“Obviously, I couldn’t leave crap like that with my brother’s name on top of two dead bodies. I thought it might…incriminate…I went back and this time I took all the magazines with me. I don’t know why I didn’t just throw them away. I think I wanted to confront my brother. Have him deny they were his.”

“Why would Decameron have your brother’s pornography?”

“I don’t know.” Luke shrugged. “I can only imagine it was because they were…involved.” He winced. “God, the thought is so disgusting!”

“If Decameron was your brother’s lover, why would he be calling you to talk about Bram?”

“I don’t really know. Maybe blackmail. Because everyone thinks we’ve come into money with our father’s death.”

“Have you?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. We have. Me and all my siblings. Dad left us insurance money. Maybe Decameron wanted a piece of the action. For all I know, I was the first one and he was going to hit on all my sibs. He knew my family, my parents’ beliefs. He’d know we’d do anything to prevent this from coming out. For my mother’s sake. Everyone knows Bram is her golden boy.”

“You’d do anything to prevent it from coming out?”

“Not anything. Certainly not murder. But I, for one, would have certainly paid the sleazeball off to keep quiet about my brother.”

“You would have paid him off?”

“Absolutely. His calling me up like that. I smelled something rotten.”

“Yet you came when Decameron called.”

“Yes, I did.” Luke poured himself another glass of water and drank it. “And that is…the end of my story.”

Decker said, “When you saw the bodies, why didn’t you call the police?”

“And admit I was there? Are you crazy?”

“You’re admitting you were there now…with a lot more dire consequences.”

“You arrested Bram. I couldn’t let him take the rap for me.”

“The rap?”

“I met with him after I left Decameron’s house. Called him up and told him to get his ass over to his apartment because we had things to talk about. I showed him a magazine, shoved it in his face actually. I wanted him to tell me it was a mistake, for God’s sake!”

“Did he?”

“No.” Luke shook his head. “No, he didn’t. He just took my bloody clothes, my shoes, and the magazines. Told me not to worry, that he’d take care of it. At that point, I was so glad to rid myself of that shit, I just let him do it.”

Decker sat back in his chair. “But you’ve suddenly come to your senses. Now you’re being a man and bailing out your brother.”

Luke glared at Decker. “I realize it’s hard to believe a slime like me could be noble, but yes, it’s true.”