“Pete, you’ve found a worthy partner.” She smiled. “Marion Vanderberg lives in Camarillo, about twenty minutes south of me. Actually, she lives close to that kosher winery. I don’t know about dinner, but the wine tasting room will be open. They serve tapas if you’re interested. Quite good. Will and I have gone there several times.”

“Tapas sounds great,” Decker said. “My treat.”

“You’re in my territory,” Marge insisted. “It’s my treat.”

“Oh no, you don’t,” Decker said.

“I’m not arguing about this,” Marge said.

McAdams tried to hide his annoyance. “Just flip a coin.”

Decker said, “How about we split the bill and treat the kid?”

Marge agreed. Her car was a four-door Ford Focus, maroon red, and it had seen better days. Although the cloth interior was frayed in spots, it was clean and smelled good. She said, “I want to hear all about this case.”

“Mind if the kid sits up front?” Decker said.

McAdams said, “It’s fine—”

“I’d prefer it,” Marge said. “Not that you’re not handsome, Pete, but there’s nothing like youth.” A pause. “I’ll just put on my glasses … ah, you’re still good-looking.”

McAdams felt his face getting hot.

Marge grinned as everyone took a seat inside the car. She patted McAdams’s leg. “Now tell me all about this case.”

“The boss hasn’t told you?”

“Of course he’s told me. But I want to hear it from you.”

“Sure.” McAdams took out his notes, but Marge put her hand over the pad.

“Tell me what you know. From memory. You’ll retain the info better that way.”

McAdams stowed his notes. “You’re as tough as he is.”

“True, but I’m a lot better to look at.”

ONCE THEY WERE on their way, McAdams gave Marge a recap. Bertram Lanz had started out a Missing Persons case. After paying a visit to Bertram’s residential home, Decker and he discovered that Lanz had been befriended by a nurse named Elsie Schulung. She had been fired for a few reasons, mostly because she had a tendency to go rogue. Decker had headed out to Elsie’s house to talk to her, but no one was home. Since it was the summer, it wasn’t odd to think that she may have gone on vacation, but after the mail continued to pile up, Decker and the local police decided on a welfare check and found blood in the house.

“It didn’t look like a murder scene, but there was more blood than a spoonful,” Decker said. “Then the local police took over and basically booted out Greenbury. They kept in touch but clearly wanted to handle it themselves.”

“Silly people. Do they realize who they had?”

“No wonder you like her,” McAdams said. “Can you boost my ego as well?”

“When you earn it, sure.”

“Tough as nails,” McAdams said.