Bill made widgets—not really, but I could never remember what Bill actually manufactured. Something about parts that were parts of other parts that went into cars. I’d sat next to him at a dinner party and he’d talked endlessly about how the EPA’s requirements and catalytic converters would make our air cleaner. I was all for cleaner air. He lost me on the engineering side.

Fred was a banker with a reputation for making aggressive loans (as a rule, bankers were a conservative sort).

“Bill’s business has grown these past few years. And with GM putting catalytic converters in all its cars, there’s talk of taking the company public.”

“That’s wonderful.”

Her smile was proud. “Isn’t it?”

“Congratulations.”

“That’s why Bill can't take off for vacation in August. There’s too much work. Please, don’t tell anyone. It’s supposed to be confidential."

I nodded but made no promises. There was a good chance I’d tell Anarchy. “Understood.”

“Oh! Merit and Graham argued.”

“How did that start?”

“She has her panties in a twist because President Ford was appointed, not elected. She doesn’t think he should be treated as an incumbent."

“But he's the President.”

“That’s what Graham told her. Then she started a diatribe about the Founding Fathers' intent. Deadly dull. Graham suggested she learned her American history from watching 1776. Well, you know Merit. She has some esoteric degree from Vassar, and his casting aspersions on her education made her spitting mad.”

“I can imagine.”

“She told Graham he was just a money-grubbing lawyer.”

Which lined up with what Libba told me. “What was Tommy doing?”

“Drinking. Steadily. He wanted no part of Merit's little debate. Not even after Graham told her she had a stick up her keister. When she saw her husband wasn’t going to fight her battle, she ran off.”

“Alone?”

“No one went after her.”

Giving her the opportunity to steal Perry's gun. “What did Tommy say?”

“Nothing much. The poor man looked miserable. Bill changed the subject to baseball.”

“What do you think the problem is?”

“With Merit and Tommy?”

I nodded. The answer was obvious, but I was interested in Buffy’s take.

“I want your opinion, too. You take Merit.”

“Merit cloaks her insecurities in airs.” It was more than that. As long as Merit defined herself as the smartest person in the room, she could pretend emotions didn’t matter. By poking fun at her knowledge and intelligence, Graham had attacked her sense of self.

Buffy nodded her agreement, then said, “Tommy went to Harvard, but he’s never done a thing but marry Merit and run her family's company. He’s bored and frustrated and tired.” Her assessment was spot on.

“He's a nice man.”

“The nicest,” she agreed.