Decker thought about that one as she sobbed in his arms. He supposed crying was a definite improvement over catatonic depression. “I’m glad, Rina. Just give me a few more days on this case, and I promise, I’ll take a few weeks off. I’ll do everything I can for you. We’ll work through this together.”

“I hate when I drag you down like this.”

“You’re not dragging me down. I’ll finish this case, and then I’m all yours.”

Rina broke away, propped up her pillows, then laid her head down and folded the sheets across her lap. “Thanks for being so wonderful.”

“Any time.” Decker glanced at her nightstand, and picked up a handwritten note.

Palm Springs—April.

“What’s this?”

Rina read the slip. “Oh. Abba and Eema Lazarus called to congratulate us.”

Decker smiled weakly. Abba and Eema Lazarus—the parents of her late husband.

The boys’ grandparents.

“That’s nice. So what does their call have to do with Palm Springs?”

“They invited us to go with them to Palm Springs for Pesach.”

Decker frowned. “Palm Springs for Passover? Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the saying ‘Next year in Jerusalem’?”

“One desert’s the same as the next.”

“I think you’re missing a crucial point.”

Rina smiled. “Jerusalem is lovely, but Palm Springs is a little closer.”

“What’s in Palm Springs besides golf?”

“Sonny Bono.”

“Rina—”

“They have this huge Kosher for Passover tour. I’ve spoken to people who have been there. They take over a resort hotel and turn it into a Club Med for the Orthodox. The hotel has a pool, spas, tennis courts, a health club. The tour provides activities—Israeli dancing, cooking, wine tasting, a bingo contest—”

“My heart can’t take the excitement.”

“No, Peter, it’s not chasing felons, but I bet your body could use a real rest. Anyway, I didn’t refuse them outright. It’s up to you.”

“Up to me?” He paused. “Do you actually want to go?”

“My first instinct was to say no. But then I thought, Rina, what’s wrong with lying around the pool all day? If we stay home for the holidays, we’d just wind up working around the house.”

Decker was silent.

“You don’t want to go, we won’t go,” Rina said. “They’re just trying to be nice. This is the honeymoon the Lazaruses wanted us to have. They felt terrible about last year. Calling us to come for the holidays, then making you work.”

“It wasn’t their fault a kid decided to run away with a psycho.”

“But you wound up spending all your vacation time looking for him. They felt lousy about it. They want us to have some fun. Remember fun?”

“Describe it to me.”

Rina touched his cheek. “I think it involves lots of time in bed—sleeping or otherwise.”

“It’s coming back…slowly.”