“We all get talked into doing things,” Decker said. “Every single one of us, so don’t feel bad about it. What you should feel good about is helping me out. It’s a mitzvah. You’re doing great. Can you tell me which liquor store?”

“I don’t remember the name of it,” Yossie said. “It was in the black section of Crown Heights on the other side of Empire.”

“Hersh is from Crown Heights?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hersh is a Jewish name,” Decker said. “So am I correct in assuming Hersh is Jewish and not black?”

“Definitely,” Yossie said. “He might have even once been frum—religious—because he seemed to know Yiddish. But if he was frum at one time, he isn’t now. I was really angry at Noam for taking me there. I have relatives in Crown Heights. If they had seen me in that store with this Hersh guy, it would have been all over for me.”

“What does Hersh look like?” Decker said.

“He’s about twenty…twenty-one.” The boy scrunched his eyes. “He’s dark, not real tall.”

“Let’s start at the beginning,” Decker said. “Stand up.”

The boy obeyed.

“Okay,” Decker stood straight. “How far would he come up to me?”

Yossie thought for a moment, then put his hand at Decker’s shoulder.

About five eight or nine.

“Okay,” Decker said. “Clean-shaven?”

Yossie nodded.

“Good,” Decker said. “By dark, you mean dark eyes, dark skin, dark hair—”

“Dark hair and eyes,” Yossie said. “He’s not dark like an Iranian or something. He’s just like normal white.”

“Fantastic. Okay, he’s clean-shaven with dark hair and eyes. Does he have any acne, any moles, any warts…”

“I don’t think so.”

“Let’s try something,” Decker said. “I use this method all the time with my witnesses. You mind being my star witness in this case?”

“Sure,” Yossie said. “I mean, sure, I don’t mind.”

Decker held back a smile. “Close your eyes, Yossie, and picture Hersh’s face.” He waited a moment. “Describe the forehead to me—see a lot of it, a little of it…”

“High forehead.”

“The eyebrows?”

The boy knitted his eyes in concentration.

“Don’t force it, Yossie,” Decker said. “Just relax. Let it flow. If you don’t remember, that’s okay.”

“I don’t remember his eyebrows,” Yossie said.

“Fine,” Decker answered. “His nose—”

“Big.”

“Long, wide, bulbous—”

“Long and big.”

“Good. The cheeks.”

“Just cheeks.”

“Fleshy? Lean? Rosy-colored?”

“Just plain cheeks.”

“Okay,” Decker said. “Doing great, kid. Let’s go to the mouth.”

“Big mouth,” Yossie said. “And a weird smile. Lopsided.”

“Lopsided? In what way?”

“I don’t know…just kinda lopsided and weird.”

“Can you show me?” Decker asked.