Faye Kellerman - Stone Kiss

Smothering was the operative word.

Yet, there was something about family… for better or worse…

Seeing the elongated table reminded Decker of the Lieber house, and for a brief moment, he felt a twinge of the hell they must be going through. So painful, yet Decker refused to let the poison inject and take hold. It had been thirteen years since the Lazaruses had lost their only son, yet tonight their hearts were filled with simcha -joy-as they shep nachas -or took pride-over their grandsons and nine-year-old Hannah. Decker owed it to the Lazaruses to be grateful for life. He bent down and kissed the small man’s hat. “ Shabbat shalom , Zeyde.”

The old man smiled with thin, pale lips. He threw the cane on the couch and took Decker’s arm. “You’re a strong boy. I can lean on you, yes?”

“Anytime. That’s what muscles are for.”

It was wonderful, it was beautiful, it was spiritual, but it was also exhausting!

By the time Rina made it to bed, it was after one. Sora Lazarus didn’t wash dishes on Shabbat , so there would be a ton of cleanup Saturday night, Motzei Shabbat . But it was truly astounding how much work went on even without washing dishes. The serving, the clearing, the scraping of the plates, the food storage, the piling of dishes, the counting of the silver-plus the kitchen was so small!

And then there was the initial tension when Frieda arrived. However, Peter never failed to amaze her. He was a different man than he had been ten years ago, so much more comfortable with Jewish religious customs and with himself. He actually seemed relaxed-joking and smiling with the boys, with everyone. It had been Jonathan who was tense-nervous and fidgety-but he was dealing with so much right now. She also couldn’t help but wonder what had gone on between Peter and him.

Crawling into bed, she scrunched up her pillow, then curled into the covers. A moment later, she felt Peter kiss the iota of face that wasn’t obliterated by the blanket.

“You’re still up?” she whispered.

“Waiting for you.”

She rolled over and faced him. “I love you madly. But I’m very tired.”

“I don’t mean that, darlin’!” He kissed her nose. “I’m tired, too. I just wanted to say I love you. That’s all.”

She pulled off her covers and snuggled against him. “That’s so sweet. If I had a speck of energy, I would definitely make that compliment worth your while.”

Decker paused a moment. “You know, there’s no harm in trying…”

She whacked his shoulder. “You were wonderful tonight. Considering all that’s going on, you were nothing short of a miracle.”

“It’s called compartmentalization. Can’t let the bastards get me down.”

“Should I ask how it went with you and Jonathan?”

A sigh. “Well, let me put it this way,” Decker said. “Remember when we were out here ten years ago, and Frieda Levine suddenly realized that I was her long-lost son. And how she fainted when she saw me. And then the entire evening turned into a big fiasco with your running in and out to bring her food. And me food? And Rosh Hashanah was a total mess. And then , the crowning glory, the very next day, Noam disappeared?”

“That bad, huh?”

“No, that was a cakewalk compared to this. At least, Ezra and Briena were on my side. They wanted me to find Noam. They actually helped me.”

“Chaim and Minda aren’t helping you?”

“Minda is a difficult woman. She doesn’t like me. She just about called me a goy to my face.”

“Oh my!”

“I’m sure part of it was hysteria. But there was a part of her that meant it, too.”

“What about Chaim?”

“The first time I saw him, he was all gratitude. Four hours later-the second time I saw him-he asked me to leave the house.”

“That’s bizarre. Why the sudden shift?”

“I don’t know. Either he was displeased by my lack of progress, or my charm isn’t what it used to be.” He sighed. “I know I told you that some cases can be solved in a half hour. This isn’t one of them. There is no way I am going to be able to do anything. I am totally useless.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“I’m sure it is true. I was only able to find Noam because Hersh the psycho took him to L.A. That made all the difference in the world. In L.A., I have resources. It’s my home territory. I’m lost here. I need an insider to show me the ropes. And from the looks of it, it ain’t gonna be Chaim or Minda. I can’t even get them to let me search Shayndie’s room. I can only imagine what they would say if I asked to talk to some of Shayndie’s friends or her siblings. Even if I were the type to go around them, I know that the community would close ranks.”

“You’re trapped.”

“Like spider’s prey. If they really cared about their daughter, they’d give me more information. This wall of silence makes them look complicit… like they’ve stashed her away and they’re pretending that she’s missing. I don’t know. Maybe she’s pregnant, and they shipped her off somewhere, using Ephraim’s death as an excuse. Who knows? Maybe they set the entire thing up-”

“Peter, that’s a horrible thing to say.”

“It’s not nice, but it could be true.”

“I’m sure it’s like you said. Minda is just distraught!”

“Well, she certainly doesn’t trust me.” Decker’s good nature suddenly snapped. “Jonathan calls me up… asks me to come out. So I come out. Within twenty-four hours, I think I’ve outlived my usefulness.”

Rina said, “You’re frustrated-”

“Correction. They’re frustrating me! Just like when we first met. I was the evil cop. Well, you know what, Rina? I’m tired of playing that role.”

“I don’t blame you. What I can’t figure out is why they’re so hostile toward you. Jonathan made it sound as if they begged him to ask you to come.”

“Things have obviously changed.”

“What about the cops? The ones you met with today? I guess it’s technically yesterday.”

“Micky Novack. He’s a good guy. Very simpatico, but he’s also a busy man with more important things to do. He can only tote me around for so long; then it’s every man for himself.”

“So what’s next?”

“Not much as far as I’m concerned. I say we weather out the weekend here, then cut short our stay in New York. That’ll let us spend more time in Florida with my folks. We can take Hannah to Epcot and Disney World. I can take her horseback riding or for a boat ride out on the lake. We can visit the Everglades. I really need a vacation.”

Rina was silent.

Decker tried to hide his irritation. “What’s the objection?”

“No objection. You’re right.”

“You feel bad about leaving the Lazaruses.”

“Actually, it’s okay with me. Tonight’s dinner was a little intense in the emotional department.”

“Then what is it? My mother?”

“Your mother and I get along fabulously. She respects me because I know Old Testament better than she does. And your father’s downright adorable.” Rina stroked his face. “It’s not your parents at all. And it’s not leaving the Lazaruses. It’s you. You hate it when you have to give up. You think you’re okay. Then it eats away at you.”

“Not this time.”

“Famous last words!” She looked at him intently. “You promise to forget about this as soon as we leave?”

“I promise.”

“And you really can just forget it that easily?”

“You bet. How about this? We take the boys out to dinner Sunday evening; then you and I go to a Broadway show-”

“Broadway’s dark on Sunday night.”

“Really?”