“It would probably be too soon for her to hit the streets,” Decker said.

“Nah, a pimp wouldn’t turn her out just yet.” Novack shrugged. “If she don’t show up back at home or if she don’t show up under a rock, maybe she’ll show up on the streets. All we can do is wait. Time to call it an evening. Where are you going?”

“Back to Brooklyn. How about yourself?”

“Queens, but I got someone waiting for me back at the two-eight.” They stopped walking. “We don’t get half a chance with the young ones, Pete. The locations are always changing. By the time we figure out where the kids might be hiding, the bad boys got ’em stashed away.”

“If you have a snitch, maybe we can talk to him.”

“Nobody’s gonna admit to having a fifteen-year-old. The jail time for that kind of shit is very bad. The young ones need someone with real clout who can hide them from the cops and protect them from the johns. Not a lot of pimps want to be bothered with the hassle with so many eighteen-year-olds willing to do the job. Plus, you add that the kid may be running from a murder… who wants that kinda heat?”

Decker nodded.

“It must be the same in L.A.”

“Yeah, although I’m not a Vice cop. Never have been. Did Juvenile for six years. Lots of sad cases.”

“Then you probably know more about it than me. Where’d you find the kids?”

“The patrol officers were the ones who usually found them. Lots of times the kids were starving and diseased. Sometimes they came into the police station on their own, asking for protection or asking us to act as an agent between their parents and them. You know, help them get rid of the abusive boyfriend or stepfather.”

“Yeah, it’s the same all over.”

“I know some spots in L.A. And if I don’t know the spots directly, I have people I can talk to. Here, in Manhattan, I’m in the dark.”

It was close to eleven with the mercury dropping by the moment. Still, the sidewalks held hives of people marching at a clipped pace, the mist of warm breath producing as much cloud cover as the skies. About half the shops were still open, and those that were closed stood locked but not caged in by metal bars and grates—a change from the last time Decker was here. In the street, headlights and taillights were haloed circles of red and white.

Novack said, “I don’t know much about the pimp scene here. But I do know someone who does. If you really think that maybe Shayndie went that route, lemme call him up.”

“I don’t know what route she took,” Decker said. “I’m grasping at straws because I’m running out of time.”

“When are you leaving?”

“Monday… or maybe even Tuesday.” Rina was going to make fun of him. He could hear her in his head. Should I change the tickets now, Peter? “But only if we’re getting somewhere.”