The Fix (Amos Decker 3)

“If there’s even a remote possibility that she does, or has information that could lead us to whoever it is, we have to follow it up.”

“But Decker, Agent Brown told us that Natalie—”

He snapped, “I know what Agent Brown told us. That doesn?

??t make it true.”

“But we’re working the Berkshire angle. Ross and Todd are doing the Dabney side of the equation.”

“I don’t care who’s doing what, Alex. I go wherever a case takes me.”

Decker rose.

Jamison looked at her watch. “What, you mean go now? It’s not even six-thirty yet.”

The next moment, Decker was out the door without responding.

With twinkling eyes, Mars looked at Jamison and said, “Dude doesn’t change, does he?”

“That’s the problem, Melvin,” retorted Jamison.

CHAPTER

30

IT WAS NEARLY seven o’clock when they arrived at the Dabney home. A couple of cars were in the circular driveway. They were probably rentals being used by the daughters while they were here. The house looked dark, with only the front porch light on.

Mars had come with them. They had driven over in his car because Jamison’s would barely fit her and Decker. But he waited in the car while they walked up to the house.

Decker knocked on the front door. No one came.

“Do you think the housekeeper’s here yet?” asked Jamison.

“I don’t know anything about housekeepers,” said Decker.

They turned toward the door when they heard footsteps.

Jules Dabney opened the door. She was dressed in sweatpants and a GW sweatshirt. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was barefoot.

She looked at them and said crossly, “Jesus, it’s a little early, you know.”

“Is your sister Natalie here?” asked Decker.

“Yes, but she’s asleep.”

“We need to talk to her.”

“Can’t this wait?”

“If it could we wouldn’t be here this early.”

“Look, I’m going to have to insist—”

Decker held out his creds and said, “We need to talk to her.”

Jamison stepped in front of him. “Just tell your sister that we want to talk to her about Corbett.”

“Corbett? Is he okay?”

“Just tell her. If she still doesn’t want to talk to us, we’ll leave and come back later.”

Jules hesitated and then closed the door. They heard her walking away.

As they were standing there waiting, a small Kia SUV pulled up and parked off the main drive. The housekeeper, an older black woman whom Decker and Jamison had seen on a previous visit, got out of the car and walked past them, nodding and smiling. She opened the front door with a key and went in.

Jamison looked at her watch. “Okay, now we know. Housekeepers to the rich get in at seven sharp.”

Another few minutes passed, and when the door opened again, it was Natalie. She had on an ankle-length robe. Her hair was stringy and matted on one side. Her eyes were bloodshot.

“Jules said you wanted to talk about Corbett?”

“Maybe we can come inside?” suggested Jamison.

“I guess,” she said sullenly. She stepped back and they walked past her.

She led them to the library and closed the door behind them. They sat on the couch and she sat across from them. Natalie wouldn’t look at them. Her gaze remained directed at the floor.

“My mom’s not up yet.”

“That’s okay, we don’t need to bother her,” said Jamison. She glanced at Decker.

He said, “We know about the gambling debts. And we know how your father got the money to pay them off.”

“Oh, God!” Natalie put her face in her hands and started sobbing.

Jamison rose, crossed the room, and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her quaking body. She gave Decker a scowl.

Natalie started to gasp for air.

“Are you okay?” asked Jamison.

Natalie reached into her pocket and pulled out an inhaler. She took two quick puffs and her breathing rapidly settled down.

“I’m okay now. Asthma,” she added, holding up the inhaler. “We all have it, except Dad. We got it from Mom.” She leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

Jamison sat back next to Decker and whispered, “I think you need to go a little easy.”

Decker waited for Natalie to regain her composure. She slowly sat up, rubbed her eyes dry with the cord of her robe, and looked at him.

“I didn’t know who else to turn to,” she said, her voice scratchy and raw. “They were going to kill him. They were going to kill all of us.”

“Did you know about the gambling?” asked Decker.

“I didn’t know the extent of it. And I didn’t know he was mixed up with the sort of people who would murder you.”

“Are you sure he’s not going to do it again?” asked Jamison.

“This scared the shit out of Corbett. But at this point, I don’t really care. I’m divorcing him. He cost me my father. I hate him. I hate everything about him. I’m coming back to the States with my daughter. I just have to find a place to live.”

“Do you know where your father got the money?”

She shook her head. “I know he and Mom are well-off. But the amount was so huge.”

“Ten million, we heard,” said Decker.

She nodded. “I didn’t think they had that kind of money in cash. But maybe if they sold the house and some other stuff.”

Decker said, “And you were expecting your father to do that? Sell everything they had. Everything they’d worked for?”

“I…I don’t know. I don’t know what I was expecting him to do, I guess.” She paused. “When I was a kid and got into trouble my father always fixed things. Always. He made things right. I guess…I guess I got used to that.”

Decker said firmly, “That works with falling off your bike and getting your feelings hurt when someone calls you a name. But you’re not a kid anymore, Natalie.”

She gazed fixedly at him. “I know that. I don’t need a lecture from the FBI, okay?”

“So he said nothing to you about where he was going to get the money?”

“No. He just told me he’d take care of it.”

“How was the money sent?” asked Jamison.

“I think he had it wired. But I’m not sure. I just know that it was received. Corbett told me. He was so relieved.”

“I’m sure,” said Decker harshly. “So when you heard about your father, what did you think had happened?”

“I didn’t know what to think. I thought, I thought maybe he had snapped or something. When Jules called she was so calm and