Jen smiled.

“Do you have children?” Decker asked her.

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Two.”

“How old?”

She swallowed. “Six and one.”

“Boys? Girls?”

“A girl and a boy.”

“The oldest is a girl?”

She nodded.

“That’s great.” Decker smiled. “Six is a wonderful age, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She stared at her lap. Her black leather miniskirt barely covered her panties. “Yes, it is.”

“So full of life… so full of trust and curiosity.” He sat back, laced his hands behind his neck, and stretched. Then he pitched forward, a concerned expression in his eyes. “I worry about my little one. It’s hard growing up in this day and age, especially because we’ve seen terrible things. Talking professionally, I’ve seen many, many bad things up close. Not too encouraging.”

She said nothing.

“All these bad boys, these… evil people that I arrest. It jades my perspective. I worry that my… my negativity will rub off on her. But you know what?”

“What?” she whispered.

“It doesn’t. Kids are remarkably resilient. Don’t you find that to be the case?”

Her eyes clouded. “Sometimes.”

“Well, look at your own little girl. And look at you. I mean, it couldn’t have been easy having a kid at fifteen. But look how you’re doing. You’ve got a good job. A husband who probably loves you very much… right?”

“Right.”

“Two beautiful children. Great fun, huh?”

She nodded.

“Yes, indeed. Just look how well you’re doing. You’ve got a lot to be proud of. I’m sure you’re a real role model for your daughter.”

She turned her head away. Her eyes had become wet. “That was nasty.”

“What?” Decker threw his arm around her. “My God, what’s wrong? What did I say?”

Burning eyes lit into his. “Nothing…”

“Nothing? You’re as pissed as hell. I’m sorry. What did I say?”

“You didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry. Honestly. Tell me what I said?”

She wiped her tears with her fingers. “Nothing.” Then she hid her face in her hands. “Nothing at all.”

“Man, Donatti’s going to get mad when he finds out I’ve upset you.”

“Oh God!” Panic crossed her eyes. “I’m so sorry-”

“Sorry for what? I offended you!”

“No, you didn’t! You didn’t at all.”

“You’re afraid of him-Donatti?”

“No, not at all.”

“Come on, Jen. It’s okay. Is he… hurting you at all?”

“Of course not!”

Decker watched her as she sniffed and wiped her face, her eyes redder but softer. “Your daughter?” he asked. “Is she Donatti’s kid?”

She laughed through her tears. “No.” A pause. “I wish to God she was his.”

Decker nodded. “Some jerk took advantage of you, huh?”

She was still furious, but fear made her answer him politely. “My sister’s husband.”

“Oh God…” Decker sighed. It was heartfelt. He leaned back and inched away from her. “I did a lot of Juvenile before I transferred to Homicide. You do Juvie, you deal with lots of sex crimes involving minors. That’s what it was, Jen. A sex crime. Because at fourteen, it certainly wasn’t anything you did. It was all about what he did. And what he did… was a sex crime.”

The tears going full force.

“They’re all the same… all of them.” Decker raked his hands through his hair. “They’re all monsters.” Another sigh. “Raping your wife’s fourteen-year-old kid sister. It doesn’t get any lower than that.”

No one spoke.

“Yes, it does,” she whispered. “It does get lower.”

Decker waited.

“No one believed me. My sister…” Jen clasped her shaking hands. “She called me a lying little slut. My father beat me. My mother stood by and didn’t do anything. They put my daughter in a foster home. When they tried to force me to sign papers… putting her up for adoption… I ran away.”

“What a mess! I am so sorry.”

“Mr. Donatti… he took me in. He-” She was choking back sobs. “He introduced me to my… to my husband. He… he was one of Mr. Donatti’s clients.” She wiped her face. “My husband… he proposed to me on my eighteenth birthday. Mr. Donatti told me to go for it… to marry him. He told me that he’d take care of me. And he does… my husband takes good care…” Another sniff. “He takes very good care of me. He loves me very much.”

“I’m sure he does, Jen. Who wouldn’t love you?”

She tried to stem her weeping. “My husband… he helped me get her back-helped me get my daughter from her foster parents. He paid for the lawyer; he paid for everything.” Again she broke into tears. “Oh God, I’m so stupid.”

“Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! When Mr. Donatti finds out-”

“He won’t find out because neither one of us is going to tell him.”

She looked away and sobbed out, “He’ll find out!”

“So big effing deal!” Decker took her chin and turned her face to his. He looked her in the eye. “I’ll handle Donatti, all right?”

She didn’t answer.

Decker let go of her face, riding out her crying. Finally, after it had subsided, he said, “Jen, that Quinton girl I was telling you about? The one who was murdered?”

“Yes.”

“Did you know her at all?”

“No.” She sighed a sob and shuddered. “Just what I read in the papers.”

“That’s why I’m here. To find out who killed her.”

She didn’t comment.

“She was only fifteen, Jen. Just like you when you gave birth. Only she never had a chance to redeem herself-like you did.”

“I haven’t really redeemed myself. Working day in and day out with ugly men and perverts leering at my boobs and butt, trying to grab a piece of my snatch.”

“You look like you can handle yourself very well.”

“I hate it!”

“Then why don’t you quit?”

She couldn’t look at him. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

“He won’t let you?”

“No, not at all. I don’t think he’d care. He’s got others to take my place. And this is actually a paying job.”

“Unlike the other assignments he’s given you?”

“Mr. Donatti has been nothing but wonderful to me.”

Staunchly loyal. Go figure. Decker said, “Then why don’t you quit?”

“You’ll think I’m horrible.”

“Nah, I’ve heard it all.”

She didn’t answer.

“Hey, try me!”

She sighed. “I love my husband, I really do. But he’s fifty-six, Lieutenant. And he’s not a healthy fifty-six at that. He’s had a difficult life. His first wife died after a ten-year battle with breast cancer. He has chronic heart problems… high blood pressure. We don’t do too much… obviously, we do something. We have a son. But it’s not… you know. And after what I’ve gone through… that’s really okay with me. But still, there are times…” A pause. “Mr. Donatti… he comes here occasionally… to check up on what’s going on. He’s… he’s a good-looking guy. I’m still young, you know.”

Her eyes begged to be understood.

Decker smiled. “Got it.”

Her voice got tiny. “It’s just that I feel comfortable with him. Protected. I know he uses me-that’s what those guys do-but he’s been okay about it.” Silence. “Not a lot of choices for a fifteen-year-old on the streets. I’ve heard some real horror stories. I turned out okay considering…”

No one spoke.

“We’re not that different, you know-me and Mr. Donatti. I’m a user, too.”

Meaning her husband. Decker said, “I understand what it is to feel… indebted. I’ve got a few buds like that myself. One of them… helped me out in Vietnam. Saved my life actually. No matter what he does to screw himself up, I always feel obligated to pull him out of the muck.”

“You’re a real good listener, you know that?” She pulled her legs straight out, yanked down on her nonexistent skirt, and laid her head on his shoulder. “Sure I can’t do anything for you?”

“You can do a lot for me, and I don’t mean sex.”

She sat up. “So… you really want information only?”

“Yes,” Decker said.

“Your wife must be amazing.”