Decker nodded, looking around the shadowy room. He wasn’t consciously thinking about work, but his brain was still sparking enough to prevent sleep. He longed to crawl into bed with the newspaper, a little Letterman, and a tall glass of iced tea. With Rina sleeping, watching TV in bed was out of the question. But he supposed he could park himself in the kitchen for a while without disturbing anyone. As soon as he got to his feet, Ginger dashed away, then returned just as fast, carrying a leash in her mouth.

Decker looked at the animal. “Trying to tell me something, girl?”

Nora said, “Poor thing. Everyone’s forgotten about her.”

The dog cocked her head, leather strops hanging on her muzzle.

Decker sighed. “All right. A quick walk.”

At the word walk, the dog began a frenzied circle dance. Decker secured the leash to the animal’s collar. “We’ll come in through the back door, Nora. Sorry to wake you.”

“No problem, Sergeant.” She paused. “Any luck with your search?”

“It’s coming.”

“Well, that’s wonderful.”

Decker didn’t answer. Instead, he gave her a sick smile, then realized it was too dark for her to see it. He and Ginger went out to the backyard first, to check on the horses. They were all in repose, but lifted their heads as he entered the barn. A mare let out a soft whinny. He shushed her, then filled the water basins. Giving them a quick wave, he bade them good night and was about to leave when he noticed a ball of fluff sharing a corner with a divided feed bowl of cat food and water.

Decker bent down and stroked the kitten’s back with a finger. It lifted its tiger-striped head and let out a soft purr. Ginger stuck her muzzle in the kitten’s face, and it responded by licking the dog’s nose.

“How you doin’, sport? Looks like someone set you up with dinner.”

The kitten opened its eyes a little wider. Ginger stuck her snout in the cat food and began crunching away at it. Although the cat didn’t voice a protest, Decker gently pulled the dog away from the cat’s sustenance.

“Wondering where your boss is, little guy? We’re kind of wondering the same thing.”

The animal lowered its head. Decker ran his palms over the kitten’s eyelids. “Go to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

The kitten seemed more than happy to cooperate.