“Gentlemen, I’m Dr. Tilbury. It’s so good to meet you in person.” He walks toward us, arm extended, and I think he’d have a compassionate, concerned look on his face if Botox allowed it. I don’t like this man. Not one bit.

“Dr. Tilbury, I’m Bruno, and this is Amadeo. It’s good to meet you.”

“Oh, but I thought the brothers would come. You’re their uncle? Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Bruno lies.

“My brother was under the weather, so Bruno accompanied me to the States. We didn’t want to put off this meeting any longer. Mr. Russo was so positive about the work you did with his daughter, well, it’s just what my sister needs.”

He smiles. “Yes, you mentioned Mr. Russo in one of our conversations. My condolences. He was a good man.”

No comment.

“And Vittoria. Sweet child. Too young to carry such a burden,” he says with a look as if he’s reminiscing. It turns my stomach, and I really don’t like how he refers to her as sweet. It has a creepy quality to it. “You know, Mr. Russo was one of the first to believe in my work,” he says with a smile. Anything close to emotion has been erased from his eyes, an egotistical gleam replacing it. God complex.

“Was he?”

“Come into my office and we can talk. Tea, coffee? Something stronger?”

“No, thanks,” I answer for us both as we’re shown into Tilbury’s oversized, luxurious office where he takes a seat behind his desk, and we’re directed to sit on the leather chairs across from it. Behind him on the wall are various degrees. Apart from that, there is nothing personal. No photos of anyone, not even a dog. As far as I know, he’s never married and never had children, nor does he have siblings.

He opens the laptop on his desk and puts a pair of reading glasses on. “Now about Hannah. She’s fourteen, if I recall.”

I grip the arms of the seat at the mention of Hannah’s name, her age. So far, it’s all the truth. But things are going to get trickier when he digs deeper. Good news is we have enough on him that he’ll go along with what he need him to go along with.

“That was Vittoria’s age, and you worked with her for about a year, is that right, Doctor?” I ask.