Gun Games - Faye Kellerman [7]
The baby grand was in the garage—the only place where they had enough room. Gabe shared his music studio with Decker’s Porsche, workbench, and power tools and Rina’s planting and potting station. They had soundproofed the space because the kid practiced at the oddest hours. But since he was homeschooled and was basically done with high school, they let him march to his own drummer. He wasn’t even sixteen and had already gotten into Juilliard and early action at Harvard. Even if they were his legal guardians—which they weren’t—there was really no guidance left to give him. At this point, they were just providing him with food, a safe shelter, and a little company.
“Tell me about your day,” Rina said.
“Pretty routine except for the last half hour.” Decker recapped his puzzling conversation with Wendy Hesse.
“That poor woman.”
“She must be really hurting if she wants a homicide over suicide.”
“Is that what the coroner ruled? Suicide?”
Decker nodded.
“So then . . . she just doesn’t want to believe it.”
“True. Usually the ominous signs are there but parents look the other way. I honestly believe that Wendy is dumbfounded.” He smoothed his mustache. “You know when we first met and you were adamant about sending the boys to Jewish day school, I thought you were nuts. For what we were paying in tuition, we could have sent the boys to Lawrence or Bell and Wakefield, not a school housed in a one-story dilapidated building that doesn’t even have a library and a computer lab.”
Rina smiled. “Many people would have agreed.”
“But I’ve gotta say, most of the kids we’ve met are nice. Granted, I’m seeing the worst of the prep school teens, but I don’t think those places breed healthy attitudes. On balance, you did the right thing.”
“The school, although disorganized and sorely lacking in resources, is a very kind place. Thank you for saying that.”
Decker leaned back. “You talk to any of the kids today?”
“Of course, the boys are busy as usual. I did Skype with Hannah this morning. She was just going to bed. She’ll probably be up in a couple of hours.”
“I miss her.” Decker looked sad. “Maybe I’ll give Cindy a call. Find out what she’s up to.”
Rina smiled. “Grandchildren are always the antidote to what ails you.”
“You want to take a ride over and see them?”
“You should ask Cindy first.”
“Yeah, I guess I have to do that.” Decker made a phone call and hung up grinning. “She said, come on over.”
“Then let’s go.”
“What about Gabe?”
“I’ll tell him we’re going,” Rina said. “He likes Cindy and Koby, but I have a feeling he’ll decline. He wasn’t himself today. Maybe it has to do with his mother. Anyway, when he gets like that, he retreats inward.”
Decker took in her words. “Should I talk to him?”
“He’ll just tell you everything’s okay.”
“I don’t want him to feel like a stranger,” Decker said. “But I don’t do much to make him feel like a member of the family. I’d feel really guilty if I came home one day and found him in the same condition as Gregory Hesse.”
Rina nodded. “I think his music is and always was his salvation.”
“Is it enough?”
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is he’s functioning well. He takes the bus twice a week to USC for his lessons, he did all his own college applications even though I offered to help, he went for his own interviews and auditions even though I offered to come with him, and he booked his own flights and hotel rooms even though I offered to do it. He’s already guaranteed admission into Harvard and Juilliard. It seems to me like he wouldn’t be planning his future if he didn’t think he had one.” Rina paused. “If you want to do something nice for him, take him out driving. That excites him.”
“Okay, I’ll take him out on Sunday.”
“He really admires your Porsche.”
“Uh, let’s not carry this niceness thing too far. Being emotionally sensitive is one thing. The Porsche is quite another.”
The Coffee Bean was about two miles from the Starbucks where Gabe