“You’ve been in contact with her.”
“A bit, yes.” He sighed. “Getting back to the original question, I would like to see my mom in the flesh. But I have a feeling there’s more to this than a filial visit. I know she’s going to inveigle me into something.”
“Like what?”
“Some kind of favor I don’t want to do.”
“You’re not fourteen anymore, Gabriel. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. And it could be that she wants to see you without Devek. Since there’s friction between the two of you, maybe she’s being considerate.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Or maybe you’re wrong and I’m right. I suppose there’s only one way to find out.”
Rina waited.
Gabe said, “Can you be there with me when I visit her? I know that sounds very childish, but if she sees you, she’ll act more . . . measured. Less likely to bamboozle me. And if I am getting bamboozled, you can point it out.”
“Yes, Terry is good at bamboozling.”
“I know. Try not to hate her.”
“I don’t hate Terry and I don’t hate Chris. They’re your parents, and they produced a fabulous child.”
“Does Peter hate her?”
“Of course he doesn’t hate her. He wasn’t happy when she left you with us without a forwarding address—for your sake, not for ours. You’re part of our family now. Everyone considers you part of the family.”
“I know.” Gabe bit his lip. “And I do appreciate everything.”
“Your appreciation is not necessary. Concert tickets are another thing.”
Gabe smiled. “You know, I talk to Hannah almost every day when I’m in the city. When I was telling her about the situation, she told me to ask you what to do. She said you were very wise.”
“Funny.” Rina laughed. “My daughter has never said that to my face.” A sigh. “When are you meeting your mom?”
“I said that I’d call her when I had a free day. What works for you?”
“Next week is okay, but I do want to run it by Peter.”
“I figured that. I hope he doesn’t try to talk you out of it.”
“Peter has never been able to talk me out of anything. I suspect that’s a husband’s lament.”
“Husband, boyfriend, fiancé . . . it’s a guy’s lot in life.”
Rina laughed and stood up. “I’ll get the guest room ready for you.”
“I’ve already moved in, clean towels and all.” He stood up. “I’m really sorry about that missing guy. How could they lose him?”
“Four chaperones for fifty adults. Not a good ratio.”
“But you’d think they’d find him right away. I mean how far could he go?”
Rina threw up her hands. “Hopefully, they’ll find him in the morning and none the worse for wear.”
“Unless he doesn’t want to be found,” Gabe said. “It can’t be fun, being an adult and living in a home. Poor guy. I suppose that even a disability isn’t a barrier when the heart yearns for freedom.”
Chapter 2
The car in the driveway was a BMW 340i convertible with a black top and custom rims.
What in the world was Gabe doing here?
Decker looked at his watch: 2:28 a.m. He’d just have to wait for morning to find out. Usually Rina parked in the garage and he parked in the driveway, but since the kid’s car blocked both spaces, he pulled the car curbside. Luckily, the area was quiet and low crime. He went inside the unlit house, taking care not to wake anyone up.
The bedroom was dark, Rina’s shape taking up less than half the bed. She was curled into a ball with the sheet pulled up over her head. Decker picked up the pajamas she had neatly laid out for him and tiptoed into the bathroom to change. It was hard for a man his size to tread lightly. He knew he was a little shorter than his original six-four frame, but he still cut an imposing figure. He had a good head of hair although not as thick as it once was. His mustache was as full as it was five decades ago. But the color had morphed from its natural orange to almost white. He was approaching seventy; he couldn’t understand how time had passed so quickly. Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to slow it down.
When he got out of the bathroom, Rina rolled over and greeted him with an outstretched arm. “Gabe’s here.”
“I figured. I recognized his car in the driveway.”
“I should have told him to move it.” Rina’s voice was sleepy. “Sorry.”
Decker slipped into bed, took her hand, and kissed it. “No problem.”
Rina curled back into a ball. “Any luck with Bertram Lanz?”
“No. We’ll try again tomorrow at daylight.”
“What time is it now?”
“Around two-thirty.”
Rina said, “Dawn is around five-thirty.”
“So I’ll have either a very short night’s sleep or a very long nap.”
Rina mumbled something and went back to sleep.
When the alarm went off in the morning, she had already left the bed. Decker exhaled sour breath and trudged to the bathroom. It took him twenty minutes to shower, shave, and dress, but he was rewarded for his effort with a fresh pot of coffee and a smiling wife. How she managed to be so cheerful was beyond his ken.
“Breakfast?” she asked.
“Toast. I can get it.”
“I slept last night. You didn’t.”
“What’s with the kid?”
“Your foster son?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said. The kid. What does he want?”
“He wants me to come to Manhattan next week. Does that work for you?”
“Of course.” A pause. “May I ask why?”
“Terry is in town. She wants to see him. But he doesn’t want to see her without backup.”
“Why’s that? Is she in trouble?”
“I don’t know for sure, but she’s here with the kids and without her husband.”
“Not promising, Rina. You know what happened the last time I tried to help her. We wound up with a son. I don’t know about you, but I’m not up to raising any more kids.”
“I know. I’m going in with my eyes open.”
“How old are they—Terry’s children?”
“The girl should be around eleven by now. The boy is younger—four or five.”
“What day is this tête-à-tête supposed to take place?” He looked at the date on his watch. “It’s already Wednesday. This week is pretty much shot.”
“As of last night, we left the date open.” Rina brought toast, butter, and jam to the table and sat down with a cup of coffee. “What’s the plan for Bertram Lanz? Are you still looking for volunteers?”
“We are. The group is meeting in front of the diner at nine. Actually, the diner is providing pancakes for the volunteers at eight. So whenever you want to show up, that would be great. But if you can’t, don’t worry. I’m sure there will be a crowd.”
“Where could the poor man have gone?”