“Then why did your brother bring you out?” Novack asked. “I was talking to my brother about this. Maybe I was just a showpiece, something that Chaim put on display to convince everyone that he really cared. In fact, both Chaim and Minda hate my guts and have done nothing but put up obstacles.”

“Interesting.”

The second bowl was plopped onto the table, soup spilling over the rim. Decker tried to thank her, but Alma was gone before he could get the words out.

“Eat,” Novack said. “You can use nutrition.”

As Decker spooned soup into his mouth, he thought about Donatti. The hit seemed too careless for the bastard’s signature. And why admit to Decker that he had her? Why did he let him see and talk to her, for God’s sake, only to pop her?

To throw him off track?

If Donatti did it, he had become boastful and reckless, and that wasn’t him. The man was nothing if not calculated.

Novack said, “Maybe Chaim brought you out because he wanted a couple of things from you. One, he figured you, better than him, could find out what the police knew. You’d report back to him, and then he could figure out his next options. Or two, Shayndie was gone, and he needed you to find her.”

“Seems logical to me.” Decker checked his watch. He had two minutes before he was to meet with Jonathan. “Anything turn up on Virgil Merrin?”

“He worked Charleston PD as a lieutenant for eight years. Before that, he jumped around quite a bit… mostly police departments in Texas. That’s always a little weird, except if you’re a real political type. You know, constantly upgrading until you get the number one spot somewhere. Looks like he met with success.”

“I saw him in a Tattlers today, Mike.”

“Interesting.” Novack raised his brow. “What were you doing in Tattlers?”

“It’s a long story. I was with Jonathan—”

“The rabbi?”

“Yes.”

“Go figure.”

“He wanted to meet at a place where he was sure that no one else from Quinton’s Jewish community would be.”

“That’s what they all say.”

“Or maybe my brother’s a horny guy. That’s not the point. Virgil Merrin is the point. He looked to be a steady customer.”

“I’ll keep digging.”

“Thank you. You’re being more than generous.”

“Yeah, I am. I’m being stupid, if you want to know the truth.”

Decker said, “I think I alienated him. Merrin. I know I did… alienated Merrin.”

“How?”

Decker told him how.

“That wasn’t smart. Whaddya do that for?”

“It bugged the hell out of me… the way he was acting. It also pissed me off that he implied that I was like him.”

“Decker, if you want to get help, you gotta make him think that you twose have something in common.”

“Yeah, I know. It wasn’t smart. I’ve been doing lots of stupid things lately.”

“Then maybe you should quit before you have a bigger problem than a black eye.” Novack’s warning was veiled in kindness. “Especially when you lay shit on me, saying that some anonymous phone caller tells your brother that he wants you ‘out of the picture.’ That don’t sound too good.”