Death of the Ayn Rand Scholar, Gray Cavender [short books for teens .txt] 📗

“Thank you, Margaret,” he said as he stood, came from behind his desk, and greeted them just inside of his office. When they’d entered, he closed the door.

“I’m Lucas Seay. Please,” he said, pointing to a smallish couch. The office was fairly large and the floor was covered in a tan Berber carpet. He’d been sitting behind a beautiful desk made from a rich brown wood…the grain in the top and in the front made Jillian think it was oak. There were two chairs directly in front of the desk. But set off and across from the desk and its surrounds was a separate area, laid out as if in a living room. Professor Seay moved them to that section, and Wes and Jillian both sat on the proffered couch. The color of its fabric complimented the desk; Professor Seay took a living room-type chair opposite them; it also was in an accenting color. A coffee table separated them. Several business-oriented magazines were arranged on the table, as well as a copy of ASU’s research magazine. Jillian wondered if this office also had a sponsored donor.

Professor Seay was a lean, tallish man with a pale complexion. He appeared to be in his 40s although his sandy hair, parted on the right, was going gray at the temples. He wore gray pants, tan loafers, and a white shirt. No tie. His jacket, a blue sport coat, hung on a coat rack.

As they sat, both detectives showed their IDs and stated their names and affiliations. Wes said, “Thanks for seeing us, Professor Seay.”

Seay nodded and said, “It’s nice to meet you, although…and I know this sounds hackneyed…I wish there were different circumstances. I still cannot belief this…I’m in shock…I’m sad, I’m angry. What can you tell me?”

Wes answered, “Well, first, let me say that we’re sorry for your loss.” He paused, then said, “And, as for what we know…I’m afraid not a lot at this stage. Professor Siemens was discovered this morning in her office in the English Department. We won’t speculate too soon…we’ll know more when our Forensics Team completes its work…they’re in her office now. And by the way, Forensics will come to her office in BAC when they finish in the English Department. We’ve left an ASU police officer there, in the BAC, to secure that office until Forensics arrives.”

Wes paused in case the professor had questions, but hearing none, he proceeded. “She had several injuries to the head; one could be an accident, but several…well, again, we really have to await what Forensics comes up with.

“So, your forensics people will come here, too? We had a request earlier…have you been to Nelda’s office in BAC?”

“Yes, we just came from there. Although there was nothing immediately noticeable, we will of course want Forensics there for a thorough examination. And, they will remove many items…computer definitely, and the contents of her desk…things like that. These will be carefully analyzed in our labs at Tempe PD. Eventually, everything will be returned.”

“Yes, of course,” he answered and shook his head. “How was she…Nelda…discovered? I guess, how and when?”

Wes responded, “She missed an appointment with a student this morning. The student sought assistance in the English Department, and a staff person entered her office…they were concerned, especially since they said she’s a stickler about being on time.”

Seay laughed a short, snorty laugh, then seemed to catch himself, stopped and pursed his lips. “Do you have any…any leads?” He shook his head again, and then said, “It seems as if anything I can think of to say sounds like dialogue out of a crime novel. Honestly, I am in shock and literally don’t know even what to ask.”

Jillian said, “We understand. This is a lot to take in.” She paused, then said, “At this stage, we’re just trying to get a picture of Professor Siemens…friends, enemies, whatever we can learn about her life…that sort of thing. So, to begin, can you tell us anything about her personally?

“Sure, OK…let’s see…Nelda came here last year…that was her first at ASU. She came here unattached…to my knowledge. Often, when a professor is interviewing for a job, if they have a spouse, it comes up during the interview process that the spouse needs a job, too. Whether the spouse is an academic or not. We do what we can to facilitate that. Sometimes, if the spouse is also a professor, ASU finds a way to hire them…as a trailing spouse…that’s what we call it. Maybe in another department…or whatever. Or maybe there are questions about what are good schools for their kids. There was none of that with Nelda. She came here as a free agent, to my knowledge.

He thought for a few seconds. “What else…OK, I know her dad’s a professor, a professor emeritus…a philosopher, I’m fairly certain. Her mom’s deceased…I think. Nelda’s from LA, originally. Really, it was mostly day-in-day-out business with us. I mean, I saw her all the time, but…I guess I never thought about how little I knew about her…I mean, outside of …” and held his hands outstretched…apparently meaning the university. He sighed.

After a few seconds, when it was obvious that he’d finished, Jillian said, “Thank you, that helps.” She paused and then said, “If it’s OK, I’d like to change the topic a little.” He nodded, and she continued. “Professor Seay, some people we’ve interviewed mentioned that there had been bad feelings about hiring Professor Siemens, even about the Center for Ayn Rand Studies. Is that accurate?”

“I suppose so, to a degree. Academics can get their hackles up over almost anything,” he said, frowning. “Yes, there was some opposition to this. But, I do think that the opposition was directed more at the Center for Ayn Rand Studies generally than at Nelda personally.”

Jillian continued, “What was the nature of the opposition?”

Seay thought before answering, and then said, “I’d say there were several strands. Some focused on a university department taking any money from the private sector to create something like Rand