Decker blinked. “You mean a gun?”

“Of course I mean a gun.” He slid the Walther over to Decker’s side of the table. “What did you think I meant? A piece of ass? I can get you that, too, if you want.”

“I don’t want either.”

“Do you have one—a piece?”

“No, but I don’t intend on getting jammed, Chris. I’m better off being clean.”

“Think so?”

“Yes, I think so. A gun might give me a false sense of security.”

“Suit yourself, Lieutenant.”

This time, Decker stood up. “I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow. You will be there with Shayndie?”

“If possible, I’ll be there. And if Shayndie’s still around, she’ll be there, too. I told you I have an open-door policy. One never knows.”

“Where she is…are there phones?”

“No.”

“So if she… contacted someone, she would have had to leave the building.”

“She wouldn’t leave without my permission. Not if she wanted to come back.”

“You have guards posted, Donatti?”

“You make it sound like a prison. It’s not that way. Yeah, I have people who help me out because I can’t be there all the time. I got business to take care of. Your little excursion has already put me back in terms of man-hours.”

“Where’d you find her?”

“Trade secret. Aren’t you going?”

Decker didn’t move. “I know this is an odd question.…If you could find out if she’s a virgin… it might help me out.”

Donatti laughed. “Are you putting me on?”

“Good Lord, I don’t mean for you to fuck her. Please don’t do that. I mean, if you could ask her or…I don’t know.”

“I can find out if she’s been busted.” He shrugged. “You suspect the uncle?”

“I can’t rule it out.”

“It would fit. They’ve all been sexually abused. That’s why my teaand-sympathy routine rings true. I’ve been there. I know their pain firsthand. That’s why they trust me. You know the saying: You can always catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

“And if the honey doesn’t work, Chris?”

“That’s why God invented firearms.”

18

You were restless last night.” Rina buttered her toast. “I didn’t give you enough of a workout?”

Decker lifted his eyes from the paper. “If my heart had been beating any faster, I would have had a coronary.” He rolled his shoulders. “It’s the darn bed. It’s the size of a matchbox with hay for mattress stuffing.”

“You know, Peter, I have the plane reservations on hold. Ephraim’s funeral is scheduled for three in the afternoon.”

“Today?”

“Yes, today. Apparently, the body was released last night. We could pay a shiva call afterward and be out on a flight to your parents by ten tonight if we start packing now.”

Decker dropped his voice. “I need to stick around for another day.”

Rina was holding toast. Her hand froze somewhere between the table and her mouth. “You’re on to something.”

“Could be.”

“It has to be strong to keep you here. You couldn’t wait to go.”