Long Shadows (Amos Decker, #7)(19)

“Happen to check the time when you woke up?”

“It was off and on. And I didn’t go back to sleep right away. Once was around one or so. I remember because I was thinking I had to get up at six to go for my run and I was pissed.”

“Okay.”

“And another time was after two. I remember looking at my Apple watch. And then again close to three.”

“Okay.”

“And while I was trying to fall asleep I heard him in his office before then walking around and practicing his pitch, you know, what he says to his clients. He does that all the time.”

“So let me get this straight: You heard your father either on a Zoom call or walking around and practicing his pitch when, exactly?”

“Well, pretty much from like before midnight until almost three.”

“You mean you never fell asleep?”

“Okay, yeah, I did. Around three when I heard him get up and leave his office. So he might have left the condo after that but I don’t think so. I heard him pass my room and then his bedroom door opened and closed. It has a weird squeaking sound. Then I heard his shower start up.”

“He showers at three?”

“Like I said, he keeps weird hours because of his business. And he sweats like I do, especially when he’s dealing with clients. He says they’re very demanding. And the showers help to calm him, let him get relaxed for bed. And he usually has a drink before he goes to bed.”

Decker took all this in. “Okay, thanks for that.”

“He cared for my mom. A lot. This blew him away. He’s been crying all morning and drinking like a fucking fish.” He paused and looked out to the water. “I think part of him is also terrified that he’s the sole parent now. He can’t drop all the responsibility on Mom anymore. She really did it all with me. SAT prep, schoolwork, doctor’s appointments, making sure I was all set for the prom, helping pick out colleges, dealing with recruiters, riding my ass on grades. She never missed one of my football games. And when I was younger I played every sport and she was right there. She even coached one of my Little League teams.”

“Sounds like a superwoman, considering she was a lawyer and then a judge.”

“Yeah, we were all real proud of her when she got to be a federal judge. The freaking president of the United States had to nominate her. I mean, is that cool or what?”

“Pretty cool.”

Tyler shook his head. “Now what’s going to happen?”

“You’re going to finish high school, go to a great college, and make your mom proud.”

“But with her not here, I’m not sure I can keep my shit together anymore.”

“Any time you start thinking that, think about all the things your mother did to get you ready for life. It was worth it to her, so it has to be worth it to you. It shows respect.”

Tyler looked at him funny. “Sounds like you lost somebody close, too.”

Decker eyed the young man and saw in him a bit of his younger self. Supremely confident in his athletic abilities, unsure of everything else.

“We’ve all lost somebody close, Tyler. It’s how we deal with it that counts, because if you mess that up nothing else really matters.”





Chapter 12



I HAD A ZOOM CONFERENCE with a client in Hong Kong from two a.m. to around three. Before that I was speaking with another client in Beijing from midnight to one. I prepped for the Beijing meeting from around eleven fifteen on, and for the Hong Kong meeting after the Beijing call. They’re both twelve hours ahead of us. Then I grabbed a shower, had a scotch, and went to bed.”

Barry Davidson had showered and changed his clothes. After a couple cups of coffee and two bottles of water, he seemed more composed and focused. They were back in his office. Tyler had left to get some air.

“We’ll need to check any video recordings you made and talk with those folks,” said Andrews.

“Do you really consider me a suspect in Julia’s murder?” snapped Davidson.

Decker said, “Spouses and ex-spouses are always suspects until their alibis are established.”

“I never went near Julia’s place last night.”

White glanced at Decker. “Okay, let’s move on from there, Mr. Davidson. In speaking with your wife, did she voice any concerns, was she having problems with someone? Maybe a case she was overseeing?”

“Julia and I don’t…didn’t really talk much about her work. I’m not a lawyer, and that world is pretty foreign to me. And she never really got what I did for a living, though it provided very well for us.”

“I understand your ex-wife also came from money, and lawyers and federal judges make good income,” said White.

“I’m not saying I was the major breadwinner or anything, although I made far more than her salary. As a judge, she was dramatically underpaid, in my opinion.”

“Have to take that up with Congress,” noted Decker. “When was the last time you saw or talked to her?”

“A few days ago. She wanted to remind me about Tyler taking his allergy meds. He needs to get on it early with spring starting. I’m on Zyrtec year-round myself.”

“And you saw her last when? You mentioned you were at her house a couple weeks ago to pick up Tyler.”