“And it might help explain what happened to him, after three years.” She stopped and turned to him. “Because I have to know, Mr. Decker.”
“You have a company specializing in investigating just this sort of thing, Ms. Roe.”
“Please, call me Kasimira. And yes, I know that, but much of our work isprotection. While we do have investigators, I would like a fresh pair of eyes on this, an outsider. And my people havehada shot at solving it over the last three years. They’ve come up with nothing.”
“I already have a job,” countered Decker.
“With this latest revelation about the money, you may not have a choice. I think somehow the murders of Draymont and the judge might be connected to my father’s disappearance.”
Decker looked down at his white wrinkled toes. “That’s an interesting theory.”
“Which might be proved correct, or not. But you can’t discount it, not yet.”
He glanced up to see a set of pleading eyes on him.
“No, you’re right. I can’t. Yet.”
“So you will look into it?”
“I follow the evidence where it takes me. And if it takes me in the direction of what happened to your father, that’s where I’ll go, too.”
“Thank you, Mr. Decker. Thank you.”
They walked back to her apartment after rinsing off their feet, and Decker put on his socks and shoes.
She held out a file. “This is everything I have on my father’s disappearance.”
Decker took it and said, “Your father was a child when he left Czechoslovakia?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So he personally couldn’t have had enemies when he left there. What about the rest of his family?”
“He rarely spoke about them other than to say they were simple farmers.”
“Didyouknow your grandparents? Were they politically connected, or wealthy? Were they with the KGB and the Soviets were pissed they fled the country with maybe a bunch of nuclear weapons secrets?”
“They died before I was born, so I never met them. But I’ve seen pictures, though. Theyweresimple farmers. They would have meant nothing to the Soviet leadership.”
Decker glanced at the file. “So, other things being equal, it was probably your father’s enemies inthiscountry that made him disappear.”
“But the Slovakian money?”
“That could mean any number of things, Kasimira. But what I could use from you is a background file on Draymont and Lancer. What they did before coming to Gamma, that sort of thing. Think you can provide that without making us go to court?”
“I think I can manage that.”
“Send it to Agent Andrews so he won’t feel left out.”
“But there’s something else you need to know. My father was terminally ill. He had only months to live. I think that’s why he wanted to go out on his boat. Maybe one last time.”
Decker stared pointedly at her.
“Do you think that’s important?” she said.
“I think everything in a case is important, until it’s proven conclusively not to be.”
“So you’ll let me know what you find out?”