“Maybe he realized it’s an awful lot of money when you can’t play a note.”

“Worse comes to worst, you sell them to someone else.”

“I’m just wondering if he caught on that any amorous intentions are not going to be reciprocated. I have been avoiding small talk.”

“If he had ulterior motives and drops out, you’re lucky.”

“For sure,” she said.

Her tone didn’t match her words.

I said, “You’ve put a lot of work into this and now it’s complicated.”

“Maybe just in my own mind.”

“You’ve got good instincts, Rob.”

“Not always… guess I’d better clear my head before turning on the band saw. See you tomorrow, love.”

I told Milo about my meeting with Polito.

He said, “Deputy commissioner’s brother-in-law, huh? And this particular D.C. also happens to be His Holiness’s former driver.”

“Takes a village to catch crooks,” I said.

“And to breed ’em. So Bright didn’t come across gay to Polito?”

“Combine that with dramatic changes in appearance, pretending to be a vegan, the Jekyll-Hyde pattern his sister described, and we can’t be sure of anything about him.”

“All the world’s a stage.”

“Bloody stage. Let’s see what Roland Korvutz has to say about him.”

“You’re going to approach Korvutz directly?”

“Wasn’t that the point of giving me his home address and his favorite haunts?”

“Yeah, but I woke up this morning with second thoughts. Why would Korvutz even talk to you?”

“If I can keep the emphasis on Dale Bright and off him, maybe he’ll fancy himself a performer and let something interesting slip.”

“If he paid Bright to do the Safrans, he’ll give you the boot or worse.”

“Why settle for pessimism when you can have fatalism?”

“You’ve been reading my diary. This guy could be big trouble, amigo, and I don’t see any payoff in getting him nervous. Go back to your hotel, put quarters in the massage bed, get a good night’s sleep.”

“Aw, thanks. Mom.”

“I’m serious.”

“How’re things on the home front?”

“Changing the subject doesn’t alter reality.”

“I’ll watch my back. Anything new?”

“The home front is nada,” he said. “Why settle for fatalism when I can have futility? Where were you planning to meet Korvutz?”

“Still am. La Bella.”

“The Italian place.”

“Upper East Side, we’re not talking hefty guys drinking espresso in some social club.”

“At best you’re spinning your wheels, Alex. Why would Korvutz blink at you?”

“At one time or another, doesn’t everyone want to be a star?” My neck tightened. “Just thought of something. If Dale’s a wannabe Olivier, maybe that’s what brought him to New York in the first place.”

“Roar of the greasepaint,” he said.