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have given away beautiful treasures like these books?
It takes a lot more to be a Torah Jew than just an acci-
dent of birth.
Well, that ends that, Decker thought.
He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a
six-pack of Dos Equis.
Okay. I give up.
Please don t be angry.
Nah, I m not angry. He opened up a green bottle
and took a gulp. I don t understand your reasoning,
but at least it s nothing personal.
Believe me, it s not.
258 / Faye Kellerman
I honestly thought you could be worn down, but
you re tough.
He took a few more swigs, finished off the bottle,
and tossed it in the garbage.
It s damn frustrating, though.
Decker stared across the room, then returned his
eyes to Rina.
Anyone else ever chase you like this?
His tone of voice had become abruptly neutral, and
his eyes were hard. She didn t know what to think.
Not really, she said softly. I met Yitzchak at seven-
teen and married him six months later. I was out of
circulation very young.
How about recently? Anyone ever ask you out and
you refused?
A couple of the bochrim I dated like Shlomo.
When they asked me out a second time, I said no. Ex-
cept for Shlomo, they ve all left the yeshiva.
Who else?
It doesn t matter.
It matters to me.
She stared at him, then asked:
What are you getting at?
Nothing really, he said mildly. Just grasping at
straws.
But he had taken on a cop s demeanor. She found
herself relieved that the conversation had turned more
business-like.
No one outside of the yeshiva men ever asked you
out? he asked.
Well, after Yitzchak died I went back to UCLA to
finish my B.A. A couple of grad stu-
THE RITUAL BATH / 259
dents and a professor asked me for a date. They didn t
seem broken up by my refusal.
How long ago was this?
A year, year and a half ago.
Do you remember their names?
The professor s name was Dooley. Frank or Fred.
I don t even think he s in LA anymore.
And the students?
Blanks.
Anyone else?
She paused.
Matt Hawthorne asked me out ages ago. But Matt s
harmless.
Matt s the teacher who s been guarding the place
on Friday night?
Yes, he and Steve Gilbert. In a pinch they ve even
walked me home at night, so if either had wanted to
do something, he d have had ample opportunity.
Not really. Not if he didn t want you to know his
identity.
You are grasping at straws.
What d Matt say when you said no?
He made a joke out of it. Said he was only teasing,
that he d wanted to take me to a nudie show and watch
me blush. But if you knew Matt, you d know that s the
way he is. A little crude at times, but he doesn t mean
anything by it.
How long have you known him?
About five years. Both he and Steve had been
working at the yeshiva when Yitzchak and I arrived.
How about Gilbert?
260 / Faye Kellerman
What do you mean?
He never asked you out?
She paused for a long time.
Actually we went out for a drink once. But, she
quickly clarified, it wasn t a date. He s been engaged
to the same girl on and off for five years, and this was
one of his in-between periods. It was also a year after
Yitzchak died, and I was so lonely. But we concen-
trated on him. He was feeling very low, and I gave
him a shoulder to cry on.
Never asked you out again?
No. As I said, it wasn t a date. He knows as well
as Matt that I only date Jewish men. Besides, Steve
loves his fiancée. I ve met her, and she s a very nice
girl. Both of them have trouble making decisions; they
keep setting dates and breaking them. He s due to get
married in about six weeks, and it looks like this time
it s going to go through.
What s he like?
Quiet, but not unusually so for a physics type. I
was a math-physics major in college, and I knew lots
of guys like him.
What about your students, Rina? Any of them seem
a little off?
They re boys, Peter!
They re the same age as Cory Schmidt.
Lehavdil. In answer to your question, no. The kids
I teach are terrific.
And you know every single one?
There are a hundred boys in the yeshiva s high
school. I know close to every single one. They re fine,
normal boys.
THE RITUAL BATH / 261
He threw his arms upward, stretched, then opened
another bottle of beer.
You re probably right.
But she sensed he wouldn t leave it at that.
We d better be getting back, Peter. I can t wait until
you take the books over to the Rosh Yeshiva. He could
tell you a lot more about them than I could, as far as
value. Rav Aaron is often asked by galleries to appraise
works of Judaica. His study is like a museum.
I d like to see it.
He d show it to you. He s very proud of his collec-
tion.
Rina, I want to ask you an off-the-wall question.
Okay.
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