“By keeping her distance. Ignoring him. Eventually, he got the point.”

“How was their relationship getting out of hand?” I said.

Brad frowned. “Is this really relevant to that poor girl’s murder?”

“Probably not, sir. We ask all sorts of questions and hope for the best.”

“Is Meserve a suspect?”

“No, but close friends of the victim are considered individuals of interest, and we haven’t been able to locate Meserve to talk to him.”

“I understand, Detective. But I still don’t see why my sister’s private life needs to be aired.”

I said, “Was there something about Meserve that bothered you more than her other ‘things’?”

Dowd sighed. “In the past, Nora’s relationships were short-lived. Mostly because the men who interest Nora aren’t the type with long-term plans. Meserve seemed different to me. Manipulative, as if he was planning something. That hoax he pulled proves it, right?”

Milo said, “Planning what?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“You suspected he was out for Nora’s money.”

“I started to get concerned when Nora gave him a paid job at the PlayHouse. Creative consultant.” Dowd snorted. “You need to understand: Nora doesn’t charge a penny for her classes. That’s a crucial point, tax-wise, because the PlayHouse— the building, the upkeep, any supplies— is funded by a foundation we set up.”

“You and your sibs.”

“Basically, I did it for Nora, because acting’s her passion. We’re not talking some huge financial undertaking, there’s just enough endowment to keep the classes going. The building’s one of many we inherited from our parents and the rent we forego is a nice deduction against the profit from some other rentals in our portfolio. I’m the nominal head of the foundation so I approve expenditures. Which is why when Nora came to me wanting salary for Meserve, I knew it was time to talk. There was simply nothing in the budget to accommodate that. And it confirmed my suspicions that Meserve was out for something.”

“How much did she want to pay him?”

“Eight hundred a week.”

“Very creative consultant,” said Milo.

“No kidding,” said Dowd. “That’s my point. Nora has no concept of finances. Like a lot of artistic folk.”

“How long ago did she ask for the money?”

“After she offered him the job. A week or so before Meserve and the girl pulled that stunt. Maybe that’s why he did it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Trying to win Nora’s affections with a creative performance. If that was the idea, it backfired.”

“Nora wasn’t pleased.”

“I’d say not.”

“Was she upset at the hoax or something else?”

“Such as?”

“Meserve being with another woman.”

“Jealous? I seriously doubt it. By that time Nora was finished with him.”

“She gets over ‘things’ quickly.”

“Nothing to get over,” said Brad Dowd. “She saw my point, stopped paying attention to him, and he stopped hanging around.”