“Nine and twelve. Daughter and son, respectively. Calvin, named after my father. And Jacqueline, but she goes by Jacky.”
“Do you share custody with your ex?”
“I was still carrying Jacky when my ex decided marriage and fatherhood were not for him. I have full and permanent custody. Calvin doesn’t even remember his father and that’s a damn good thing.”
“You still live in Baltimore?”
“I wasworkingin Baltimore until this morning.”
“Plan to move here?”
“If I can afford anything down here, which I doubt unless I want to live in the nosebleed seats. And I’ll wait and see. Sometimes new assignments don’t stick.”
“Yeah, sometimes they don’t.” Decker said a silent prayer on that one.
“What about you?”
“What about me what?” he said.
“Anything to share?”
“If you spoke to Alex, you know all you need to know about me.”
“But nobody tells it as good as the person himself.”
“I don’t tell anything remotely good about myself or anybody else.”
White took this shot and fired off one of her own. “You know, you’re smaller than I would have thought.”
He looked down at her. “I’m a wall, only not one youleanon.”
“It’s just that Alex made you out to be nine feet tall and eight hundred pounds. Compared to that description, you’re sort of shrimpy. I can’t help feeling disappointed. But nevertheless, are we good to go,partner?”
Decker said with all due candidness, “At this point, I don’t really give a shit.”
“You always this way with the people you work with?”
“Initially, yeah.”
“Well, let’s work quickly through initially then.”
Decker looked her over. “I’m sure you’re a fine agent. I have nothing against you. But change like this is not my thing. And I’ve had more of it in my life than most people.”
She glanced up at his head. “Football player? Cleveland Browns? I hate the Browns. I’m an Eagles girl through and through. Hate the Baltimore Ravens, too, and that’s all I see now.”
“I don’t really follow football anymore.”
She glanced at his head once more. “Yeah, I guess I can understand that.”
The door opened and there stood Talbott. His features grim, he did not seem remotely like the cheerful man from a few minutes ago.
“You two have your first case. You’re heading to Florida. Right now.”
“What happened?” said Decker.
“A federal judge and her bodyguard. They’re both dead.”
Chapter5