Brynn shrugs. ‘Maybe. Or maybe he just doesn’t give a fuck. Apparently, he’s mad at her for not calling him. She was supposed to yesterday, to let him know when she’ll be home. But he didn’t seem worried. Said something about this not being the first time she had made herself unavailable. That she likes taking time-outs, isolating herself for a few days without telling anyone where she is.’

Karen looks down at her notes.

‘One thing that strikes me as odd is that Jarred is supposedly the only person from her personal life who knows she’s here. Surely, she’s surrounded by people? A manager, for example, people who look after her finances, her house, her kids . . .’

It suddenly dawns on her she has no idea how the ‘other half’ live. Especially not celebrities with hundreds of millions in their bank accounts.

‘Yeah, she has people working for her, but not as many as she used to. No active manager, but lawyers and financial advisers to run her company. Given as how she hasn’t toured or recorded in almost eleven years, it’s mostly about perpetuating the wealth.’

‘What about domestic staff?’

‘She had a nanny until about six months ago, but apparently she was fired after a disagreement. And I assume there are others: assistants, housekeepers, cleaners, and so on; she does have houses in both LA and France, after all, and a big flat in New York, as well. But none of them knows she’s here. At least, that’s what she told me.’

‘Why is that? Doesn’t she trust her own staff?’

‘No, apparently that’s exactly it. She has had employees leak pictures of her and the kids in the past. And when it turned out the source with “first-hand knowledge of the family” who blabbed to the press about her divorce was the nanny, she’d had enough. Since then, she has pretty much isolated herself and lives fairly simply.’

Oh yes, Karen thinks to herself, it sounds very spartan, what with the lawyers and housekeepers and all. And as though he can see what she’s thinking, Brynn adds, ‘Simple compared to before, I mean. Luna probably never played in the quite the same league as Madonna or Lady Gaga, but she did fill the big arenas in the US, Japan, and Europe for years. And she quit while she was ahead. Didn’t turn into some sad has-been, touring endlessly, lip-syncing.’

‘Why did she quit?’

Brynn reaches for his beer bottle.