or some other borough that was cheaper than Manhattan. But this week they got lucky. Their foster son, Gabriel Whitman, owned a roomy two-bedroom condo bought by his father’s money, which was about the only thing that his dad had to offer besides good genetics. The place included a big living room with a piano, two bathrooms, and a refrigerator that was actually in the kitchen. It sat two blocks away from Juilliard right near Columbus Circle. At the moment, he was touring so he was more than thrilled to lend his digs to the Deckers. Not only was it quiet and spacious, Gabe was compulsive so it was cleaner than most five-star hotels.
Once the car’s trunk and backseat were packed with luggage and bags, Decker and Rina took off at four A.M. Monday in bitter darkness, hoping to beat Manhattan traffic. Rina had a cooler filled with fruit, cheeses, and Danishes and two thermoses filled with coffee. After the heat kicked in, Rina was comfortable enough to remove her gloves and hat and bulky jacket.
She saw sweat coming off Peter’s brow. “Do you want me to help you off with your jacket?’
“No, I’ve always wanted a portable sauna.”
“A simple ‘Thank you, darling. That would be lovely’ is sufficient.” She helped him pull his arms out and removed his parka and threw it on the backseat. “Coffee?”
“Will it burn my lip if I drink it while I drive?”
“I’ll test the waters.” She poured the coffee into a Styrofoam cup. “Something between lukewarm and hot.”
“Bring it on.”
She gave him the coffee and put on one of Gabe’s CDs. “If you get tired, I’ll be happy to drive. You’ve got work to do. I don’t.”
“I’m fine. I like to drive.”
“Great.” Five minutes passed without a word exchanged. Rina finally pushed her seat back and closed her eyes. Just as she was drifting off, she heard Peter talking to her. “Come again?”
“Sorry. Go back to sleep.”
“I’d love to talk instead of sleep, but I know you use your time in the car to think.”
“Not much to think about. Just got a bunch of people to interview.”
“You want to talk about it with me?”
“Why not? You’re a captive audience.” Decker told her what he learned. When he was done, Rina said, “Interesting. Do you suspect someone in the family?”
“Can’t say until I interview them. But the extended family is very large and then there’s the daughter-in-law with a spending problem. The crime was calculated. We’ll just have to see how it shakes out.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No, just enjoy the kids and grandchildren.”
He grew quiet and so did she.
Decker said, “The expert that Ken Sobel brought in—who also happens to be his son-in-law—has an art glass gallery in Manhattan. I looked up the website. That place has more Tiffany lamps than most museums.”
“Are you thinking that he stole the windows and is using the gallery to fence them?”
“Maybe, but the gallery has pieces way more valuable than the panels. And it’s been in the same two families for fifty years—Harrison and Stewart, two brothers-in-law. ”
“There’s always room for more profit.”
“True and that’s why I’d like to interview Max Stewart away from his father-in-law, especially since he’s the one who mentioned the spendthrift sister-in-law. It’s always interesting when someone points the finger at someone else. Plus he knows the Tiffany market.”
“Makes total sense.”
Decker paused. “If I brought my wife with me, it would make the visit seem less like an interrogation and more like a fact-finding mission.”
Rina was surprised but tried not to show it. “Sure, I’ll come if you want.”
“The truth is that I don’t have the same kind of manpower that I did in L.A. It’s just me and McAdams and you know way more than he does about detective work.”
“I do?”
“I’ve been bouncing things off you for years. You’ve helped me way more than you probably
Once the car’s trunk and backseat were packed with luggage and bags, Decker and Rina took off at four A.M. Monday in bitter darkness, hoping to beat Manhattan traffic. Rina had a cooler filled with fruit, cheeses, and Danishes and two thermoses filled with coffee. After the heat kicked in, Rina was comfortable enough to remove her gloves and hat and bulky jacket.
She saw sweat coming off Peter’s brow. “Do you want me to help you off with your jacket?’
“No, I’ve always wanted a portable sauna.”
“A simple ‘Thank you, darling. That would be lovely’ is sufficient.” She helped him pull his arms out and removed his parka and threw it on the backseat. “Coffee?”
“Will it burn my lip if I drink it while I drive?”
“I’ll test the waters.” She poured the coffee into a Styrofoam cup. “Something between lukewarm and hot.”
“Bring it on.”
She gave him the coffee and put on one of Gabe’s CDs. “If you get tired, I’ll be happy to drive. You’ve got work to do. I don’t.”
“I’m fine. I like to drive.”
“Great.” Five minutes passed without a word exchanged. Rina finally pushed her seat back and closed her eyes. Just as she was drifting off, she heard Peter talking to her. “Come again?”
“Sorry. Go back to sleep.”
“I’d love to talk instead of sleep, but I know you use your time in the car to think.”
“Not much to think about. Just got a bunch of people to interview.”
“You want to talk about it with me?”
“Why not? You’re a captive audience.” Decker told her what he learned. When he was done, Rina said, “Interesting. Do you suspect someone in the family?”
“Can’t say until I interview them. But the extended family is very large and then there’s the daughter-in-law with a spending problem. The crime was calculated. We’ll just have to see how it shakes out.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“No, just enjoy the kids and grandchildren.”
He grew quiet and so did she.
Decker said, “The expert that Ken Sobel brought in—who also happens to be his son-in-law—has an art glass gallery in Manhattan. I looked up the website. That place has more Tiffany lamps than most museums.”
“Are you thinking that he stole the windows and is using the gallery to fence them?”
“Maybe, but the gallery has pieces way more valuable than the panels. And it’s been in the same two families for fifty years—Harrison and Stewart, two brothers-in-law. ”
“There’s always room for more profit.”
“True and that’s why I’d like to interview Max Stewart away from his father-in-law, especially since he’s the one who mentioned the spendthrift sister-in-law. It’s always interesting when someone points the finger at someone else. Plus he knows the Tiffany market.”
“Makes total sense.”
Decker paused. “If I brought my wife with me, it would make the visit seem less like an interrogation and more like a fact-finding mission.”
Rina was surprised but tried not to show it. “Sure, I’ll come if you want.”
“The truth is that I don’t have the same kind of manpower that I did in L.A. It’s just me and McAdams and you know way more than he does about detective work.”
“I do?”
“I’ve been bouncing things off you for years. You’ve helped me way more than you probably
Similar Books
