Long Shadows (Amos Decker, #7)(37)

“The truth is, you never needed me or anyone else to do what you do. I was the sometimes helpful sidekick who basically stood there in awe of what you were able to do time and again. And while I can’t come back right now, I will come back.”

“But what about this guy in New York? I thought it was serious.”

“The fact is, he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. And I decided I’m not a big-city girl.”

She fell silent and Decker could only hear her calm, measured breaths, unlike his.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Alex.”

“You absolutely can do it if you want to. And if you don’t want to, there’s nothing wrong with that, either. And I’ll be right there supporting you. But knowing you as I do, if you walk away now, whatever you’re feeling, you’ll wake up tomorrow ten times worse. I can’t say I know everything about you. No one really does about someone else. But I know you better than anyone else alive. And I know that I’m right about that. And so do you.”

Another long silence ensued.

“Thanks, Alex,” said Decker.

“I want you to know something. Something important. Something that I believe with all my heart, Amos.”

“What’s that?”

“I need you. As does the rest of the world.”





Chapter 26



DECKER ROSE PROMPTLY AT SIX A.M., feeling refreshed, despite not much sleep. He looked out his window at the gathering dawn and reflected on his conversation with Jamison.

It had been wonderful to hear her voice. It had been humbling to hear the woman’s words. He knew he had to get his shit together. And if he walked away from this, from the only thing he’d been good at since football, then what would he do with his life? To make himself get out of bed each day? To avoid once more sinking into the abyss of the past?

Decker was not a superstitious man. But right as he had gone to sleep, he’d seen his daughter, and Molly was trying to talk to him. Saying things he really couldn’t make out though he had desperately tried to, because his exhausted mind had fooled him into thinking she was really there.

The thing was, Molly had never come to him in a vision, not like that. Perhaps she could tell he was at a crossroads.

And I probably am.

He knew what his wife would tell him. “You’re no quitter, you’ve never been a quitter. When shit got tough, you just brought a bigger shovel and left scorched earth in your wake.”

And now maybe he knew what Molly was trying to tell him. And Jamison.

So he showered, shaved, brushed his teeth extra hard, changed into clean clothes, tucked his shirt in, and combed his hair. Next he put on his only jacket, a corduroy one with elbow patches. And while the jacket was old and not stylish, it was still a jacket.

He was waiting in the hotel restaurant at seven thirty sharp when White and Andrews showed up within a minute of each other.

White looked him up and down, noting the groomed appearance and the jacket. “You look ready for war, Decker.”

“Maybe I am.” He glanced at Andrews. “Let’s grab some chow and coffee and go over what needs going over.”

“The APBs have turned up nothing,” said Andrews as they ate. “Kelly’s phone must be turned off because we couldn’t trace it. But search warrants are being issued for Lancer’s and Draymont’s homes. Should have them this morning, in fact.”

“Good,” said Decker. “And the entry log for the guard gate?”

“I have people going over that and noting anything that we’ll have to run down. From what I’ve been told so far, there’s not much there. It did show Draymont came through the gate around eight p.m. that night. I did confirm Davidson was on the Zoom calls with two clients at the times he says. And you said Tyler gave him an alibi for the rest of the relevant time period. We’ll have to get an official statement from him.”

“Right, but as I suggested before, what if Davidson hired someone to kill her?”

“I can check his financials, see if he made any large payments or took out a bunch of cash. Hit men like cash.”

“Okay,” said Decker. “What about Gamma and any info on threats received by the judge?”

“I got an email from their counsel late last night. As you hinted at, they said we would have to go to court if we wanted any information.”

Decker flitted back through his memory cloud and thought about each time they had asked someone about threats to the judge. The result was confusing at best. “Okay, what else?” he said.

“I received the judge’s trial docket info late last night and went over it. There seems to be no cases worth looking at, including the RICO one.”

White said, “I was hoping there would be something there to tie into the blindfold and the weird note left behind.”

Andrews finished his coffee and eyed them. “Any particular place you want to start today?”

“Why don’t you and White collect the warrants and go check out Lancer’s and Draymont’s places.”

On these words, White gave him a death stare that Decker avoided altogether.

“And what will you do?” asked Andrews.

“I’m going back to the judge’s house.”

“Why?” asked White sharply.