Donatti went first. “She improvised. You’ve gotta know that wasn’t my idea.”

Decker continued to make eye contact. “Then what was she doing with you in the first place?”

“I was helping her out of a jam.”

“Which you put her into by pimping her.”

Donatti seemed amused. “If I were pimping her, she wouldn’t have been in a jam.” He drained the scotch. “Can I help it if she’s a bad judge of character?”

Decker didn’t answer.

Donatti said, “I usually make it a point to stay in good standing with my former models.”

“Former?”

“Yeah, she’s nineteen now. Can’t use her anymore. Too exposed and too old.”

“At nineteen, she’s too old.”

“One year, Decker,” Donatti said. “Eighteen to nineteen. Men have an infinite appetite for pussy as long as the flesh is fresh. We’re talking a high-turnover business.”

“Where do you get them from?”

“That’s my specialty. Which leads us to the point of this meeting. What I say can’t go beyond these four walls. Not to your wife, to your lawyer, to your rabbi, even to yourself when you sing in the shower. The results of a slipup can be very deleterious.”

Decker didn’t answer.

“Silence isn’t good enough. I’ve got to have your word.”

“You put an awful lot of trust in my word, Donatti.”

“Is it unfounded?”

Decker hid his expression behind the glass.

“If I don’t have your word, there’s no point to any of this.”

“Don’t confess a murder to me, Chris.”

“Who me?” He grinned. “Your word?”

Decker nodded.

Donatti said, “I’m only doing this so you won’t yank your chain. I’ve got the girl. That means you can concentrate on the whack. If the cops told you that I did it, they’re lying. I don’t know anything about it. If I find something out, I’ll pass it along.”

He stood up, but Decker didn’t. “What do you mean, you’ve got the girl?”

“Just that. I’ve got the girl. I’ve had her since Friday. She’s safe. That’s all you have to know.”

“What about her parents—”

“When I say you can’t tell anyone, I mean you can’t tell anyone. I thought that was understood.”

“They’re frantic with worry.”

“I’m sure they are. But they’re still included under no one, Decker!”

Silence.

Decker’s head was awhirl with options. “She’s fifteen, Donatti.”

“I know that.” He smiled. “That’s why you can’t tell anyone. I could go to prison. Having been in prison, I know that I don’t like it. It’s getting late—”

“You have other girls?”

Donatti stared at him. “You’re asking a lot of questions, Decker. The answers may put you in conflict. That won’t do either of us any good.”

“How many girls do you have, Donatti?”

Chris didn’t answer.

Decker needed Donatti’s trust to get information. He made a calculated choice. “It stays between you and me, I swear.”

Donatti sat back down and poured himself another drink. “Twenty at the moment. If I wanted, I could have a hundred. Most of them are sixteen plus, but I have a few who are younger.”