“In a little shantytown beneath an overpass of the Ten-East. Apparently, Noam gave it to one of the transients.”

“They spent the night there?”

“Part of the night,” Decker said. “They’re gone now. They’re not in any of the downtown spots. Benderhoff checked them out.”

“Should I know who Benderhoff is?”

Decker smiled. “No, you’ve never met him. He’s from Central—a CAPS detective assigned to the case. Hersh and Noam aren’t in any of the homeless spots in the downtown area, either. I checked those out personally. I haven’t the foggiest idea where they went.”

“If you think they might be hiding with the homeless, what about Santa Monica? Lots of them roam the Palisades just above Pacific Coast Highway. They’re always there. Even in the wintertime. Venice, too.”

“Actually, the beach is warmer than the valleys in the winter. Something about the ocean currents…” Decker turned onto his side, snuggled deeper in her lap and closed his eyes. Ginger stood on her hind paws and licked Decker’s nose. “I planned on checking out the beach area. But first I need some sleep.”

“Are you hungry?” Rina asked, stroking his hair.

“Too tired to be hungry.” He petted Ginger’s head. “Man come to feed the horses?”

“Yes, dear.”

“Good.”

“I’m making a big dinner,” she said. “By the way, Cindy returned your phone call while you were gone. She asked me what we were doing back here so early. Rather than explain it all on the phone, I invited her to dinner.”

“Is she coming?”

“She said yes.”

Decker smiled. Whenever he thought about his daughter, he smiled. Then he thought about Frieda Levine and her family. Was it fair with his news to hold this knowledge from Cynthia? After all, she was a blood relative to these people. He had told her about his origins when she was eight, after she’d mentioned that nobody in Daddy’s family looked like each other. It was hard, but he thought she was mature enough to deal with the truth. She’d understood it all very well. She also knew better than to pry deeply into Daddy’s life and never again brought up the topic.

It wasn’t from lack of curiosity. Cindy had been a very inquisitive child, interested in everything. But she respected Daddy’s privacy, just as he respected hers. He loved her enthusiasm, loved to talk to her. He was delighted she was coming to dinner. Maybe he’d bring up the adoption tonight and see how she’d react.

No, he probably wouldn’t.

Too much to assess on so little sleep. He’d think about it later. Rina was talking to him.

“What are you going to do about the evidence?”

Decker opened his eyes. “The evidence?”

Rina held up the bag.