“No one wants to hear my bitchin’ so I guess all right.”

Decker smiled. “Is Scott here?”

“He arrived around five minutes ago,” Rina said. “He’s settling into his room.”

Decker took off his coat and scarf. “I’ll just hang these up and go say hello.” To Tyler, he said, “Seriously. Are you feeling better?”

“Ready to take on the library, Old Man.” A pause. “Actually, it’ll feel good to do something even if it’s menial.”

“It’s not menial, but it is tedious. Get to know your adjectives.”

“Did you hear back from Professor Gold about the codebook?”

“Mulrooney gave him a copy, but I don’t know if he’s looked at it yet. I’m planning to see him tomorrow. Maybe being there in person will spur him on. I need a warm body in the car with me before Mike and my wife will let me go do my job. Scott will serve that purpose.”

“I’m sure.” McAdams looked pissed.. “For one thing, he knows how to shoot.”

Rina patted the kid’s shoulder. “Anything new with the case. Peter?”

“Well . . . we’ve called just about every hospital within a hundred-mile radius and have come up empty. Maybe I just grazed him.”

“I heard the unmistakable thud, Peter. You definitely hit bone.”

“You can’t go around for long with a gunshot wound. He has to have been treated somewhere. Maybe he has a private doctor who knows how to extract bullets and doesn’t ask too many questions.”

Rina said, “Someone he knew he could go to in case he got shot?”

“Yep.” Decker turned to McAdams. “That’s why I’m thinking a group of people are involved.”

“And you’re wondering why I don’t want you traveling by yourself,” Rina said.

“I’ll be fine.” Decker knew he shouldn’t be talking in front of her. After what happened four days ago, she was still scared. But often she had interesting things to add. More important, it wasn’t fair to keep her in the dark when she could be in danger. She should know everything he knew, which, at the moment, was paltry.

“Are you interested in dinner?” Rina asked.

Mercifully, she had switched the conversation. Decker said, “Always.”

“Then go change. I just have to warm everything up.”

“Need help?”

“You can set the table.”

“I can do that,” McAdams said.

“You baked the cake, he can set the table.”

Decker grinned. “You baked a cake?”

“Apple with a cinnamon streusel,” McAdams said. “Damn good especially considering I did it from a sitting position.”

“That is a feat. Did you meet Scott?”

“Not yet. I figure we’ll be forced to talk to each other over dinner.”

“It won’t be a strain. He’s a friendly guy, Tyler.”

“He may be . . . but I’m not.”

AFTER A GOOD meal and flowing wine, Oliver had shed ten years in his face.

In vino veritas.