“Thanks, Randy. So I’ll see you when you get down to Gainesville.”

“You bet. I’ll call you if I find out anything.”

“Thanks.”

“Pete, I know I’m your baby brother. And I always will be your baby bro. But let me give you a solid word of advice. Cause I know the East Coast, and you don’t. Those guys, they’re nothing but trouble. Don’t put your balls on the line. They won’t appreciate it.”

“You’re not the first one who’s told me that.” A pause. “You’re not the second one, either.”

“Then maybe you should listen.”

“Maybe I should.”

“But you won’t.” Randy sighed. “You’re a stubborn guy. Not unlike the other Decker kinfolk I’ve known.”

“It runs in the family, Randy.”

“We’re adopted, Peter.”

“Well, there you go, baby bro. Genes aren’t everything.”

It was time to touch base with Novack. Their last interaction had left the New York detective testy, and Decker didn’t want to leave with a sour taste. And Raisie had asked about the release of her brother’s body. He took out his cell and punched in the numbers. When he answered, Decker asked him how the game went.

“Like you don’t know?” Exasperation. “You know who they were playing against.”

“The Lakers.”

“More L.A. wise guys who think they’re God.”

“Now you’re being sore.”

“You see the game?”

“I heard the game,” Decker answered. “Shaq fouled out in the fourth, but Kobe brought it home in overtime.”

“Yada, yada, yada,” Novack said. “How’d it go?”

“How’d what go?”

“With C.D.?”

“Oh yeah, that. Nothing.”

“He wasn’t in.”

“No, I saw him. He even offered me coffee. I drank it and am still alive to tell the tale. So I guess it wasn’t laced with strychnine.”

“What’d you think of his place?”

“We talked in the reception area.” The truth, but not the whole truth. “He has a metal detector right when you come in.”

“Probably has a lot more than that.”

“I’m sure he packs, but I didn’t see it,” Decker said. “Have you ever been inside the place?”

“Nope. Never had the occasion. You ask him about the murder?”

“Yeah.” Decker waited an appropriate amount of time. “He didn’t say anything, of course. I thought maybe I could read his face, but he’s pretty stony.”

“It’s his specialty.”

“I gave him my card. If I suddenly get whacked, you’ll know who to interrogate.”

“That ain’t funny, Decker.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow, Mick. I don’t think C.D. will follow me to L.A. And if he does, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“You’re sounding blasé about rather serious matters.”

“That’s jet lag talking. There is a purpose to this call. My relatives want to know when Ephraim’s body will be released for burial. No pressure: I just told them I’d make the call.”

“I think I heard something about releasing the body tomorrow. I’ll get back to them.”

“Appreciate it. Anything new?”

“Wish I could tell you different, Pete, but no. Nothing’s new. By the way, I put out a couple of feelers into whatshisface… Marino… the police chief in Quinton.”

“Virgil Merrin. Good idea. Anything?”

“Nothing so far, but I’m sure you expected that.”

“Why should anything be easy?” Decker told him.

“Hey, we’ll solve it,” Novack insisted. “But it ain’t gonna be a slam dunk. You want that, talk to Shaq. Look, if I don’t see you again, it was nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” Decker answered. “Thanks for everything, Novack. Maybe one day I can reciprocate. You have my number. If you’re ever in L.A., give me a call.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant, but I think I’ll pass. You all are too tan and thin for my taste. And way too passive.”

“We call it ‘easygoing.’ ”

“That’s a buzzword for apathy. One thing New Yorkers aren’t, and that’s apathetic. Not your fault, Decker. It’s all the sunshine out West. It cooks the brain.”

She was behind schedule. Rina knew she shouldn’t have attempted shopping this late in the day, but the prices in Brooklyn were so much cheaper than in L.A., and if you knew where to look, you could find true one-of-a-kind things. Not that she was shopping for herself. Her bags were filled with dresses, coats, hats, shoes, and play outfits for Hannah-half the price of the department stores and some of the ensembles were imported from Europe. Hannah was such a pretty girl, and Rina loved to dress her up. Having a daughter, after two boys, was a new experience, and she savored every minute of it. She adored seeing Hannah preen in front of the mirror on Shabbat morning. Rina knew that showering her with too much attention for superficialities wasn’t a good thing, but what good are kids if you can’t spoil them every now and then! Children were not toys-her teenagers had proved that with a sledgehammer-but sometimes it was fun to pretend.

At least, Rina had dressed for tonight before she went out, although she knew she’d have to reapply her makeup. Her skin just ate up the chemicals. Her clothes were comfortable but very nice-a black sweater set over an ankle-length black skirt that had a midcalf side slit. A little pizzazz, but still appropriate for a religious woman. Her oversweater was long and red and cashmere. It made her feel elegant and very posh. A spray of Chanel No. 19; hers and Peter’s favorite perfume. After all, they were going out tonight after dinner. Her shoes didn’t have particularly high heels, but they were still dressy.

Not sneakers, though. She had walked until her feet and legs were sore. She did have the good sense to send Hannah with Sammy and Jacob, knowing that the little girl couldn’t possibly keep up with her. Her children went into town to see the Museum of Natural History. They’d meet her at the steak house.

Peter’s whereabouts were a mystery.

She checked her watch, swearing that this was the last store. It was getting dark, and her arms couldn’t carry any more packages anyway. She was next in line, but the woman in front of her kept arguing over the price of a sale item. Rina tried clearing her throat, she tried tapping her foot, but nothing seemed to work. The woman was determined to get a further reduction on a reduced price.

Rina looked around, arms folded across her chest, her bags dangling from her hands. Scanning the area, checking out the crowd because it was better than being aggravated.

The first time around, she barely glanced at him.

The second time around, she realized he was looking at her… staring at her. Hard, penetrating blows that were so unnerving, she almost dropped her bags.

He was tall and muscular, exuding strength. Dressed in black jeans and a black ribbed crewneck sweater under a brown cord jacket and combat boots, he kept leering at her with cold blue eyes.

Who on earth?

And then sudden recognition sparked in her brain.

What on earth?

She should have felt immediate intimidation because he was so big and powerful. But big and powerful didn’t scare her. She’d been married to big and powerful for over ten years. She had dealt head-to-head with big and powerful. It was no big and powerful deal.

What she felt was fury. Who did he think he was!

She dropped out of her place in line, leaving behind an adorable navy dress with white trim and a matching coat and hat. It would have been a perfect Pesach outfit for Hannah if he hadn’t come along!

She marched up to him and looked him square in the eye-the battle of baby blues. “Care for some coffee? I’ll buy. You carry the packages.” She shoved them into his chest and stomped out of the store. She could hear him chuckling with amusement while keeping pace behind her. She brought him into a nearby Starbucks, where she bought him a cup of plain coffee and bought herself a Caffè Latte. Then she took him to a local park-not much more than a patch with swings and slides-but it would serve the purpose. She chose a bench that was off the beaten track, but still visible enough to see people walk by.