“Ah,” Decker said. “You work for Mr. Lieber. The older man? Or the son?”

An indeterminate shrug. “For the family.”

“You all work at the stores?” Decker said.

“Why you ask so many questions?” one of the women wanted to know. She appeared middle-aged with thick hips, a broad behind, and a generous bosom—all stuffed into a package less than five feet tall. And that was with heels.

“Just trying to make conversation.” Decker smiled. “I’m from out of town.”

“So what you doing here?” the miniature woman asked.

“I’m a relative of a relative,” Decker explained. “Mi hermano es el esposo de la hija de Señor Lieber.”

They looked at him with suspicious eyes. “¿Que hija?” the older man asked him.

“Raisie,” Decker said. “Jonathan… the rabbi. He’s my brother. My half brother, actually. It’s a long story.”

Silence.

“So why you out here?” the short woman demanded. “Why you not with your brother?”

“Good question.” Decker appeared to give it some thought. “I don’t know the Liebers really. I don’t want to violate their privacy, even though my brother asked me to come. Heck, you all probably know way more about the family than I do. You work with them every day, right?”

No argument there.

“Darn shame,” Decker said. “Que dolor. To lose your son so terribly. I heard that they were very close—father and son.”

Silence.

Decker shrugged. “Maybe not.” He looked away.

The short woman said, “Mr. Lieber loves all his children.”

“Of course.” Decker smiled at her. “He was very happy when Ephraim came to work for him at the stores.”

No response.

Decker said, “Well, that’s what my brother said.”

“He was a good man, Mr. Ephraim,” the short woman answered. “Always feliz… happy, happy, happy. Big smile on his face.”

“Big smile,” echoed the second female. She was younger, thinner, and taller, but not by much. “He likes to joke—Mr. Ephraim. Always with the jokes.”

“Different from his brother, no?” Decker added.

“Psss…” Munchkin woman wrinkled her nose. “He’s good man, Mr. Jaime, but not with the jokes. Muy grave. And he watch you like you’re a bandida, he es so afraid you steal. I don’ steal nothing. It es estúpido to have big TV set in my apartment. If the others on the street find out I have big TV set, they break into my apartment and steal it. Then they steal other things because they es there. I only have lee-tle TV set in my bedroom. Mr. Lieber, he give it to me for Christmas two years ago. It has remote control and cable. I happy.”

“You no need nothing else, Marta,” the other woman spoke up. “TV is better than the mens.”

Both women laughed. The man shook his head in disgust.

“Mr. Lieber gave you a TV?” Decker said. “That was very nice.”

“He is a berry nice man; I am good worker. Seven A.M., I am there. One hour lunch. Then I come back, I work till six. Every day for five days. The store no open on Saturday, and I don’ work on Sunday. I go to church. Then I get my nails done.” She showed him red talons. “Acrylic. Berry hard.”