“Very funny.” Decker punched the green button. “Hi. Can I call you back in ten?”

“Okay. But do call back.”

His curiosity got the better of him. “What’s up?”

“Sorry to interrupt your dinner, Pete, but we have a situation here.”

“A situation?” Decker said.

“This doesn’t sound promising,” Rina said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Decker said. “Marge, I’ll call you right back. My boys are leaving for the airport. I want to say a proper good-bye.”

“Why don’t you hitch a ride with them to the airport?”

“You want me down in Vegas?”

“As in right now.”

“You found Garth Hammerling’s body?”

“No, Loo, Garth is still MIA. But as far as bodies go…” A pause. “Let’s just say you might want to see for yourself.”

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

AS DECKER WAITED to board his flight to Las Vegas, Marge gave him a recap. Talking like a speed demon, she was breathless. Decker could hear sharp intakes of air as she spoke.

“This is the deal,” she said. “Scott and I have been scouring apartment buildings, condo complexes, and housing developments all day. No results, but that’s what we expected. We stopped around six, ate dinner, and decided to hit a couple of cheap housing developments nearby. One last shot. This was around seven.”

Decker looked at his watch. It was almost eleven. “Okay.”

“You’ve got to picture that we’re out in the middle of nowhere. I mean this is the boonies. These particular units abut the desert, and after that, it’s miles of empty space. To buy into the development is no money down and small monthly payments. Plus, about two-thirds of the houses have yet to be erected. Scott and I don’t see any signs of building going on. We figure it’s a perfect place for a loner without a lot of cash.”

“I can see where this is heading.”

“Yeah, and it’s not a good place. Anyway, there’s a model home office. By sheer luck, there’s a woman inside. This is Sunday, mind you, and there’s nothing going on. She tells us that it’s late and she’s about to lock up. We tell her we just need a few minutes. We ask her about Garth Hammerling. No response. Then Oliver shows her the pictures we have of Garth. Her face lights up, but she’s trying to hide it even though she’s giving off a tell that a blind man could read.”

“A tell like in poker,” Decker said.

“Yeah. Exactly. After all, we’re in Vegas. Anyway, we press the lady…her name is Carlotta Stretch.” She spelled it out. “We press Carlotta and she admits someone who looks like Garth bought a house in the development about six months ago. How amazing is that?”

“Very amazing.”