“I’m from the police.”

The boy blinked long lashes and lowered his voice. “You look like a lawyer—one of their lawyers. I thought you was trying to get us to sign one of their fucking settlements. I’m no genius, man, but I’m not stupid.”

Slowly, Lourdes turned to Decker. “Did you find my baby?”

When Decker shook his head, the young girl covered her face with her hands. Her shoulders heaved, but no sound came out. The heavyset boy threw a thick arm around her shoulder.

“Now see what you did, man?”

“Would you rather I not keep in contact with you?”

He bit his wet, thick bottom lip. “You dissing me, man?”

“No, I’m not dissing anyone. I’m just trying to keep you two informed.”

The boy’s eyes turned steely. “Yeah, well, then just what’s goin’ down, man? Heat doing anything else besides beatin’ up minorities?”

Lourdes rebuked her friend sharply in Spanish. He fired back a retort. She snapped at his sarcasm. Before the boy could lob back an answer, Decker broke in.

“Look, people, first of all, I’m here to help, not to create problems. Second, if you want to dis me, you’re going to have to switch to another language. I speak Spanish.” He turned to the boy. “You’re Matthew Lopez? The child’s father?”

The boy nodded.

“Detective Sergeant Decker.” He stuck out his hand. “I’m very sorry. I’m doing all I can. I wish I could do more.”

Lopez looked at Decker’s hand, then took it. Lourdes stared at him. “You’re Cindy’s father?”

“Yes.”

“Matty, he’s the policeman who had a baby…same time I had Caitlin.” Again she cried mutely into her hands. Lopez glanced at Lourdes but didn’t offer any comfort. Instead, his eyes were fixed on Decker.

“You just had a baby?”

“My wife did.”

“You’re old, man.”

“Don’t rub it in, Matty.”

“Your wife is young?”

“Younger than I am. Not as young as Lourdes.”

“You’re as old as my old man! Probably like my old man, too. Three sets of kids from three different wives, not to mention the other bitches along the way.”

Decker patted Matty’s shoulder, then turned to Lourdes, who had stopped crying. “Can I get you something to drink? Something to eat?”

The girl shook her head.

“Did you find the bitch nurse who took my kid?” Matty asked.

“We might have.”

Lourdes’s eyes snapped wide open. “Where is she?”

“It’s complicated, Lourdes. We think we found Marie Bellson’s car.”

“You think?”

“The car we found was torched. There was a body inside—”

“Omigod!” Lourdes shrieked.

“We didn’t find the baby inside the car, thank God.”

“Then where is she?”

“We don’t know. As of yet, we don’t even have a positive I.D. on the body.”