When The Bough Breaks

Among certain primitive tribes, there exists the belief that when one vanquishes an enemy it is not enough to destroy all evidence of corporeal life: the soul must be vanquished as well. That belief is at the root of the various forms of cannibalism that have been known to exist - and still exist - in many regions of the world. You are what you eat. Devour your victim's heart, and you encompass his very being. Grind his penis to dust and swallow the dust, and you've co opted his manhood.

I thought of Timothy Kruger - of the boy he'd killed and how he'd assumed the identity of a struggling scholarship student when describing himself to me - and visions of lip - smacking, bone - crunching savagery intruded upon the idyllic verdancy of the Jedson campus. I was still struggling to erase those visions when I climbed the marble steps of Crespi Hall.

Margaret Dopplemeier responded to my coded knock with a "Wait one second!" and an open door. She let me in and locked the door.

"Did you find Van der Graaf helpful?" she asked airily.

"He told me everything. About Jeffrey Saxon and Tim Kruger and the fact that you were his confidante."

She blushed.

"You can't expect me to feel guilty for deceiving you when you did the same to me," she said.

"I don't," I assured her, "I just wanted you to know that he trusted me and told me everything. I know you couldn't until he did."

"I'm glad you understand," she said primly.

"Thank you for leading me to him."

"It was my pleasure, Alex. Just put the information to good use."

It was the second time in ten minutes that I'd received that mandate. Add to that a similar order from Raquel Ochoa and it made for a heavy load.

"I will. Do you have the clipping?"

"Here." She handed me the photocopy. The death of Lilah Towle and "Little Willie" had made the front page, sharing space with a report on fraternity hijinks and a reprint of an Associated Press report on the dangers of "mariwuana reefers." I started to read but the copy was blurred and barely legible. Margaret saw me straining.

"The original was rubbed out."

"It's okay." I skimmed the article long enough to see that it was consistent with Van der Graaf's recollection.

"Here's another story, several days later - about the funeral. This one's better."

I took it from her and examined it. By now the Towle affair was on page six, a social register item. The account of the ceremony was maudlin and full of dropped names. A photograph at the bottom caught my eye.

Towle led the mourners procession, haggard and grim, hands folded in front of him. To one side was a younger, still toadlike Edwin Hayden. To the other, slightly to the rear, was a towering figure. There was no mistaking the identity of the mourner.

The kinky hair was black, the face bloated and shiny. The heavy framed eyeglasses I'd seen a few days before were replaced by gold - rimmed, round spectacles resting low on the meaty nose.

It was the Reverend Augustus McCaffrey in younger days.

I folded both papers and slipped them into my jacket pocket.

"Call Van der Graaf," I said.

"He's an old man. Don't you think you've questioned him enough - "

"Just call him," I cut her off. "If you don't I'll run back there myself."

She winced at my abruptness, but dialed the phone.

When the connection was made she said, "Sorry to bother you, Professor. It's him again." She listened, shot me an unhappy look and handed me the receiver, holding it at arm's length.

"Thank you," I said sweetly. Into the phone: "Professor, I need to ask you about another student. It's important."

"Go on. I've only Miss November of 1973 occupying my attention. Who is it?"

"Augustus McCaffrey - was he a friend of Towle, too?"

There was silence on the other end of the line and then the sound of laughter.

"Oh, dear me! That's a laugh! Gus McCaffrey, a Jedson student! And him touched by the tar brush!" He laughed some more and it was a while before he caught his breath. "Mary Mother of God, no, man. He was no student here!"

"I've got a photograph in front of me showing him at the Towle funeral - "

"Be that as it may, he was no student. Gus

McCaffrey was - I believe they call themselves maintenance engineers today - Gus was a janitor. He swept the dormitories, took out the trash, that kind of thing."

"What was he doing at the funeral? It looks like he's right behind Towle, ready to catch him if he falls."

"No surprise. He was originally an employee of the Hickle family - they had one of the largest homes on Brindamoor. Family retainers can grow quite close to their masters - I believe Stuart brought him over to Jedson when he began college here. He did eventually attain some kind of rank within the custodial staff - supervisory janitor or something similar. Leaving Brindamoor may very well have been an excellent opportunity for him. What's big Gus doing today?"

"He's a minister - the head of that children's home I told you about."

"I see. Taking out the Lord's trash, so to speak."

"So to speak. Can you tell me anything about him."