“Good thinking. I’ll meet you at the station in about a half hour.”

“You’re coming in today?”

“Yeah, looks like I have to.” Decker shook his head, knowing he wouldn’t rest until he found those bodies. “Bees, huh? Well, at least it’s a new lead. You know, bees would make sense. Remember how she reacted when you called her honey?”

“Yeah,” Marge thought back. “Yeah, she sure said that word clearly.”

Decker said, “If you have any time, see if you can pick up a bottle of Benadryl. It really cuts down the swelling if we happen to piss off the bees.”

“Buzz, buzz,” Marge said. “We get all the fun assignments. Coming in won’t cause any problem for you with Rina?”

“I hope not.”

After Decker hung up, Rina said, “You hope not what?”

“I hope you won’t mind if I have to go to work. I’ve got this two-year-old kid, Rina, and I’m trying to locate her parents—”

“It’s okay, Peter. I heard you whispering. It must be serious.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I have to see my parents anyway. You didn’t want to come with me to visit them, did you?”

“Definitely not.”

“So it’s no problem.”

Decker crawled out of bed. “Sure?”

“Positive.”

He smiled. “You’re a doll.”

“Peter?”

“What?”

“Uh, I don’t have a car.”

Decker froze.

Rina asked, “Could I borrow the Porsche?”

“The Porsche?”

“Yes. The Porsche. The shiny red car in your garage. Is it running?”

The shiny red car that had taken him five years to put together. Hundreds of hours, scouring through junk lots, garages, and ads in papers to find the perfect parts. Decker said, “Uh, the Jeep’s running fine.”

“I’m nervous about driving a four-wheeler on the freeway. It’s so open and tips over too easily.”

“It has a roll bar.”

Rina pushed hair out of her eyes. “Well, all right. If you think it’s safe….”

“No,” Decker said. “No, forget about the Jeep…. Sure, take the Porsche. I’ll get you the keys.”

“I’ll be careful with it.”

“It has a very delicate clutch.”

“Okay.”

“And be sure not to downshift too early. Use the tachometer.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t yank it into gear—”

“Forget it, Peter, I’ll take the Jeep.”

“No, no, no. I insist.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“You know, if you run me past the cheapy rent-a-car lot, I could probably get something drivable. You remember my old Volvo. I’d feel at home in an old clunker.”

“I won’t hear of it, Rina. Take the Porsche. You want me to help you take the top off? Cruise in the open wind?”

“If it’s all the same to you, I feel a lot safer in a locked car with the air-conditioning on. When we ride in it together, we’ll take the top off. Okay?”