Murder by Template

Buck Calhoun, Private Investigator, Professor Emeritus, Administration of Justice Department of a major university receives a request from an attorney and friend for his services. A grieving mother seeks answers to troubling questions about her son's sudden death, presumably by heart attack, while eating lunch at home alone on his day off from work. The mother's inquiries were all met with silence by her daughter-in-law and other family members. The son was pronounced dead by his doctor who signed the death certificate citing Myocardial Infarction as the cause of death. His body was cremated, no autopsy. No case pending. Buck agrees to consider, at the minimum, whether his services are necessary. The mother cannot afford a full-blown investigation. With a small budget of 25 grand, all that the mother could afford, he decides to make some inquiries. He calls on his Associates to mine databases for emails, cell phone communications, and conduct a few interviews with family members and neighbors to collect data that would determine whether to accept or reject a contract. His Associates uncover disturbing facts that call for careful analysis and evaluation. For this, he calls on his old friend, likewise a retired professor, Tweedy Flynch to enlist his help in the assessment of the collected data, a role Tweedy accepts based on their friendship.