Gun Games - Faye Kellerman [109]
“His name is Gabriel Whitman,” Decker said. “He’s the boy who played piano at Hannah’s graduation. You met him at the deli about three months ago.”
“The tall white boy who goes to Harvard?”
“He got into Harvard. He’s living with us until he goes to college.”
“He is Jewish?”
“No.”
“No? Then why he was with my daughter?”
Decker just looked at her. She sat back in her chair and muttered something plaintive in Farsi. She wagged a finger at him. “I knew something was funny with that girl. She is a sneaky one, but this is too much!” She suddenly looked horrified. “And is he okay . . . your boy?”
“He’ll be fine, but it’s going to hurt for a while.”
“I am so sorry.” Tears were in her eyes. “I think I’m very confused.”
“It’s a lot to integrate,” Decker said.
“I am supposed to meet my daughter at the dressmaker in an hour. She is getting married.”
“To Aaron the doctor.”
“Yes. I have to call her. What do I tell her? I think I feel sick!”
“Take your time—”
“This is just too much. I cannot do everything.” She was in tears. “I am one person.”
“It’s a lot to absorb.” Decker was trying not to look at his watch.
“So what do you find out about my daughter?”
“Pardon me?”
“What happened to her this morning?” She sounded exasperated.
Decker said, “I’m still trying to put the pieces of this case together, and I’m needed urgently in an interview room. Can I talk about your daughter’s safety for a moment?”
“Oh God, I am in a panic!”
“Don’t panic, we need to stay calm, okay?”
“Okay.” She fanned her face with her hand. “But I still panic.”
“Mrs. Nourmand, I’d like Yasmine to stay out of the area until I have a better idea of what’s going on. Does she have a relative who lives nearby that she can stay with?”
The woman blanched. “It is that bad?”
“I don’t know,” Decker said. “Right now I’m just taking precautions.”
“My sister lives in Beverly Hills.”
“Can she stay with your sister for a little while?”
“How long?”
“I don’t know. Once I have a clearer picture, maybe I can give you a better idea.”
“She can stay with my sister, but what do I tell my husband? It is crazy just for her to move for no reason.”
“Then maybe you should think about telling him what’s going on.”
“But I don’t know what is going on. First, I need to know what’s going on. You say she was kidnapped with a gun; this is very serious. You make me panic again.”
“That’s why I’d like your daughter to stay with your sister.”
“That is not a problem. I just think what do I tell my husband. I cannot tell him truth right away. He’ll get mad at her, he’ll get very scared for her. His heart is not so good for a shock.”
“I’m sure you can phrase it in a delicate way, ma’am.”
Sohala exhaled. “So your boy and my daughter have been . . .”
“I think they’ve been seeing each other for a while.”
“How bad?”
“How bad?”
“You know . . . what do they do?”
“I don’t know.” Decker shrugged. “How serious can two teenagers be?”
“It cannot be serious, but it can be bad.” She was quiet. “My daughter is very naive. I hope he does not take advantage of her.”
Decker tried not to bristle. “Gabriel’s a good boy.”
“He can be good boy, but he is still boy.” She shook her head. “This is terrible. Okay. I got it. I tell my husband that Yasmine wants to try out YULA. Last year, she did want to try it out, but I say no. I say it’s too far from home. Now I kick myself for not listening. It is all girls. I think after what’s going on, that is good idea.”
Marge walked over to Decker and handed him two photo arrays—one with Dylan Lashay in the number four position, and another with Cameron Cole in the number three position. “Are these okay?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll take a set to Wanda to show Yasmine. Then I’m off to the hospital. I just talked to Rina. They’ve postponed Gabe’s surgery for another couple of hours because they’re trying to find a specific surgeon who can remove the bullet without cutting too much muscle. He hasn’t even been sedated yet, so I want to talk to him pronto.”
“Go.”
Marge turned to Mrs. Nourmand. “I’m glad everything worked out