“Oh, I don’t know; probably take your advice and sell it in Fort Lauderdale. I don’t want to think about the boat; I’m sick of it, and once I’m out of here I never want to see it again.”

He could understand that, too. “We have to talk for a minute,” he said.

“What about?” She kept packing.

“Could you stop that for a minute? I need your full attention.”

She stopped packing and sat down on the bed. “Okay, shoot.”

He sat down beside her. “I had a call from a lawyer in Palm Beach who represents Libby’s mother.”

Her eyes widened. “How the hell did he know to call you?”

“Libby told him where she was going, and why; also, he watches television, I guess.”

“What did he have to say?”

“He was looking for Libby; her mother hadn’t heard from her. He didn’t know about the crash.”

“Did you tell him?”

“Of course. Sir Winston hadn’t been able to find a next of kin. It was the proper thing to do.”

“What’s this about a mother?”

He sighed. “It’s bad. She’s in her seventies, and she’s had multiple sclerosis for years. She lives on Social Security and what little she makes playing the piano in a Palm Beach hotel, for tips.”

She remained expressionless. “Go on.”

“She relies on Libby for support. They share an apartment, and the lawyer thinks the old lady will have to move, and he doesn’t know where she’ll go.” He waited for a response.

There wasn’t one. Allison continued to stare at him.

“I told you something like this might come up. Her mother is entitled to her estate.”

“She has an estate?”

Oh, God, he thought; this was going to be hard. “The lawyer asked me some questions about any financial arrangements Libby might have with Paul’s estate.” This was true.

“So you think she might have sent him a copy of the agreement?”

“It’s possible.” Just. “She could have sent him the original.”

“You said she didn’t make any phone calls or mail anything.”

“I said I didn’t know that she did.”

“So the lawyer might come after me for the money?”

“That’s a possibility; a certainty, if he has the agreement.”

“It would cost a lot of money to sue me for it, wouldn’t it?”

“Maybe not; you wouldn’t have much of a defense; it would be cut and dried.” This was not entirely truthful, he thought, but that interpretation might legitimately be placed on the situation.

She put a hand on his knee. “Stone, I know you’re worried about this, but I don’t want you to be. I’ll deal with this after the trial, all right? Don’t worry, I’ll do the right thing.”

“Allison, I’m glad you feel that way, but…”

“But what if the trial goes wrong?”

He nodded.