“I’m, neither, Harvard. I’m a professional. I want a partner who knows CPR in case I choke on a potato chip. As far as the guns go, I don’t expect it to happen, but should we ever be in a situation with our backs to the wall, I’d prefer a partner who could shoot. And I do apologize for not telling you about Ben’s text. It was during the family dinner and Rina said no business. And then because I’m senile, I forgot to tell you.”

“I know I’m being touchy and obnoxious.” A pause. “So you consider me your partner.”

“I’ve been assigned to ride with you, so yes, you are at present my partner. And for a rookie who hasn’t had much formal police training, you’re not half bad. And if you’d lose the chip on your shoulder, you could be very good because you’re not only smart, you’re organized and that’s even more important than smart. And since you are my current partner, I’d appreciate if you stopped calling me Old Man. I don’t need to be reminded of my age.”

McAdams tried stifling a smile. It didn’t work. “I don’t mean anything by it, but if it’s important to you, I’ll stop.”

Decker waited a beat. “Maybe I’m being touchy. I’ll stop calling you Harvard if it bothers you.”

“It did bother me at first . . . like you were mocking me.” A pause. “Were you mocking me?”

“Of course.”

“You can call me Harvard although it’s not such a badge of honor. Lots of mediocre minds there.” A smile. “I’m just not one of them.”

Decker smiled and pointed to the kid’s iPhone. “As long as I’m driving, start phoning the Boston galleries on the list. They should be open by now. Let’s get a schedule going so we won’t be wasting time. We can start meeting with them at around 12:30. Our appointment with Chase Goddard isn’t until 3:00.”

“I can do that.” McAdams picked up the phone and regarded the list the two of them had prepared. “A lot of them are on Newbury Street. I’ll start there and pick up as many as we can do on foot. Parking is terrible. Once we find a spot, we’ll want to camp out as long as we can. I know you don’t mind walking. You certainly do a lot of it.”

“When you’re old like me, you take any exercise you can get.”