Decker stared at the teen. There were bags under his eyes and he looked gaunt despite the big dinner. “You’re sure he never hit you?”

“Nope. Never. But just because he hasn’t hurt me doesn’t mean that I want to live with him—especially without my mom. He’s crazy.”

“So why didn’t you tell me this in the first place?”

“Because if Chris wanted custody of me, that would be it. I’m not about to piss him off. That’s suicide.” Gabe took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “If he wanted me, he’d come get me. He’s dumping me on you, Lieutenant. You know that’s what he’s doing.”

“I asked you to stay here, Gabe. You weren’t dumped anywhere.”

But Gabe knew the truth. Although he wasn’t completely without recourse, his future was bleak. So what else was new? “Knowing my father, he’ll probably send some money. That would be his style. He thinks money makes everything okay.” Gabe looked up at Decker. “So what’s next?”

“I don’t know, Gabe. I haven’t thought that far in advance.”

“I am not living with my grandfather. My mom hated him.” He looked upward. “I suppose it’s my aunt Missy. She’s nice…infinitely better than foster care.”

“Nobody’s going to put you in foster care, Gabe. That’s not on the table. You can stay here until we have this figured out.”

“Thanks.” He made a swipe at his eyes then put his glasses back on. “I really mean that. Is that okay with your wife?”

“She’s a softer touch than I am. It’s too late to start thinking about solutions. Let’s both go to bed and things will be clearer in the morning.” Decker smiled. “I’ve got work and you’ve got school.”

“I’ve got to go to school tomorrow?”

“Yep.”

“It’s three-thirty in the morning.”

“So you’ll be a little tired. I’m sure you’ve suffered worse things.” That got a smile out of him. “You need school because you need to be in a normal environment—although Hannah may debate my definition of ‘normal environment.’ If you’re there, I’ll know where you are and you’ll be supervised just in case he does show up.”

“I feel real bad about dragging you into this.”

“Your mother is missing. It’s a police matter. So you didn’t drag me into anything.” He put his hand on his shoulder. “Get some sleep, okay?”

“Right. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

Gabe bit his lip. “For what it’s worth, my mom really likes you, you know. She always talked about how she wished you were her father.”

“Your mom is a good kid.”

“And I think, in a weird way, Chris likes you, too.”

“‘Like’ isn’t the right word.” Decker thought a moment. “‘Respect,’ maybe.”