It was hard to come up with rational decisions because he was tired and hungry. He hadn’t eaten breakfast because he’d overslept. With an empty stomach and puffy eyes, he had rushed off to morning services. Afterward, he’d bolted down a small lunch because he knew a full stomach would make him sleepy. He had wanted to be in top form for the interviews. The most insignificant thing might prove to be important; a kid’s life could depend on how alert he was.

The interviewing had gone well. Good old Yossie Weinstein had provided a crack in the vacuum.

Decker thought about the kids who lived here. The ones he’d spoken with seemed remarkably well adjusted. Even those who had strayed a bit from “the path” knew the difference between curiosity and trouble. The boys he’d interviewed had thought of Noam as an oddball at best, a bad apple at worst. But all agreed he seemed lonely.

A lonely, naïve boy somewhere in the city. Frightening. He looked at Noam’s picture again. There was something cocky about his expression.

His mind flashed to Jonathan’s first assessment of his nephew.

Kid smiles a lot but never looks happy.

And what Yossie had said about Hersh.

He has a weird smile—lopsided.

Mentally, Decker rummaged through his past case files: thousands of problem kids. Some were actually redeemable. But then there had been the others—the real badasses destined to do hard time if they lasted that long. They had many common attributes, but the one that was sticking in Decker’s mind was their affect—always out of sync with what was happening to them. No matter how much trouble they were in, they just sat there with these eerie smiles plastered on their faces, grinning as if you’d just told them a dirty secret.

He stifled a yawn, his only wish—to pump something bulky and nontoxic into his stomach and close his eyes.

Rina was waiting for him at the front door of the townhouse. She came out and gave him a bear hug.

“All right!” Decker threw his arms around her. “To what do I owe this burst of affection?”

“I love you. I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve told you that.”

“Love you too, kiddo,” Decker said. “I’m beat.”

Rina said, “We’ve got a full house inside—”

“Christ—”

“No one expects you to make chitchat. Everybody knows how hard you’re working. Just say hello, then go upstairs. I’ll bring you some dinner.”

“Will you eat with me?”