“I told you, it sounds great.”

“And the problem is?”

“We need kosher food.”

“Dad, I’ve talked to the people in charge. There are always plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian entrées.”

“Rina doesn’t eat cooked food, Cindy, unless it’s kosher.”

“They always have tuna salad and egg salad. Plus they’re happy to supply new plates and cutlery. They even said it isn’t a problem to buy a new set of knives for our family and cut up a whole salmon just for us. They’ll cook it in foil or buy a new sauté pan. Dealing with kosher food is nothing they haven’t done before. They get vegetarians, they get Muslims only eating halal, they get kosher, they get low salt, low fat, diabetic, high blood pressure. They work with hundreds of people with dozens of dietary needs. Plus, you have the option of TV kosher dinners-”

“That sounds charming.”

“It’s a cruise, Daddy. Food is never a problem. And when all else fails, there’s always ice cream.”

She was probably right. Besides, dietary restrictions weren’t a bad way to control the gluttony. He had heard that people gain massive poundage on these kinds of jaunts. “Let me talk to Rina.”

“I already have.”

Decker made a face. “Thank you for running my life.”

“I called just to ask her if it was even feasible. Once she said it was feasible, she told me to talk to you.” Cindy lifted her cappuccino. “Hence, my presence.”

“I think Sammy and Jacob will be home that week.”

“Great. You know how much the boys love Koby.”

Decker was already looking at the rates. “This is going to cost a fortune. There are seven adults.”

“Only five. Koby has agreed to work in exchange for our fare.”

“That doesn’t seem very equitable. Our playing while he’s working.”

“It was totally his decision and we’re going whether you go or not. It’s something we both want to do. I’m asking you to come along, not to wangle money out of your pocket, but because we’d really love to do this as a family. Last year, Mom and Alan took us to Mexico for a week. We had so much fun that I thought I’d like to do it with your side. Alaska seems like your kind of place, Daddy. And look at all the excursions we could do when we go to port.”

Decker started reading, and despite his reticence, he became excited. Among the activities listed were canoeing, white-water rafting, hiking, kayaking, salmon fishing, panning for gold, and taking a helicopter ride to a glacier. And then he noticed the fine print. Optional excursions were not included in the price of the cruise.

Well, he didn’t have to do every activity.

“What did Rina say when you broached this with her?”

“I told you. She said she was game, but of course it was up to you.”

Decker thought a moment. They never went anywhere when he had vacation time, other than to visit the boys back east. If the kitchen was willing to make accommodations, it sounded like a good thing to him. Unpack once and enjoy the open seas, even if the average age was probably around seventy.

Seventy didn’t seem that old anymore.

Mostly he felt extremely touched that his daughter wanted to include him in her vacation plans. This was the dream of most parents: relaxing and laughing with adult children. “This seems like something I could get behind.”

Cindy’s smile was radiant. “You’re considering it?”

Decker laughed. “Is that so unusual?”

“Yes. Usually when I suggest something, it just…I don’t know. It never works out. I’m so happy!”

“First I have to talk it over with Rina. Then I have to check my schedule again. Then we have to deal with the boys. I’ll try to make it happen, Cindy. It actually seems like something that everyone could enjoy. And I’ll pay for you two. It isn’t going to send me to the poorhouse.”

“Absolutely not. Koby would never agree to it. But if you want to pay for the helicopter ride so we can walk on the glacier, I won’t object.”

Decker raised his espresso to his lips. “This was an expensive cup of coffee.”

Cindy reached into her pocketbook and took out several pieces of paper. “You didn’t think I came all this distance just to talk you into going to Alaska.”

That’s exactly what he thought. “What do you have?”

“I’ve been doing a little background check on Travis Martel and Geraldo Perry.”

“With or without Rip Garrett’s permission?”

“I didn’t ask for his blessing, but if he found out, I wouldn’t care. Both of the boys have a long sheet: drug offense, theft, B and Es, D and Ds, GTA, soliciting, illegal possession of firearms.” She looked at one of the pieces of paper. “Here you go. For your files.”

“Thanks.” He already had them, but why make her feel bad.

“I’ve also done a little bit of investigating beyond the obvious. Perry is from Indiana, so I don’t know too much about his youth, but Martel is a local boy. He went to L.A. High for about a year before he dropped out. I found his yearbook. He was in the rappers’ club.”

“They have a rappers’ club in high school?”

“Clubs are a reflection of the student body’s interests. All you need is a sponsor and some kids for membership. Anyway, his being in a rappers’ club makes total sense because when Martel was booked, he listed his occupation was ‘aspiring rapper.’”

“As in he’s never made a record.”

“That’s not entirely true, and we really don’t say ‘made a record’ anymore, Daddy. It kinda sounds like classic vinyl.”

“Cut a CD?”

“These days you don’t need a label and a producer to get your song out, since you have the Internet. Do you know about MySpace?”

“It’s a networking website.”

“Exactly. It’s actually a social networking website as opposed to a professional one. One of the things it’s known for is sharing material. Anyone who has a MySpace account can surf and look at your websites unless he or she is specifically blocked. Lots of bands and singers without contracts use MySpace to showcase their material. It’s specifically geared toward downloading music. So I started surfing to see if either Perry or Martel had a profile.”

“And you found something.”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” She turned pink. “I mean, I love spending time with you, but I know you’re busy and I don’t like to bother you-”

“You’re never a bother. What did you find?”

“Travis has a MyFace profile under his nom de rap.” She looked down at her notes. “He has several of them: Rated-X. Travis-X, X Marks the Spot, or plain X. I downloaded whatever songs he uploaded. I thought maybe there’s something in his lyrics that I would find interesting. He’s really hard to understand. It took me a long time and slowing down the speed to get them all down.”

She handed him several pieces of paper.

“Look at number three, second paragraph: ‘All Bets Are Off.’”

“Which one?”

“‘All Bets Are Off’: paragraph three.”

Decker read the doggerel to himself.

Take it all, take it all, that’s my philoso-phy

This whole fuckin’ world ain’t got integri-ty

So mess up the ho’ with the beasti-al-ity

It’s me for all and it’s all for me

Like music and the crime-the shit of B and E

You grab it for yourself and fuck etern-ity.

“Charming. What am I looking for?”

“Look at line five, Daddy. Like the music and the crime-the shit of B and E. Not just the crime of B and E. The music and the crime-the shit of B and E. Maybe I’m reading too much into it because I want to, but maybe he’s not just talking about breaking and entering.”

Decker said, “Banks and Ekerling.”

“Maybe you should see Marilyn Eustis again.”

“She knows that Travis Martel and Geraldo Perry were arrested for the murder. She told police she didn’t know either one of them.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know them, but it could be that there’s something in Ekerling’s files about them.”

“I’m sure the police went over his files. Besides, from what she told me, Ekerling didn’t produce a lot of rap.” Decker regarded the rap words again. “But it is worth another look. Thanks for the tip. Did you relay this information to Garrett and Diaz?”