Jamison stiffened and seemed incapable of answering.
Before she could get a reply out, Decker bent down, lifted Zoe up in his arms, and pointed to the building. “You see how big this place is?”
Zoe nodded.
“Well, your dadhelped run this whole thing. Look at all these cars and all the people who work here. It was very important what he did. Taking care of this building and all these people. They all counted on your dad. And he did a really good job.”
Zoe put her thumb in her mouth and her eyes turned watery.
Decker continued, “So we just need to go in and get his stuff, because his stuff belongsat home with you and your mom, right?”
Zoe nodded vigorously while sucking anxiously on her thumb.
Decker walked on with the little girl in his arms, a stunned-looking Jamison hurrying after the pair.
Inside, they were directed to the office of the person who managed the facility. The nameplate was on the wall next to the office door.
“Ted Ross,” read offDecker. “Interesting.”
Through the gap in the blinds covering the window looking into the office they could see a middle-aged man in a dress shirt and tie with thinning gray hair sitting behind his desk and on the phone. Three of the walls were white-painted drywall, but the rear wall had been gussied up with wood paneling trimmed with moldings and medallions. A boxed Pittsburgh Steelersjersey with a “terrible towel” suspended inside was hanging on one section of the wall.
“Why is it interesting? Do you know him?” asked Jamison.
“I might have met his old man.”
They knocked on the door and they could see Ross glance up, finish his call, and cross the room to open the door.
He looked up at Decker, then Zoe, and his features turned somber.
“I’m Ted Ross. Thanks for coming in. We didn’t know what to do with…”
He stopped and glanced uncertainly at Zoe.
Jamison said, “We were glad to come by. Amber is my sister. I’m Alex Jamison and this is Amos Decker.”
“You’re both with the FBI, I heard.”
“That’s right,” said Jamison. “And this is Zoe, Frank’s daughter.”
Ross put out hishand for Zoe to shake. “Hello, Zoe, it’s very nice to meet you.”
Zoe nodded and shook his hand, but said nothing, as her thumb was still firmly planted in her mouth.
“Is your father Fred Ross?” asked Decker.
Ross looked surprised. “Yeah, why?”
“I met him the other night.”
“Sorry,” said Ross tightly. “He’s a real piece of work.”
“One wayof putting it,” replied Decker.
“Anyway, let me show you where the things are.”
Ross led them down a long hallway.
“How big is this place?” asked Decker.