“Nora? She’s terrific. Between her and Mama, I feel like a hothouse flower. They’re cooking up a storm right now for the shalom nikevah Sunday morning.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. How many people did you invite?”

“About a hundred.”

“Rina, don’t you think it might be wise to put off the celebration for a couple of weeks?”

“It’s too late now. I’m not going to uninvite everybody. Besides, I’m not doing any work. All I have to do is show up and smile. Even I can do that. Mama’s handling everything. The boys are great. The nurse is wonderful—”

“That’s good.”

“And then there’s Cindy. I think Hannah remembers her—or at least recognizes her smell. She never fusses when Cindy holds her,” Rina muttered. “All that early bonding that I couldn’t do.”

“She isn’t fussing now.”

“No, she isn’t. And I am very grateful to Cindy. I don’t mean to act so babyish. Sometimes I just can’t help myself.”

“Blame it on the hormones. Do you know where Cindy is? I need to talk to her about Marie Bellson.”

“She’s sleeping.”

“I don’t want to wake her….”

“Knock softly on her door. I know she’d want to help.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid of that.” Decker stood and kissed his wife on the lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Gently, he kissed Hannah on the top of her downy head. Again, she stopped nursing, eyes looking up in wonderment. Decker said, “I’m your old man, with an emphasis on the old. Do me a favor and go easy on me, kid.”

Cindy’s eyes snapped opened when she heard the rapping at her door. “Yes?”

“It’s Dad.”

“Oh…wait a sec.”

“I can come back.”

“No, just wait a sec…please.”

She had fallen asleep with her clothes on and felt as wrinkled as an old paper bag. She sat up cross-legged and rubbed her eyes. The room held several abortive attempts at a decorative theme. There was a fold-out couch and desk that suggested a former guest room or an office. There was also the full-sized crib—a portent of the baby’s room to be. Finally, there was her furniture, a bed, dresser, nightstand, and a wall covered with college banners—Dad and Rina’s stab at converting the place into her summer room. The result was an odd mixture—the ghosts of rooms past, present, and future.

Cindy told her father to come in. Dad opened the door and walked across the threshold. “Sorry to wake you.”

“I was up. What’s going on in the investigation?”

“We don’t know anything definite, but it looks like the baby wasn’t in the car wreck.”

Cindy slapped her hand to her chest. “Thank goodness!”