“You have a name?”
“No name, but I have a club-Leather and Lace.”
Decker smiled. “And you’re familiar with the establishment?”
“I’ve been there a couple of times.”
“And you want to go down to the club and find this elusive lap dancer?”
“I think it would be negligent not to.”
Marge said, “I might have a name. Try Melissa or Miranda.”
“Where’d you get that from?” Oliver asked her.
“Erika Lessing. Apparently he was two-timing Erika and his wife with someone with a name like that.”
“I’ll check it out.” He looked at Decker. “What do you say, Loo?”
“Okay, Scott, you win. I’m assigning you a trip down to Leather and Lace.”
“So I can put in for charges like drinks and the cover?”
“As long as they’re reasonable and part of the assignment.”
Marge said, “You must be in hog heaven…or in your case pig heaven.”
Oliver tried to look wounded, but in actuality he was feeling no pain. A lap dancer paid for by the LAPD. If that wasn’t paradise, what was?
14
D ECKER COULD SMELL the aroma from the driveway, the undeniable scent of garlic, onion, and herbs: a sure indication that something good was going on in the kitchen. Involuntarily his mouth started to water. Although he wondered why Rina was cooking midweek, he didn’t question her decision. He was famished and tired and delighted that dinner or some facsimile was minutes away. When he came through the door, the background noise of conversation abruptly stopped and he found that there were several sets of eyes focused in on him-Rina, Cindy and Koby, and their elusive teenage daughter of late, Hannah Rosie.
His wife looked put together, her long black hair in a ponytail and covered with a bandanna, although there was moisture on her brow, meaning the kitchen was probably hot. Cindy and Koby had on jeans and T-shirts. Hannah was dressed in a jean skirt over leggings, a scoop-neck T-shirt, and combat boots. She had beads around her neck, her earlobes jeweled in big white hoops, and her wrists were bedecked in multiple bangles. No piercings or tattoos, but only because tattoos were forbidden by Jewish law and Hannah had a fear of needles. Thank God for small favors.
“Hi, kids,” Decker began cheerfully. He kissed his wife and his daughters, and hugged his son-in-law. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“We’ve finalized the plans, Dad. I thought that maybe you could take a look at them tonight…if you have a moment.”
“I think we can work that out. How do they look?”
“The plans are beautiful,” Koby said. “The cost is not.”
Decker poured his son-in-law a scotch. “Don’t worry about it.”
“He means that and so do I.” Rina had inherited some paintings from an old lady whom she had befriended. A half-dozen of them turned out to be valuable, one of them extremely valuable. That one constituted their retirement, giving the Deckers a lot of emotional freedom and flexibility.
“You are always generous, but I do worry.” Koby took a nice-size shot. “We are living in a nutshell barely big enough for the two of us. Now we have big plans for eighteen hundred square feet of living space.”
“Eighteen hundred seems reasonable, especially if you’re thinking about starting a family…hint, hint.”
Cindy smiled. “Eventually, hint, hint.”
“Reasonable if we had a bigger budget.” Another sip. “This is good.”
“Thank you,” Decker said. “Another?”
“It sounds tempting, but no.”
Rina clapped her hands. “Shall we sit down?”
“I’ll serve with Cindy, Eema,” Hannah volunteered.
“Good idea, Hannah Banana.” Cindy made a face. “Does it bug you when I say that?”
“Nah, but only you can get away with it.”
The meal was copious. Rotisserie chicken over rice pilaf, green beans, and, of course, the requisite salad. Hannah had also grilled some corn and red peppers. Everyone sat down at the table, dishes were passed around, and the meal began. For the first five minutes, there was little talk except to relay compliments to Rina and Hannah for cooking such a delicious feast. Halfway through his dinner, Decker made a stab at conversation.
“So tell me about the plans?”
“They are lovely and costly,” Koby replied.
Cindy said, “They look terrific.”
More eating.
Decker said, “Well, anytime you want me to help you get started…knocking out walls, just give a ring.”
Koby said, “That may be sooner than later. How about this weekend?”
Cindy cleared her throat. Koby said, “I was thinking only about the kitchen.”
“Koby and I have been having a little debate on this.” Cindy’s smile was tight. Uh-oh, Decker thought. “I don’t want to do things piecemeal. I think we need to hire a contractor because the plans have become more complicated. Koby would rather gather up a crowd and do it all himself-like a barn raising.”
No one spoke.
“I like building things,” Koby said.
“Kobe, you’re working a full-time job and moonlight as it is. It’s a lot of weight to hold.”
“I have strong shoulders.”
“I’m sure you’ll work it out,” Rina said.
Decker snapped his fingers. “You know what? I have an idea.”
Uh-oh, Rina thought. She said, “I’m sure they’ll work it out, Peter.”
“I’m sure they will, but just let me run this by you,” Decker said. “Remember Mike Hollander?”
“From Foothill?” Rina said.
“Yeah, you know he retired about ten maybe twelve years ago from police work. He has a construction company-”
“Peter, he must be like seventy now.”
“Just listen. What he does is get all these old-time construction pros-plumbers, plasterers, electricians, air-conditioning guys-who have retired, calls them up, and gets a crew together. They’ve done quite a few renovation projects for the elderly in their neighborhood.”
“If Mike is seventy, how old are the old guys, Daddy?” Cindy asked dubiously.
“They’re probably all around Mike’s age.”
Hannah wiped her mouth. “Uh, this is not of interest to me. Mind if I check my e-mail?”
Decker told her to go ahead. Rina said, “Do you think Mike’s up to it, Peter? How long has he been at this?”
“They’re experienced guys, Rina.”
“Didn’t Mike have bypass surgery?”
“Last time I spoke to him, he told me he never felt better.”
“How much do they charge?” Koby inquired.
“I have no idea, but I’m sure he’ll be reasonable,” Decker told him.
Rina said, “I don’t know about this, Peter. Maybe they should ask the architect for some recommendations.”
“What would it hurt if I called Hollander up?”
No one answered. Koby looked at Cindy. Cindy looked at Koby. They both shrugged. Koby said, “I think it couldn’t hurt to ask.”
Decker got up from the table. “It’ll only take a minute.”
“Now?” Rina said. “We’re in the middle of dinner.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes.” Decker dashed inside the kitchen before Rina could continue to protest.
Cindy said, “Let him make the phone call, Rina. Otherwise we won’t hear the end of it.”
Rina said, “He means well, but sometimes he doesn’t think things through.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Koby said. “There is wisdom in age.”
Cindy said, “There’s also angina and arthritis in age.”
Koby said, “The food is excellent as always.”
“Delicious,” Cindy concurred.
Decker returned looking very pleased. “We’re having lunch tomorrow.” He looked at Koby. “I’ll bring the plans with me as long as you brought them here. Anyone want to join me?”
“I’d love to, but I’m on shift,” Koby said.
“I’m working,” Cindy said. “But I’d like to meet him before we start. No offense, Daddy, but he is a little on the old side.”