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Her voice sounded shaky.  Rina, we re both fine. My face got scratched a little, but other than that, I
am completely whole.
 Baruch Hashem. I ll bench Gomel for you.
The prayer for surviving a dire situation.  Do it for Cindy as well.
 I will. Now her voice sounded teary.  What are you doing right now?
 We re trying to find all the bullets and reconstructing the trajectory.
 So you can know how lucky you were.
Decker smiled.  I just wish I could have seen something. You know how dark it is in the hills, and I
was literally hiding in the bushes.
 Could you hear anything?
 Receding footsteps and a car peeling rubber. I ve called in a tech to see if we can lift a tire print
from the skid marks. Maybe we ll catch a break.
Rina didn t answer.
 Are you still there? Decker asked.
 I was just thinking about the blue Saturn that was parked across the street.
 The one with the tinted windows and Popper Motors license plate. I had Marge check it out. They
do sell new and used Saturns. Marge spoke to a salesperson named Dean Reeves. They re checking
the records. If it came from them, they have a record of the tires on the car.
 It would be interesting if the treads matched your skid marks.
 It would be more than interesting, it would be downright scary. I ve got to go. Call me when you re
at your parents.
 I will. You re not so far from them. Maybe you ll get off earlier than you think.
 I ll come over whenever I can.
 Good to hear, Rina said.  I ll keep the night-light on and the sheets warm.
TWENTY-SEVEN
THE PAIR LOOKED like Marge and Oliver. The woman had on a gray sweater with the sleeves hiked
up at the elbows, dark blue trousers, and sneakers, but the man s dress was a giveaway a spiffy
blue sports jacket, khaki slacks, and oxfords. As they came closer, their faces took form.
 What are you doing here? Decker said.
 I called up Marge, Cindy said.  I thought she d want to know. To Oliver, she waved.  Hello, Scott,
how have you been?
 I ve been dandy, Cynthia. How s married life?
 So far, it s an excellent fit.
 I m glad to hear you re well.
 Thank you.
Marge said,  Now that we got the pleasantries over with, you wanna tell us what the hell
happened? She looked at Cindy.  Either one of you.
Although there was no reason for them to have come down, it was good to see friendly faces.
Decker said,  As we were leaving the house, someone took aim and fired. We re here, we re whole,
but Grant went to the hospital with a gash in his leg.
 He was shot? Oliver asked.
 I don t know. It was dark and I couldn t tell. Maybe his leg was ripped open when I fell on him.
 Did you discharge your gun? Oliver asked.
 Nope.
 That s good, Marge said.  Less paperwork.
Cindy said,  They came, they shot, they left 
 They?
 They, he, she& I couldn t see a thing, Cindy said.  Last thing the Loo wanted was to accidentally
pop a neighbor out walking the dog.
Marge said,  If Grant was shot, that means every single Kaffey has had a close encounter with
molten lead.
Decker rubbed his forehead.  I was thinking the same thing. We ve run out of family suspects.
 And maybe that s the point, Marge said.  To confuse us. Because all three Kaffeys are all alive.
 Maybe all three were in on the hit together, Oliver said.
 Could be, Marge said.  It appears that Grant got away with the least damage.
 Mace s wound was minor as far as shotgun wounds go, Decker pointed out.  And don t forget
Antoine Resseur is still missing.
 Why would he shoot Grant? Oliver asked.
 To have Gil all to himself. Decker held up his hands.  You asked for a motive, I gave you the first
thing I thought of.
Cindy checked her watch. It was almost ten. They d been at the scene for three hours.  Luckily, I
was off duty, and I didn t discharge my weapon thanks to Papa s instructions. Instead of doing extra
paperwork, I get to go home.
 That sounds like a good idea. Decker kissed his daughter s cheek.  Until we know who the good
guy is and who the bad guy is, keep an eye over your shoulder.
Cindy pointed to her chest.  We re the good guys. Then she swept her hand across a twinkling L.A.
basin.  Those are the bad guys. She kissed Marge and Scott.  Take care of the Loo in my absence.
Decker watched his daughter slide into the driver s seat of her car and kept staring until her taillights
faded into nothingness.  I m ready to pack it in.
 I told you we shouldn t have bothered, Oliver said to Marge.
 And I told you, you didn t have to come with me, she countered.
Decker said,  Since you two were nice enough to drive all the way out here, come to Beverly Hills
with me. We can kick around a few ideas. He exhaled forcefully.  My brain is still in overdrive, and I
could use some fresh input.
 What s in Beverly Hills? Oliver asked.
 Rina s parents. We re spending the night there. He gave them the address.  It s about twenty
minutes from here.
Oliver made a face.  You re voluntarily sleeping at your mother-in-law s?
 I m sleeping at my mother-in-law s, not with my mother-in-law, Decker told him.  I like Magda.
She provides us with room service and first-class food at any hour. Plus, the accommodations are
spacious and cheap.
Oliver thought about it.  Does she need any borders? Maybe she d like a handsome police detective
to protect her.
 She already has that. It s called a son-in-law.
MAGDA S SPREAD INCLUDED finger sandwiches, vegetable crudités with onion dip, fresh fruit, slices
of pound cake, slices of chocolate cake, almond cookies, potato chips (for a little crunch), mixed
nuts, and mint candy.
 I ll go make a fresh pot of decaf if anyone wants, she said.
The woman was on the dark side of eighty, as thin as linguini, and never appeared in public without [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]