“Yes, I will go home and I will take a nap. I’m very tired.”

“Hallelujah,” Decker said. “Exhaustion has finally prevailed.”

“What first, Rabbi?” Marge asked. “Start scanning the phone books for Sondra Roberts?”

Decker said, “Also the hospitals, the health-employment agencies, and the vocational-training centers. Dollars to doughnuts, this gal’s a nurse.”

“Start with Sun Valley Pres?”

“Yep,” Decker said. “Do you recall any nurses there named Sondra Roberts?”

“No.”

“Neither do I, but that doesn’t mean a thing.” Decker shrugged. “All right, we’ll locate this Sondra Roberts. Why? To find out more about Marie and to make sure that Marie isn’t holed up with her. Now what about Marie’s mom?”

“Paula speaks the truth. She is indeed in an old-age home in Arcadia. The director and staff have been put on alert that Marie is missing. They’ll monitor calls to find out if Marie is trying to make contact with her mom. They’ll also call if Marie shows up.”

“Talk to the mother at all, Marge?”

“No, she was eating lunch. I have an appointment with her at three.”

Decker said, “Marie was reading a library book about nurturant role reversals of mother/daughter.”

“Well, Paula said her mother was constantly escaping to make calls. Looks like the old lady may have seen the other side.”

Decker said, “Marie taking care of a senile mother. Then she goes to work and takes care of people.” He tapped his foot. “Seems to me the last thing she’d want is an infant to care for.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Marie was just as much a victim as the baby.”

“A possibility,” Decker said. “Did you happen to find out if Marie has any other family?”

“As far as the staff knows, it’s just mother and daughter. But there may be a maiden aunt or cousin locked away in the basement.”

“Shades of Rochester’s crazed wife,” Cindy said.

Marge and Decker stared at her.

“Jane Eyre?” Cindy said. “Charlotte Brontë? Forget it.”

Decker shook his head and flipped the Christmas card around to the back side. “This isn’t a commercial card, Marge. It’s for charity. I was looking for the price, and instead I found an artist credit and statement of nonprofit from the maker. Beth Dillon—member eight years of Overeaters Anonymous.”

“So we may be looking for a fat nurse,” Marge said.

“Maybe a former fat nurse,” Cindy suggested. “Maybe she lost weight when she joined the organization.”

“Atta way, Cynthia!” Marge said. “I see in my crystal ball a second generation of Decker detectives.”

Decker threw her a dirty look. Then his radio went off. He used Marie’s phone to call the station house. A moment later, Detective Mike Hollander came on the line.

“Morning, Rabbi. Looks like some congratulations are in order.”

“Thanks, Mike.”

“Rina doing okay?”