Faye Kellerman - The Ritual Bath

The line disconnected.

Shit! But at least the tap was hooked up. Hopefully, he’d stalled her long enough. He dialed the police operator immediately. She told him that someone would get back to him right away. Five minutes later the phone rang.

“Decker.”

“It’s Arnie, Pete. Got some specific boundaries for you.”

“Shoot.”

“The call is in the Sylmar vicinity, north of Glenoaks, south of San Fernando Road, eastern border is Astonia, western is Roxford, inclusive.”

“Well, that narrows it down.”

“A little more time and I could have gotten even more specific.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you?” Decker said. “Pay phone?”

“Naturally. Hope this helps, Pete.”

“It should. Thanks.”

“Bye.”

Decker got up and went over to the squad room’s receptionist. Shirley was an overweight, big-busted brunette in her early forties. Her best feature was an infectious smile.

“Hello, Shirley.”

“What do you want, Decker?”

“The yellow pages for Sylmar.”

She opened up a drawer and handed him a canary-colored directory.

“If it’s the massage parlors you want, ask MacPherson.”

“I’ll look on my own. I don’t trust his taste.”

She winked and flashed him a grin that he had to return.

Decker took the phone book to his desk and looked up laundromats, laundries, and dry cleaners. An hour later he had narrowed the list down to two dry cleaners, two laundries, and three laundromats in the area. His watch told him it was half past ten. First he’d talk to Rina.

The aftermath of last night’s horror had left Rina drained and riddled with anxiety. She was short-tempered with her boys and more than happy to send them off to camp. But once they were gone, depression overtook her. She berated herself for failing as a parent, for being an uncaring human being, for talking too much to the goy, for her shortcomings as a Jew. She sank into a corner and cried. When the tears stopped, her mood changed abruptly, and she began to pace with nervous energy. She’d been wanting to clean out the closets, and today was as good a day as any. She tried to concentrate on the task single-mindedly, but her nerves were frazzled, and midway through the overhaul she left piles of unsorted clothes on the floor, fell down on the sofa, and sobbed.

She had just about finished her second bout of hysteria when the doorbell rang. She didn’t want to answer it looking terrible and in a mood to match, but running away never solved a damn thing. Getting up from the sofa, she peered through the peephole and opened the door.

Peter looked just as haggard as she. His clothes were wrinkled, his eyes were red and swollen, and the normal ruddiness of his cheeks had turned to paste.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“No.”

“I have to talk to you.”

“So talk.”

Decker looked around.

“Rina, please. Unfortunately, this isn’t a social call. If you won’t let me in, meet me down at the station. That way we can make the whole thing nice and official, and you won’t have to be so afraid of what the neighbors might think.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

“I don’t know, but you’re wasting time right now.”

She let him in.

Decker looked at the heaps of clothes strewn about the room.

“Are you planning to go somewhere?”

“Just cleaning out my closets.”

She saw he was weary. Felt his fatigue. She shouldn’t be sniping at him. Ultimately, they were on the same side.

“Have a seat, Peter,” she said quietly. “Would you like some coffee?”

He smiled. “Thank you, I would.”

“How do you take it?”

“Black…and strong.”

She busied herself in the kitchen and came back with two steaming cups and a basket of fruit.

She sat down and tucked her bare feet under smooth, silky legs. Decker glanced at them, then averted his gaze and closed his eyes altogether, imagining her caressing his body. He could sure use a soft touch right now.

“You didn’t get much sleep, did you?” she asked.

Decker opened his eyes, took a sip of coffee, then set the cup down on an end table.

“Not really, I saw Florence’s family this morning. They’re good people, Rina. It hurt.”

“I know what they’re going through.” Her eyes began to mist. “At least Yitzchak died among loved ones and at peace. She went so horribly.”

She lowered her head and looked the other way.

He wanted to hold her, but resisted. Though he had only comfort on his mind, she was distraught enough to misinterpret his intentions. Instead he nodded sympathetically.

“I still can’t believe it,” Rina said wiping her eyes.

“I’m sorry. This must be so rough on you.”

She didn’t say anything.

Her eyes were dull and sunken, her hands trembled. She hesitated when she talked. It ate at him to see her in such misery.

“I’ve got one piece of news that’ll cheer you up. We released Moshe.”

A spark ignited in her.

“Of course he’s innocent. You shouldn’t have arrested him in the first place.”

Decker sipped his coffee and said, “Rina, I want you to promise me that you’ll keep what I tell you between the two of us.”

She nodded.

He related the incidents of last night, and his theories. When he was finished, he said:

“Rina, we’re going to have to face facts. Whoever it was who killed Florence, didn’t rape her. He wanted her out of the way to get to who he was really after.”

Rina swallowed hard.

“I think it would be a good idea if you visited your parents for a couple of weeks.”

“I’m not going to run away-”

“Just listen to me. I’m not talking forever. I’m talking until we can get a handle on this thing. We’ll pull Cory in for questioning, interview Stein and Mendelsohn, look around for something odd. Maybe we’ll get lucky. In the meantime, I’d like to know that you’re safe and sound, hidden somewhere out of reach.”

She smiled. “Do you worry about me?”

“Of course I worry about you. I worry about your boys, too. I’d invite you to stay with me, but I know what the answer would be.”

He looked at her hopefully, but she shook her head.

“So I think the safest and most logical thing to do is to have you conveniently disappear for a couple of weeks.”

“What if you pull Cory in and find nothing? What if nothing happens while I’m away? What am I going to do? Live in permanent exile until something happens? If I’m the target, the monster or monsters are going to follow me. I’m not going to run away. Hashem will look after us. He always has.”

Decker frowned.

“Rina, be practical. Doesn’t God help those who help themselves?”

“Sometimes one just has to have faith.”

He wasn’t about to get into a theological argument with her. He tried a different approach.

“What about your boys?”

“What about them? They haven’t been bothered.”

“You’re going to wait for them to be attacked?”

She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking.

“Peter, why are you scaring me like this?”

“Because I want you out of here and safe.”

“And if he follows me? You won’t be around, and I’ll have no one to turn to. No. I refuse to go. I’m not going to run away. If need be, I’ll fight the S.O.B. on my own turf! I’ll learn self-defense! I’ll buy a gun!”

“And in the meantime?”

“I’ll start today. I’ll enroll in a karate program.”

“It takes awhile to learn these things, Rina. Do you think you’re going to get a black belt overnight? Besides, the man had a gun-”