“Ernesto got into Brown—no easy feat. I don’t know if he got into Berkeley. Probably not. I’m sure he would have gone there if he could have. It’s Ruby Ranger’s old alma mater.”

Decker paused. “That’s right. You told me that Ruby Ranger went to Berkeley.”

“Did I?”

“Someone did.”

“No one ever said she was dumb. Just evil.”

“Is she up there now?”

“Beats me.”

“How old is Ruby Ranger?”

“Around twenty-two or-three.”

A little younger than Darrell Holt—who had also gone to Berkeley. “Did she ever see Dr. Baldwin?”

“How would I know that?”

“You seem to know lots of things, Yonkie,” Decker said. “Did Ruby ever bring older guys to the parties?”

“She may have, but I don’t know. I tried to stay clear of her.”

“Have you ever heard of or met a guy named Darrell Holt?”

Jacob thought a moment, and then he shook his head. “No. Who is he?”

“What about Ricky Moke?”

“Nope. Can I ask who he is?”

“A cipher.”

Hannah came into the kitchen, wiping her eyes. “I’m hungry.”

“How would you like some veal chops and fresh salad?” Decker asked.

“Eeeeeuuuuuwwww!”

Decker was resigned to the inevitable. “How about a hot dog?”

“Yum!” The little girl started running in circles. “Yum, yum, yum!”

Just then they all heard a car pull into the driveway. Hannah shouted, “Shmueli’s home!”

Jacob swept the little girl in his arms. “Let’s go see your big brother!”

“Yea, yea, yea!” Hannah shouted.

“Yea, yea, yea!” Jacob answered.

Decker couldn’t tell which one was the more excited.

21

Rina regarded her husband as he wiped the last dish, his face a study in concentration. He was thinking about the case. Still, she tried to make small talk.

“It’s good to have Shmueli home, no?”

Decker grinned. “Never thought I’d say it, but I missed his mouth. I missed his pithy observations. I missed his quick wit that bordered on sarcasm, and his strong opinions on everything. It’s great to have him home.”

“Even if it’s for a very short time.” Rina sighed. “At least they’ll be close to each other. We’ll do a weekend in New York, then a weekend in Baltimore. You know…alternate so no one feels left out.”

Decker looked at her. “How often do you plan to visit?”

“What does it matter?” Rina blurted out. “You’re never home anyway.”

Decker was shocked, not by the observation that was true, but by her frankness.

Rina stammered, “That was terrible—”

“No, it’s true, Rina.” He nodded. “You visit whenever you want. It’s fine.”

But the look on his face told her it wasn’t fine. “Peter, don’t shut me out. I’m very sorry. It just…slipped out.”