The Fallen (Amos Decker #4)(48)

“But—”

“No buts, Decker. We’re going!”

“Alex—”

Jamison made a slashing motion with her free hand. “Not another word. She’s my niece and I love her more than anything.”

Decker sighed and slumped back against his seat.

*



The restaurant was half full. When Jamison had said this was the best restaurant in Baronville, Decker hadn’t known what to expect. But it was comfortably furnished and sparkling clean. The wait staff wore white shirts and black bow ties, the napkins were linen, and the menu had some dishes Decker had never heard of but that sounded tantalizing.

Amber and Zoe were in dresses, and even Decker could tell that Amber had taken time with her makeup and her and her daughter’s hair. This was apparently a big deal. Decker’s mind took him back to his own daughter’s birthdays. They were big deals.

He glanced at Jamison, who gazed adoringly at her niece.

“Did you have a good day at school, Zoe?” she asked.

“It was okay.”

Amber said, “It’s always tough starting in a new school. But you’ll make friends, Zoe. You always do.”

“Yeah,” said Zoe, staring dejectedly at the tabletop.

Decker studied her. There was something in his head he wanted to say, but for some reason he couldn’t make it come out. Then it occurred to him that he had superimposed his dead daughter’s face over Zoe’s. He looked away, rubbing at his temples.

Okay, Decker, that is definitely not healthy.

“Where’s Frank?” asked Jamison.

Her sister made a face. “Work. Something came up. He should be here soon, though.”

“Sounds like a tough job,” said Decker.

“Well, at least it’s a good-paying job,” said Amber. “And one that’s not backbreaking. Even though we already did some renovations on it, once Frank gets established here, we’re thinking about selling our current house and buying a larger place. There are some beautiful old homes here sitting empty. They just need some TLC.”

Zoe looked at her mother in a betrayed fashion. “Does that mean we’ll have to move again?”

Amber looked nervous. “It won’t be for a while, sweetie.”

Despite this assurance, Zoe slumped back in her seat looking sad.

Noting this, Jamison said, “How about you open your presents now, Zoe?” She pulled two boxes from her bag and set them in front of her niece.

Amber said, “Alex, you didn’t have to do that. You’re paying for dinner already.”

“A birthday means presents,” said Jamison firmly, her gaze on Zoe.

Zoe immediately brightened. “Which one should I open first?”

“I think the one on the right. The smaller one.”

Zoe very carefully unwrapped the paper. Revealed was a small wooden box. She gripped the lid and glanced up at Jamison, who nodded encouragingly.

Zoe opened the box. Inside was a necklace with a cross on the end.

“Wow.” Zoe slowly took it out.

“Want to know something neat about that necklace?” said Jamison. Zoe nodded as her mother helped her put the necklace on.

“It was given to me by my aunt when I turned six, just like you.”

“This…this was yours?”

Amber said, “I thought I recognized it.”

“But, Aunt Alex, I can’t take your necklace.”

“Yes you can. Because it’s not really my necklace. It’s been passed down in our family for seven generations. So now it’s your turn to wear it. And when you get older, it’ll be your responsibility to pass it on to someone you love too.”

Zoe looked up at her aunt with a face full of adoration. “That is so awesome.”

“That is awesome,” interjected Decker as he glanced at his partner.

“Thank you,” said Jamison, beaming. “Okay, open the other one.”

Zoe unwrapped the other present, revealing a book.

“Charlotte’s Web,” exclaimed Zoe. “Mom read this to me.”

“Look inside,” said Jamison.

Zoe opened the book and her jaw dropped. “It’s…it’s signed.”

“E. B. White. He signed that for a young friend of his about forty years ago. Do you see what her name was?”

Zoe read off the name. “Zoe!”

“That’s right.”

“How did you ever find that?” asked Amber.

“I have a friend who works at a rare books dealer in New York. She’s been on the lookout for something like this for me for about a year.”

Zoe said slowly, “This must have cost a lot of money.”

Jamison leaned over, hugged her niece, and kissed her on the forehead. “What it is, Zoe, is a great book that you can read over and over your whole life.”

“And every time I open it I can pretend that he signed it to me!”

“Yes, you absolutely can. That’s called using your imagination, which is what Mr. White used to write the story in the first place.”

Zoe said, “These are the best presents I’ve ever gotten.”

Amber smiled at her sister and gave her a thumbs-up.

And then the door to the restaurant opened and there stood Detectives Green and Lassiter.