Long Shadows

Chapter 5

“T​hank God for mothers,” said White as she settled in her plane seat next to Decker. “Especially on short notice.”

“She takes care of the kids while you’re traveling?”

“Yep. Otherwise, I couldn’t do it. Childcare is outrageously expensive, even when you can find it. Lucky she was a young mother. Still got a lot of energy.”

“Five kids will age you fast.”

“She worked, too, as the assistant principal at the school where we all went. My dad was a cop in Philly. Never made that much money.”

“Is he retired?”

“He died in the line of duty.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“My mother got a big settlement from the city.”

“Why was that?” he said curiously.

“Because the dude that shot my father was also a cop, who didn’t like the color of my dad’s skin. And then the department tried to cover it up and make it look like an accident. This was twenty years ago, I was still in high school.”

“Civilizations don’t always progress, they sometimes regress.”

“Didn’t expect that from you.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“I don’t know, to tell the truth.”

After the jet lifted into the air, White said, “You read the email they sent about what happened in Florida?”

Decker nodded.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think anything. Somebody else’s version of the facts in an email doesn’t mean anything to me. I need to see it for myself.”

“Well, what I got from it was this was an inside job, or at least the killer knew things he shouldn’t have.”

“You’re making assumptions that aren’t justified yet.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“That it was only one killer. And that it was male.”

“I was just speaking generally.”

“I like specifics much better. So explain why you think that,” he said.

“The person or persons knew the judge’s routine. No forced entry. Her personal security was killed without him fighting back. That tells me that he didn’t perceive what was happening as a threat. The judge was killed and there was no sign of a struggle. She didn’t try to call for help.”

“So she might have known whoever it was who killed her. The guard too.”

“But why let someone in if they just killed your protection?” White asked.

“She either didn’t know that had happened, or something even more devious was going on. She’s divorced. Ex lives in the area.”

“Right. So the ex-hubby’s a possible suspect.”

“Spouses, and particularly exes, always are.”

“Don’t I know it,” replied White.

The plane started shedding altitude an hour and a half later, and they landed at the Southwest Florida International Airport near Fort Myers. A rental car was waiting for them.

White drove while Decker wedged himself into the passenger seat of the midsize four-door.

White glanced over at him as they pulled into traffic. “Sorry, it’s all they had. Shortage of rental cars these days.”

“I’ve never ridden in one that was remotely comfortable, so my expectations are nonexistent.”

“Agent from the local RA is on the scene,” she said, referring to an FBI Resident Agency.

“I know.”

“The bodies are still there, too. They’re apparently holding them for us.”

He glanced at her. “Are you trying to screw with me?”

“No, I’m trying to be informative.”

“Don’t.”

“Alex said you could get testy.”

“You haven’t even seen mildly annoyed, much less the other side of the Rubicon.”

“Thanks for the information,” she replied. “I like to know where I stand.”

He recited from memory, “‘As a person of color and a woman on top of that, I find it a necessity to my future well-being, and that of my family.’”

“Alex also said your memory could be frustrating at times, but she worked around it.”

Decker looked out the window at the bright sky and said, “I never liked Florida. When I played ball at Ohio State, we would come down to play Florida and Florida State and Miami. Hated every second of it, and not only because their players were so much faster and athletic than we were.”

“Why? Too much heat or too many old people? Or both?”

“No, it’s because I’m just a lunch pail guy from the Midwest.”

“Meaning?”

“I hate sand.”