Of course, she jumped. She took an earbud out. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I tried to get you to notice me, but whatever you’re listening to must be pretty engrossing.”
“Just some old devrai Torah from an old rabbi.”
“Sounds fascinating.”
“You’re being facetious.” Her smile was wide. “It’s actually not too bad.”
“That’s a rousing endorsement.”
“He repeats himself a lot.”
“Sign me up.” Decker looked at the grill: steak and asparagus. “My mouth is watering.” It was close to eight in the evening. “I’m starving.”
“Salad and drinks in the fridge. You can bring those out.”
“You want wine, darlin’?”
“I’m good with sparkling water.”
“Then I’m having a beer.”
“There’s a cold six-pack that’s calling your name. Is Tyler coming?”
“He didn’t say yes or no when he left, so I’m taking that as a no.” He snaked his hands around her waist. “And that’s just as well. More food for me.”
“How did it go today? Any DNA on the remains?”
“Not yet. Soon, I hope.”
“Then you still don’t know who it is.”
“No, but the bones are old.”
“Okay. Any news on Bertram?”
“No.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “We found out that Elsie Schulung had a girlfriend. Pauline Corbett. Did I tell you this?”
“No. I’ve barely seen you for the last couple of days. Could you get me the platter and the tongs from the table? We’re good to go.”
“Gladly.” He gave her the dish and the tongs, then went inside to fetch the salad, sparkling water, and the six-pack. As she doled out the meat and asparagus, Decker popped the top of the can and sipped suds. “Looks wonderful.”
“Let the meat rest for a few minutes.”
“Your form of torture?”
“Hence the salad.” Rina put a heap of leaves into individual wooden bowls. “This is the appetizer. Eat. What about Pauline Corbett?”
Decker said, “You’re all over the place.”
“No, I’m just able to keep several lines of conversation going in my head at one time. Why is she relevant?”
“I don’t know that she is. But her car is missing and she hasn’t been seen in about a week.”
“She helped Elsie kidnap Bertram and Kathrine?”
“Maybe. We think that there were two people in the car when it came to pick Kathrine up.” Decker stuffed his mouth with another forkful of leaves and chewed intently. “We’re also thinking that maybe it’s Pauline’s blood in the kitchen.”
“Why?”
“The blood is female. The DNA results from material at Pauline’s apartment haven’t come back. But we should know soon if it matches. Here’s something interesting. Quay brought in a blood expert. She said that there wasn’t a lot of spatter or blowback. She thinks it might have been a nonfatal stab wound or an accident.”
“Like a knife cut?”
“Exactly.” He finished the beer and opened another can. “The blood was found in a kitchen.”
“Didn’t you say it was a lot of blood?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How do you cut yourself by accident that badly to bleed that much?”
“You drop a very sharp knife, and it hits a major vein in the thigh or foot.”
Rina’s face expressed skepticism. At that moment McAdams came into the backyard. “Am I interrupting anything?”
“Sit, Tyler,” Rina said. “I made a steak for you.”
“As tempting as it is, I’m going to pass. I’m meeting an old friend for dinner. A guy I went to school with. I just dropped by to give the old man some lab results.” He handed Decker a manila envelope that had been opened. “Sent over from the lab right after you left the station. It’s Pauline Corbett’s blood.”
“We were just talking about that,” Rina said. “How a person loses that much blood in an accident without hitting an artery.”
“You can fall down and hit your head,” McAdams suggested.
“That too.” After glancing at the report, Decker slid the piece of paper back into the envelope. “We now have a person instead of just blood. What about her car?”
“BOLO went out yesterday.”
Decker drummed his fingers on the table. “Did Bertram’s parents ever call back?”
“Nope.”
“When was the last time we called them?”
“I did a follow-up on the way to the airport on Tuesday. I didn’t tell you?”
“No.”
“Probably because there’s nothing to report. They’re still out of cell phone reach. It could be the truth. The secretary said they’re mountain climbing in Nepal.”
“Okay. Where are we with phone records?”
“Takes time, boss.”
“Call up the phone company and bug them.”
“Sure . . . now?”
“I’m in the middle of dinner. Do you mind?”
“You’re the boss.” McAdams scrolled down the contacts of Decker’s phone and pressed the phone number.
Decker said, “Can you talk inside? I’d like to eat without distraction.”
“Sure.” McAdams went inside the house.
Rina laughed. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Decker cut into his steak. A perfect medium rare. “Ask me if I feel guilty. I don’t.” He popped the meat into his mouth. “Delicious. This deserves my full attention. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They ate in silence for a few moments. McAdams came back outside. “They said we’re in the line. Maybe another week. Should I call Mangrove PD and see if they have Kathrine’s records yet?”
“Sure. Good idea.”
“Yeah, I get one every now and then.” McAdams’s phone buzzed. “Okay. Hold on.” Into the phone: “Hey, Spenser. What’s up?” He listened for a few moments. “No problem. We’ll make it another time. Go save the world.” He hung up and said, “My friend is in medical school. He just got paged.” A huge smile. He sat down at the table and snatched a can of beer. He popped it open. “I’ll take that steak if you don’t mind.”
“Don’t you have to make a phone call?” Decker asked.
McAdams handed Decker back his phone. “You wouldn’t want my dinner to get cold. Besides, you’re done.”
Decker looked at his empty plate, stood up, and threw down his napkin. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
As he walked away, Rina called out, “Fresh fruit in the refrigerator. You mind bringing it out?”
“Any other requests?”
“How about a smile?” Rina said.
“You want to ask for the moon while you’re at it?”
McAdams said, “He’s not really mad, is he?”
“He is mad,” Rina said. “He was counting on eating your steak.”