Rina saw the car pull up in the driveway. She answered the door before MacPherson knocked. He stood, huddled under her doorstep, his head covered with a knitted ski cap. His eyes were sunken, his forehead was bathed in sweat.

“Hullo, Mrs. Decker,” he said in a nasal voice. “The good sergeant said you have some fliers for me?”

“You can’t go out like that, Detective,” Rina said. She leaned over and felt his forehead. “You have a fever.”

“I’m a little under the weather.” He sneezed. “But don’t worry—”

“Go home and go to bed right now,” Rina said. “I’ll pass out the leaflets.”

“Mrs. Decker, I don’t think that’s what the sergeant had in mind.”

“Was the sergeant aware of your physical condition?”

“I’m really all right.”

“Absolutely not,” Rina said. “You put yourself to bed right away. I’m perfectly capable of passing out fliers and talking to security. Besides, if anyone can recognize Noam, I will. Feeling the way you do, I’m not sure you could recognize your own mother.”

Probably true, MacPherson thought. Still, he didn’t feel good about letting her go out to LAX alone at this time of night. If anything were to happen to her, he’d catch deep shit. And he’d feel bad for her, too.

“I don’t think so, Mrs. Decker.” He sneezed again.

Rina said, “Detective MacPherson, I’m not going to give you those fliers and without the fliers you have no reason to go to the airport. Now get out of here and stop sneezing on me or we’ll both be sick.”

MacPherson sighed. He was too tired to argue. In all honesty, he was grateful for the reprieve, even if he felt funny about it. But if the lady wasn’t going to give him the fliers, it really didn’t make sense for him to go to the airport, did it? He couldn’t force her to give them to him so the hell with it. Next time, Decker should speak to him directly if he wanted a favor.

“If you insist,” he said.

“I insist,” Rina said. “Now good night.”

She smiled, then closed the door.

She knew Peter would be furious, but that was his problem. Paul was in no shape to work. And she was too jumpy to sleep.

Every time she pictured Noam’s face, she thought of her own sons. How would she feel if they were in such imminent danger? And Noam was in terrible danger. Even Peter had seemed shaken when he summarized what had happened. She remembered his thoughts out loud.

It’s only a matter of time before Hersh realizes he doesn’t need Noam to kill. Then the boy becomes a liability rather than an asset.

She just couldn’t hand such an important task over to a sick man who was just going through the motions. The job required someone who cared.