Gun Games - Faye Kellerman [21]
Unbelievable!
After several breaths, he rolled his shoulders and started to relax. They were in the first row of the loge so he had the luxury of a little more legroom for his six-foot frame. He sat back, spread his legs apart, and dropped his hands into his lap.
By accident, his knee touched hers. He pulled his legs together.
She glanced at his face and gave him an ear-to-ear grin, mouthing a silent thank you before returning her eyes to the stage.
He raised his eyebrows, a small smile of his own settling across his lips. He made himself comfortable in the seat, slouching back with his arms folded across his chest. Slowly his legs fell open until once again his knee found hers.
This time he kept it right where it was.
Chapter Seven
Since the station house was quiet, Decker was planning to rip through some of last week’s paperwork, but he couldn’t concentrate; his mind was still on Gregory Hesse’s memorial service. A giant blowup of the boy’s face had been strung across the altar, young eyes without a hint of the disaster to come. To a packed church, the minister delivered wrenching prose about a life cut short by the deepest secrets of the heart. He had to stop several times to compose himself. Then friends and family spoke, dredging up memories about a child too young for the past tense.
The service ended at twelve, and the reception lasted another hour. Decker did note that there were a lot of kids in attendance. After waiting in line to offer condolences to the parents, Decker figured he made the right move by coming to the service because Wendy Hesse squeezed his hand.
Please don’t forget about my son.
“Knock, knock.” Rina was at his door, holding a paper bag. “Room service.”
“Sit down.” He grinned. “What’d you bring me?”
“Cold roast sandwich on rye with horseradish and mustard. I have a meeting at school in twenty minutes. In the meantime, I thought I’d do what I do best and that’s feed you.”
“You do a lot of things extremely well, including feeding me.”
She sat down. “And you will be home by seven, right?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.” Koby and Cindy were coming over with the babies for dinner. “Are you sure you don’t want to go out?”
“If we went out, none of us would be able to eat. So I cooked. Even if none of us eat, it’s still more cost-efficient than going out.”
“No one cooks as good as you do. What are you making?”
She gave him the menu: roasted veal breast stuffed with rice pilaf and dried fruit, green beans, whipped yams, and peach pie for dessert. His mouth was watering even as he ate his sandwich. “Try to be on time.”
“I will not try, I will be on time. Look around this place. I’m the only one crazy enough to be here Sunday afternoon. Where’s Gabe?”
“He went to the opera. He said he’ll be home by dinner.”
“The boy is an enigma, but he knows a good meal.”
“How’d the memorial service go?”
Decker gave her a recap. “Actually I’m here to talk to Gregory’s best friend. He’s a little odd. Or maybe I made him nervous when I pulled him over.”
“Y’think?” When Decker made a face, Rina said, “What struck you as odd?”
“He’s holding back.”
“That’s not odd, that’s cautious.”
“Since when have you been hired as his defense attorney?” The intercom beeped, the receptionist informing Decker that Joey Reinhart was on line two. “Hi, Joey, this is Lieutenant Decker.”
“Uh, I could make it a little earlier.”
“Sure. What time?”
“I’m actually right outside the station house.”
“Go inside and I’ll come get you.” Decker put the receiver back in the cradle and stood up. “My interview showed up early.”
“I’ve got to go anyway.” She stood up and gave him a peck on the lips. “Today we’re discussing whether to install a vending machine or to set up a snack bar and sell our own food to the kids.”
“What’s the issue?”
“Well, if we let a vending machine company provide the food, there could be potential problems with kashrut. But the pro is that they handle everything and just send us a check. Plus we don’t have to have someone manage it. If we sell our own snacks, we make more