“Don’t get frustrated, Lieutenant.” Novack finished his coffee. “We’re on the same side. Maybe you’re still hungry.” Again he flagged down the waitress. “He needs another bowl of soup, Alma.”

“I’ve got to leave in ten minutes,” Decker said.

To the waitress, Novack said, “Make it quick.”

Alma growled, “There’s a McDonald’s two blocks away for quick.” She gave them her back and huffed away.

Decker leaned over the table and spoke softly. “Maybe Chaim paid the cleaners to pop the brother but to let the girl go. Maybe that’s why there’s no evidence that Shayndie was at the hotel. They let her get away. But something got fouled up.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she was supposed to come home to her dad in a panic and tell him all about it. Then they’d go to the police together… Chaim doing the talking. Maybe Chaim had concocted a story that would have explained what happened but also would have drawn attention away from him. Instead, Shayndie freaked out and went into hiding. And that made the cleaners real nervous. Maybe they figured she wasn’t trustworthy, so they hunted her down and popped her, too. But that wasn’t part of the original plan.”

Novack didn’t respond right away. “She’d witnessed the kidnapping. So she had to be dealt with.”

“Exactly.”

“Then why did your brother bring you out?” Novack asked.

“I was talking to my brother about this. Maybe I was just a showpiece, something that Chaim put on display to convince everyone that he really cared. In fact, both Chaim and Minda hate my guts and have done nothing but put up obstacles.”

“Interesting.”

The second bowl was plopped onto the table, soup spilling over the rim. Decker tried to thank her, but Alma was gone before he could get the words out.

“Eat,” Novack said. “You can use nutrition.”

As Decker spooned soup into his mouth, he thought about Donatti. The hit seemed too careless for the bastard’s signature. And why admit to Decker that he had her? Why did he let him see and talk to her, for God’s sake, only to pop her?

To throw him off track?

If Donatti did it, he had become boastful and reckless, and that wasn’t him. The man was nothing if not calculated.

Novack said, “Maybe Chaim brought you out because he wanted a couple of things from you. One, he figured you, better than him, could find out what the police knew. You’d report back to him, and then he could figure out his next options. Or two, Shayndie was gone, and he needed you to find her.”

“Seems logical to me.” Decker checked his watch. He had two minutes before he was to meet with Jonathan. “Anything turn up on Virgil Merrin?”

“He worked Charleston PD as a lieutenant for eight years. Before that, he jumped around quite a bit… mostly police departments in Texas. That’s always a little weird, except if you’re a real political type. You know, constantly upgrading until you get the number one spot somewhere. Looks like he met with success.”

“I saw him in a Tattlers today, Mike.”

“Interesting.” Novack raised his brow. “What were you doing in Tattlers?”

“It’s a long story. I was with Jonathan-”

“The rabbi?”

“Yes.”

“Go figure.”

“He wanted to meet at a place where he was sure that no one else from Quinton’s Jewish community would be.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“Or maybe my brother’s a horny guy. That’s not the point. Virgil Merrin is the point. He looked to be a steady customer.”

“I’ll keep digging.”

“Thank you. You’re being more than generous.”

“Yeah, I am. I’m being stupid, if you want to know the truth.”

Decker said, “I think I alienated him. Merrin. I know I did… alienated Merrin.”

“How?”

Decker told him how.

“That wasn’t smart. Whaddya do that for?”

“It bugged the hell out of me… the way he was acting. It also pissed me off that he implied that I was like him.”

“Decker, if you want to get help, you gotta make him think that you twose have something in common.”

“Yeah, I know. It wasn’t smart. I’ve been doing lots of stupid things lately.”

“Then maybe you should quit before you have a bigger problem than a black eye.” Novack’s warning was veiled in kindness. “Especially when you lay shit on me, saying that some anonymous phone caller tells your brother that he wants you ‘out of the picture.’ That don’t sound too good.”

“He didn’t tell Jonathan; he told Chaim. Jonathan never spoke to this guy.”

“So Chaim could be lying.”

“Definitely.” Decker frowned. “If some lunatic thinks he’s going to scare me away, he’s sadly mistaken.”

“What would scare you off?” Novack asked.

“A gun to the head, maybe.” Decker shrugged. “Not even that. Now, a gun to my wife’s head, that would scare me.” He felt a chill run down his spine. “I will be very happy when she’s out of here.”

“When’s she leaving?”

Decker checked his watch. “I’m taking her to the airport right now. I’ve got to go.” He pulled out two twenties. “Enough?”

“Way, way over. The bill’s only eighteen-fifty.”

“Leave the rest for a tip.”

“Twenty-one fifty?” Novack laughed. “That’s more than the going rate for a blow job.”

“Alma looks around eighty,” Decker said. “But if she’s willing, Novack, be my guest.”

“Eighty’s a little old,” Novack said, “but there are advantages. I think Alma wears dentures. Ever get sucked by someone with no teeth?”

“Never had the pleasure.”

“It’s smooth sailing all the way.” Novack smiled and nodded. “Yeah, no teeth ain’t such a bad thing.”

Silence.

Then Novack broke into gales of laughter. So did Decker.

Novack chortled and pointed a finger at him. “I had you going.”

“Fuck you, Novack!”

Decker spoke a little too loud. Alma came over. “Problems, Detective Novack?”

“Alma, this man just left you a twenty-one fifty tip.”

The old woman gave a wide smile, showing her full set of plates. “Thank you. You made my day. Next time you come in, I’ll give you a little extra treat.”

Decker knew she was trying to be nice, but it came out wrong. He thanked her and left, hoping she didn’t notice that he had wrinkled up his swollen nose.

25

She didn’t want to be angry, not in front of Jonathan, but her stomach was swirling with anxiety. It was completely irresponsible of him to stay in New York when clearly someone wanted him to leave.

Someone wanted both of them to leave.

Maybe that wasn’t quite true, because analyzing what had happened to her this afternoon, Rina concluded that it was just as likely-no, it was more likely-that the shooter had been after Donatti, not her. She had just been in the wrong place… or maybe-yes, likely-he had been following her like he had before, and that had put her in the wrong place. Or maybe he knew something she didn’t know and he had been watching her…

Maybe she shouldn’t try to sort it out because her thoughts were a jumbled mess. She sat back in the seat and heaved a big sigh.

“I know, I know,” Decker said. “I cut it too close.”

“What took you so long?” Rina couldn’t hide her irritation. It wasn’t good to be peeved with Peter in front of Hannah, either.

“Just stupid stuff,” Decker admitted. “I’m very sorry.”

“I’m fifteen minutes away,” Jonathan said. “You should be all right.”

“When are you coming, Daddy?”

Hannah had asked the same question five minutes ago. Decker said, “On Friday, pumpkin.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

The girl nodded, but she was clearly upset.

“I promise, Hannah Rosie,” Decker emphasized. “I’ll be there. You can sit on my lap when I make Kiddush.”

“You stand when you make Kiddush,” Hannah pointed out.

“Afterward,” Decker assured her. “When I eat.”