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Chapter 44
WHAT IN THEworld are you doing? Why are you packing?”
Jamison was standing in the doorway of Decker’s bedroom as he stuffed some clothes and his toiletry bag into his duffel.
“I gotta go somewhere.”
“Go where? Back to D.C.?”
“No, New Jersey.”
She gaped. “New Jersey? Why?”
“I’ve got a lead. A good one. Just happened a bit ago. From Cindi Riley.”
She looked at him incredulously. “Decker, Frank’s funeral is the day after tomorrow. And you’re leaving? There’s so much to do.”
“I’ll be back in time. I’m leaving now. I’ll get there early in the morning, do my thing, and be back late tomorrow.”
“But my sisters are here now. And Frank’sparents and siblings will be here in the morning. I thought you could pick his parents up from the bus station. And one of his sisters too, she’s coming in by train. The others are driving directly here.”
Decker stopped his packing. “I’m sure your sisters will help out. And just so you know, I have to take the rental.”
“Wait a minute, you’redrivingto New Jersey?”
“Only way, really. I looked at flights. First one out of Pittsburgh is ten o’clock tomorrow morning, and it isn’t even direct. I have to connect through freaking Charlotte, if you can believe that. And there’s no train schedule that works and no bus service that does either. The quickest way is to drive it. I can be there in under seven hours.”
“Okay, but you do realize what time it is?When exactly do you plan to sleep?”
“I’m good. The adrenaline is pumping and I’ll get some shut-eye when I get there.”
“Decker, this is not smart.”
“I’ve got to go, Alex. I found out something tonight that I need to check out.”
She sat down on the bed. “You said you had a lead from Cindi Riley. What is it?”
He told her about Stanley and Nigel Nottinghamand finding the name and address on the back of the photo in Costa’s condo.
He handed the photo to her and she looked it over.
“So let me get this straight—this Nigel Nottingham was Baron the First’sbutler?”
“Yeah. And I’m betting Stanley is his, I don’t know, great-grandson or something. That’s why Todd didn’t find a connection to Baronville. He only went back asfar as Stanley Nottingham’s parents. He lived in the same building as Bradley Costa in New York. They were neighbors.”
She handed back the photo. “So, what exactly is your theory?”
“That Stanley Nottingham told Costa something about Baronandthis town that made him pull up his roots in Manhattan and come here. Riley told me that Costa told her he came to Baronville to followhis dream, which struck me as really curious. Well, I’m hoping that Nottingham can tell me what that dream was.”
Jamison rubbed her forehead, her features exhausted.
“Okay, I can see how that might be important to the investigation. But can’t this wait untilafterthe funeral?”
“Stanley Nottingham is elderly and just moved to a nursing home. How do I know the guywon’t drop dead tomorrow? And if he does, there goes the only lead I have.”
She snapped, “It’s always about thecase, isn’t it? It always takes priority over everything. No matter what.”
Decker stopped packing and looked at her. “It’s not like that, Alex.”
