He parked himself on the living-room couch and opened a Glendale phone book to dentists. Of course Stan Meecham’s office hadn’t given Marie Bellson a dental referral, so that put Decker back to square one. He hoped Lita’s information was accurate.

To Decker’s surprise, the dental listings took up a full page—front and back—of the local directory. Some were general practitioners, but there were a lot of specialists, at least a dozen who listed themselves as experts in cosmetic dentistry. Guess the moneyed liked their smiles nice and white.

He picked up the phone, made the first call, then scratched the first name off the list. He’d finished a half-dozen names by the time Cindy, Stefan, the boys, and Ginger came charging through the house.

Decker shushed them and held the dog by the collar until she settled down. “Your mom and the baby are sleeping.”

The boys dropped their voices to a whisper. Decker hugged them both. Cindy sank into one of Decker’s buckskin chairs and plopped her feet upon the ottoman. “Good night.”

“Tired?”

“Just resting.”

“What are you doing here?” Sammy asked. “Cindy told us you were out looking for the weird nurse and the baby.”

“I’m working at home, making some calls. How was school?”

“School was school,” Sammy said. “Eema okay?”

“She’s fine. Just resting.”

“Can we go riding?” Jake asked.

“I have no objection,” Decker said. “Just don’t overwork the animals. It’s still hot outside.”

“Can you come with us?” Jake asked.

Decker felt his heart sink. “Maybe a little later. I’ve really got work to do.”

“You haven’t found the baby, Dad?” Sammy asked.

“No.”

Jake said, “You want to go riding with me, Sammy?”

“I’ve got a lot of homework.”

Decker watched his stepson’s frustration grow. “Jake, give me about an hour, and I’ll take you out, okay? It’ll be cooler, and I’ll be more settled. In the meantime, grab a snack and do your homework.”

The boy’s blue eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Dad!”

“I’ll go, too,” Sammy announced.

“Who needs you if Dad’s coming?” Jacob said.

Sammy punched Jake in the shoulder. Jake hit him back. Sammy gave him a kick in the thigh. The boys continued to karate-chop their way to the kitchen as Decker told them to keep it down. Ginger jumped on the couch. Decker pushed her off.

“You know better than that.”

The dog cocked her head, then slunk off and curled up on the Navaho rug in the middle of the room. Stefan rubbed his stomach. “Something smells good.”

“Cornish hen,” Decker said. “Magda’s out back.”

Stefan paused. “Maybe I take a little nap. You have a lounge chair outside?”

“Several.”

“I go take a nap outside.” Stefan looked at Decker. “You need nap more than I do, Akiva.”

“I’m fine, Stefan.”