"Her father left her a robust trust fund, so money was never an issue in her life. The trust fund is substantial enough that she never has to work a day for the rest of her life. However, she does work. She teaches sixth-graders in a public school, and she's finishing her dissertation on the gambling industry—at which point she'll be known as Dr. Barnes."

"She sounds like a fine young woman. What's the problem? Is the mother or the daughter the prospective client?" Alexis asked.

"The way I see it, the mother is asking for help for her daughter. The daughter at the moment is languishing in a Nevada jail. That's why I sent Lizzie to Vegas."

Chairs moved, deep breaths were taken, eyebrows raised. The interest level heightened with a chorus of whys.

"I can only tell you what I know, which is not all that much. My research is ongoing. Because mother and daughter are not close, Miz Preston's information is sketchy at best, so it's up to Lizzie and me to make sense out of it. She probably left out more than she told me or will tell Lizzie. Clients do that for some reason, and the lawyer gets blindsided. This is what I know so far. Sixteen months ago, Marble Rose was mugged when she left a local gym around nine thirty at night. She was robbed and severely beaten and was in intensive care for five days before her mother even heard about it. By the way, I forgot to tell you the mother lives in California but is currently in Las Vegas.

"Marble Rose had a severe head trauma. Her recovery was long and, no, mother and daughter did not bond during her rehabilitation. The mother was sent packing with a lot of bitter recriminations. Miz Preston returned to California and only returned to Las Vegas last month when Marble Rose was arrested for the fourth time. This time she refused to leave, but Marble Rose will not allow Miz Preston to visit her in jail."

"Why? What did she do?" Jack asked.

Charles cleared his throat. "I don't know how to answer that. In a way she did nothing, and in a way she turned Las Vegas on its ear. It would appear, and I stress the word appear, that Marble Rose's head trauma left her with. . .an extraordinary sense of some kind. At least that's what the mother thinks."