"Nothing for herself. It's her daughter who needs the help. That's why Lizzie is in Las Vegas. First, let me tell you about the woman who is seeking your help. The name she signed on her request was Beatrice Basson. Basson was her maiden name and is the name Myra and Annie knew her by. She's been married nine times. Her latest husband's name was Alonzo Preston. The Preston shipping lines," he added for clarification.

Annie poked Myra's arm. "Nine times! Mercy! I never thought she could snare even one man. How'd that happen, Myra? Beats, as we called her, didn't have much going for her." Myra just rolled her eyes. "Remember how she said she was from 'Loo-zee-anna'?" To the others she said, "That's how she talked. She was from Louisiana. Beats came to McLean to her granddaddy's plantation for the summer. Four summers, is what I remember. I think we were eleven the first time she came. I remember that the summer I turned fifteen, she wasn't there for my birthday party, but she came for a visit a few weeks later. We never saw her again after that or even heard anything about her that I can recall."

"That's pretty much how I remember it," Myra said. "Her grandparents died when we were sixteen, and the farm sat empty for years and years. I remember my father talking about titles that weren't clear and land grants, that kind of thing. As a youngster it simply didn't interest me."

"What happened to the nine husbands?" Nikki asked.

"They all died. Natural deaths, before you can ask. All were extremely rich. There were a few lawsuits with some of the husbands' families because Beatrice, as the wife, inherited the bulk of all their fortunes. Everything was eventually settled, and everyone walked away happy, especially Beatrice. She only had one child, with her second husband, a girl named Marble Rose Barnes.

"Marble Rose had a series of nannies from birth. She attended an exclusive preschool, followed by a boarding school, then on to Harvard, where she won a Rhodes Scholarship. Brilliant young woman. My investigation has not turned up anything positive in the way of a mother-daughter relationship between the two of them. Marble Rose visited during holidays for a day here and there, but summers she was sent to a special camp for gifted children. By the age of fifteen the young lady stopped visiting her mother altogether. One can only speculate as to the reason. It might be because every other year or so there was another new husband, or perhaps the young lady had a very busy life.