutenant at age
forty-one. In another three years
you could be captain, and after
that, at the chief's discretion, a
major, though nothing's certain, and
all of it a little late compared
with others, because you were older
than most when you started. So maybe
at forty-six you'd be a major after
fifteen years of service, and above
that,-as you know, there are fewer
jobs and the competition's tough. So
you might go higher, but major could
be your limit before retirement. I'm
being frank with you, Malcolm."

"I prefer it that way."

"There's one other thing to be
looked at, and I'm really leveling
with you here. Recently you've had
more public

584 Arthur Halley

attention than probably anyone in
the Department ever had before. One
reason is that you've done
spectacular work, especially in
Homicide. But it was your old
background as a~priest and scholar
that the media jumped on, which
brings me to a point."

Ainslie had a notion of what was
coming.

"The thing is, Malcolm, because of
all that attention, whatever you do
in the Police Department now will be
noticed by the media and probably
magnified. Nothing really wrong in
that, but to be truthful, the
Department could be uncomfortable.
As you know, few people here get
consistent public attention, and
that even includes the chief most
of Miami's population probably don't
know his name. That's how it's
always been, and most of us would
like to see it stay that way."

"Let's be clear about this,"
Ainslie said. "Are you telling me
that despite all that's happened my
promotion and the rest you'd really
like me out of the force?"

"If it seems that way to you,"
Figueras said, "then I've done a
lousy job, because that's the last
thing I wanted to convey. But what
most of us here do feel, Malcolm, is
that what's left for you in the
Department simply doesn't measure up
to your abilities. What we'd like to
see happen is for you to move on to
something more advantageous to you,
and that would make better use of
your special talents."

"Trouble is," Ainslie said, "I
haven't done much reading of the
want ads lately. Looks as though I
should."

Figueras laughed. " 'Want' is an
appropriate word. The fact is and
this is mostly what this talk is
about an organization outside the
Police Department has been in touch
with the chief, the mayor, and maybe
others, and wants you very much on
highly favorable terms, I
understand."

DETECTIVE 585

Ainslie was confused. "Is this
organization something, or someone,
that I know?"

"I don't think so. The person most
concerned is the chairman of the
board of trustees of South Florida
University." Figueras consulted a
paper on his desk. "His name is Dr.
Hartley Allardyce. Would you be
agreeable to a meeting?"

Life was full of unexpected twists
and turns, Ainslie reflected. He
answered, "What can I say but yes?"

6

"This may surprise you, Dr.
Ainslie," Hartley Allardyce said,
"but we've been talking about you a
lot at our university ever since
your talents and background became
so widely known."

"Yes, it surprises me," Ainslie
said. "Lately, almost everything
surprises me."

It was three days after his
conversation with Major Mark
Figueras. Now Ainslie and Allardyce
were at dinner together at Miami's
downtown City Club. Ainslie found it
strange to be called "Doctor."
Though it was valid scholastically,
he had not heard it spoken aloud for
years, and even as a priest he
hadn't used it. In these present
circumstances, though.. .

Dr. Allardyce, who seemed to enjoy
talking, continued, "The public
loves a local hero, always has, and
you became one when you solved those
hideous crimes. The bonus was that
you did it intellectually, using
scholarly knowledge, which is why
you're so admired by educators,
myself included."

Ainslie smiled self-consciously and
murmured thanks.

Waving the interruption aside,
Allardyce went on, "What has
happened to you, in terms of
becoming a public

DETECTIVE 587

figure, could not have occurred at a
more opportune time both for me and
for others whom I represent. And, I
hope, for you."

Hartley Allardyce was as impressive
an individual as his name implied.
He was silver-haired, handsome, and
deeply tanned, with a confident
manner and a buoyant smile. He had
been born to wealth, then had
enlarged it as the head of an
international investment fund,
enriching others also. At the same
time he was passionately interested
in higher education, hence the South
Florida University connection.

"I've been chairman of the SFU
trustees for six years," he
explained, "and in all that time
have wanted to develop a lecture
program on comparative religions. We
have a Department of Religion and
Philosophy, of course, but it
doesn't deal with comparatives to
the extent I'd like."

Allardyce paused as a waiter served
their main course, filet mignon with
bearnaise sauce. "By the way, I hope
you like this wine. It's an Opus
One, originated by two of the
world's great vintners Robert
Mondavi in the Napa Valley and the
late Philippe de Rothschild in
Bordeaux. Do try it."

"It's superb," Ainslie reported,
and it was. He had heard of the
famous wine, though on a
detective-sergeant's pay he could
never have afforded it.

"Let me get to the point,"
Allardyce said, "as to why you're
here. Most university students these
days are opting for the hot-action
areas of education: business,
medicine, law, and engineering. But
I'd like to show our young people
the value of studying comparative
religions.

"Diverse religions say so much far
more than conventional history about
the times in which people live, and
their state of mind in every age and
society; their fears, hopes, and
pleasures; what they dread,
consciously and subconsciously, with
death always high on the list; and

588 Arthur Halley

whether there's anything beyond death,
or merely oblivion no doubt the
greatest fear of all. Do have more
wine, Dr. Ainslie."

"Thank you, no. I'm doing fine. But
before we go any further, there's
something I want to say."

"The. last thing I wish is to
monopolize. Please go ahead."

"Something you ought to know, Dr.
Allardyce, is that while I'm
fascinated by comparative religions
and always have been, I do not believe
in any of them. Haven't for a long
time."

"I already knew that," Allardyce
said, "and it makes no difference. It
may even make you more objective.
You're sure about no more wine?"

"Quite sure, thank you."

'tSo the reason I've brought you
here is that I have, just recently,
raised enough money to build a new
Religion and Philosophy Center on
campus. A good deal of it comes from
a personal friend who is on the point
of pledging several million dollars.
However, since reading about you and
your unique qualifications, my friend
has added a condition to the gift. In
addition to the building, there'll be
an endowment for a professor in
comparative religions, to be described
as a distinguished scholar. The point
is, Dr. Ain; slie, my friend wants
you."

Ainslie's eyes widened. "Are you
serious?"

"Totally."

"May I ask who your friend is?"

Allardyce shook his head. "Sorry!
Sometimes wealthy donors prefer to
stay anonymous; nowadays there are
good reasons. Anyway, the commitment
on the university's part would
initially be for three years, and the
annual stipend would be one hundred
thousand dollars. Forgive me for
bringing up money, but it's necessary
sometimes."

DETECTIVE 589

There were several seconds of
silence before Ainslie said, "I can
forgive you for that, Doctor. And
perhaps, after all, I will have more
wine."

"There'll be a few formalities,"
Allardyce said momerits later.
"Though nothing you can't handle."

Karen was thrilled about the pending
appointment. "Oh, honey go for it!
It's so right for you. You're an
authority on the subject, and you're
so good at teaching. I haven't told
you this, but after what happened at
City Hall, I phoned Ruby Bowe to say
thank you for me, and for Jason.
Among other things, she told me how
the younger detectives appreciate
what you've taught them, and how
they all respect you."

He reminded Karen, "There are some
more interviews I have to go through
before the offer's firm."

"You'll sail through them."

A succession of interviews took
place, the most important with the
university's provost, Dr. Gavin
Lawrence~uiet spoken and small in
stature, but with a firm no-nonsense
presence. The provost, with a file
open in front of him, looked up from
it and commented, "You're certainly
academically prepared to go this
route."

"There's one thing I have to make
sure you know." Ainslie repeated the
nonbelief declaration he had made to
Allardyce.

"That's in here, too." The provost
touched the file. "Hartley wrote a
report, saying he appreciated your
honesty. So do I, and I agree it's
not a barrier." Lawrence leaned
back, bringing his fingertips
together as he spoke. "Actually, I
hear rumors that some of our
religion and

590 Arthur Hai-ley

philosophy professors have
discovered their faith waning as
they've accumulated more knowledge,
of which in religion there's been a
great deal these past two decades.
That happens sometimes, don't you
think?"

"It happened to me."

"Well, it makes no difference
here, because we simply don't ask
about the religious leanings of our
faculty. What we do care about, of
course, is scholarship and honest
teaching. I trust that's clear."

Ainslie nodded. "Perfectly."

"There's something else we'd ask
of you. From time to time we would
like you to give public lectures on
your subject. I think, with your
name, you'd draw quite a crowd, and
since we charge admission..." The
provost smiled benignly.

As to Ainslie's three-year
commitment, "At the end, if
everything has worked well, there
might be a faculty opening, or some
other institution might want you.
It's always a help if students like
you, and I have a feeling they will.
The students really are the key.