Free Jupiter's Bones by Faye Kellerman

me.” She hesitated. “And if you go to a public range, maybe you can take Sammy?”
    Decker was taken aback. “Why in the world would I do that ?”
    “Because Sammy has made up his mind where he wants to study in Israel next year. He wants to go to a yeshiva in Alon Shvut—Gush Etzion. It’s behind the green line and—”
    “Hold on! What do you mean behind the green line ?”
    “It’s in the territories, so they do Shmerah there—guard duty. It wouldn’t hurt him to have a jump-start on how to handle a weapon—”
    “ What?! ” Decker suddenly realized he’d missed his turn-off. He also realized his heart was still hammering inside his chest. He pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway, and killed the engine. “Hold on a friggin’ minute! When was this decided?”
    “He was going to say something to you this morning but you rushed off—”
    “Excuse me, I was called off!” He was shouting, but he didn’t care. “Rina, how could you agree without at least talking it over with me! How could you agree to it period ! You’re his mother, for goodness sakes! Don’t you care about his safety?”
    “Peter, I used to live in Gush—”
    “And cavemen used to grunt instead of talk.” He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to reach for a cigarette. “Allowing Sammy to go to Israel was a big concession for me. I love that boy!”
    “So do I—”
    “I’ll be damned if I’m going to put him in danger! Going anywhere within the disputed territories is out of the question! End of discussion.”
    The line went dead for a moment.
    Decker said, “Are you still there?”
    “Yes, I’m still here.”
    “Rina, I’m expecting a united front on this one!”
    “Peter, as his mother, I agree with you one hundred percent. Except we’re not just two parents, we’re three. He told me that if Gush was good enough for his father, then it’s good enough for him. Now what do I say to that?”
    Decker felt his head throb.
    His father . Of course that meant Rina’s late husband, Yitzchak. Decker had been Sammy’s father for over seven years, almost two years longer than Yitzchak had been with the boy. Still, the word father was reserved for this ghost.
    Rina said, “Are you still there?”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Decker smoothed his mustache. “All right. At least I see what the problem is. Not that I’m agreeing to anything. But I understand…we’ll talk about this later.”
    Rina said, “It was wrong of me to bring it up.”
    “No, it wasn’t,” Decker answered. “I know it’s easierdealing with me on the phone than it is in person. I’ll try to behave civilly about this. But no promises.”
    “Fair enough.”
    “I love you,” Decker said.
    “Love you, too.”
    Decker said, “No, I really mean that. I love you.”
    “And I really mean I love you, too. We’ll talk later. Finish your sandwich in peace…and hopefully without indigestion.”
    Fat chance of that! Decker said good-bye, then cut the line and leaned back in the driver’s seat. As always, after these types of issues, he debated his efficacy as a husband and father. Would his children—unlike Ganz’s—mourn for him when he was dead? Would it make a difference if they did? To him, life wasn’t about memories, it was rooted in the here and now. Yet there was his stepson, Sammy, desperately trying to communicate with the departed. What was the point of telling him it couldn’t be done? It would only build resentment.
    But better resentment than to risk his son’s welfare. Youth had no concept of danger. Decker knew that because once he had been young. He waited a few moments, then started the engine. When the lane was clear, he pulled out into the void and joined up with the smooth flow of oncoming cars.
     
    Southwest University of Technology had set its roots in Pasadena, a quiet, staid town northeast of Los Angeles. A small place compared to its overcrowded sister, it harked back to gentler times—less traffic, street parking and