Decker pressed the button; Yochie buzzed him into the anteroom. She seemed happy to be back at work, her eyes bright, her smile genuine. In gross contrast to Shaul Gold, who appeared a moment later. It had been over a month since Decker had seen the dealer. Gold’s face was worn and drawn. He looked like he had dropped ten pounds.

“I would have thought you had lost your taste for diamonds, Sergeant,” he said.

“Just goes to show you,” Decker said.

“Come,” Gold said. “We’ll talk in my office.”

They walked down the hallway into the once shared office, now taken over completely by Gold. It was sunny and bright, the walls having been newly painted, the windows recently washed of LA’s smog and soot. Gold’s desk was almost entirely devoid of frills, holding mostly the tools of the trade—a microscope, a loupe, a pincer, and a scale. The exception was a sterling-silver double frame holding two pictures—an old one of Dalia Yalom, and a recent one of him sided by the two Yalom boys, hands around each other’s shoulders and waists. Gil looked the same, but Decker noticed that Dov was wearing a yarmulke.

Decker picked the picture up. “Who took this?”

“Orit. At a backyard barbecue. It lacked joy, but life goes on.”

“So you still see the boys?”

“They work here once a week,” Gold said. “After the day is done, I take them to dinner if they want. It’s nice.” Gold pursed his lips. “When the time’s right, I teach them how to cut stones. It’s too bad Arik never did it. He was a top cutter. I’m just a peasant. But I do what I can to keep on the tradition. For Dalia’s sake.”

“How are they doing?”

“They cope.” Gold shrugged. “They like living with their aunt and uncle. Dov is close to his cousin, Sharona. I suppose they do as nicely as can be expected.” He paused. “I’ll show you stones if that’s really why you came.”

“It isn’t really why I came.”

Gold sat behind his desk and clasped his hands. “So what do you want from me now?”

Decker reached in his pocket and pulled out a week-old news item from the overseas edition of the Jerusalem Examiner. Rina subscribed to the paper. Only way he would ever have found it. He handed it to Gold.

The bald man took it, studied it, then read aloud. “‘Two single shots to the head…motive was robbery.’” He clucked his tongue, then handed the article back to Decker. “The diamond business can be very dangerous. All cash and stones. You are asking for trouble if you carry such goods in a corrupt country like Syria. They are all cutthroats. A woman as smart as Milligan…” Again he clucked his tongue. “She should know better.”