She sat in silence clutching her thick fake fur, leopard skin, Fendi bag. The righting of goddam wrongs again, what is it with this attempt at the impossible. Clutching at her clutch, with damp seeping from her pores, thickening the fur and matting its sheen.

Did he not think what it would do to her life? Did he care?

She asked him directly.

‘It would affect the privacy of my life enormously, I mean, disrupt my life entirely, even if there was no criminality involved.’

‘I don’t suppose there is criminality involved directly with you Lomita, but yes I can’t deny that your life, for a time anyway, would be turned upside down. I suppose it’s about whether you benefitted from the theft of stolen artefacts in any way.’

‘That’s difficult to prove. Is it not? I mean whether I actually benefitted?’

He expressed a sound that could be confirmed as a questioning –

‘Mmmm.’

She felt upside down now, dizzy and very weak. Unwell would be a reasonable description. This was going to make her unwell, this could kill her. I don’t suppose he had thought of that.

‘I am not a well woman, Ingmar.’

She offered by way of a plea.

‘But it is really about the art, not you.’

Of course the man had no heart, why would he? You can’t appeal to someone who puts objects, however beautiful, before people.

‘Then you wouldn’t care what happened to me?’

‘I would care, but I wouldn’t necessarily anticipate a negative outcome. In other words, it wouldn’t stop me.’

‘My health then, would not be important to you?’

‘It would not be the prime consideration. No. If I am being totally honest.’

And why would you be anything else, when it suits you? Unvoiced.

Does this man have no feeling? Unvoiced.

What a man, she thought, how extraordinary to be involved with a man like that. She was seething and sarcasm offered her an immediate vent. They had turned up La Cienega, taking a left on Burton Way.

‘Would you mind, the sun is making me quite dizzy. Do you think you could put the top up on the car?’

‘Of course, sorry, yes, I should have asked earlier. I think I’m made of leather.’

So true, you certainly are. Unvoiced.

*

He slowed down by the Hermitage Hotel.

The valet parking attendants experienced a momentary excitement at the prospect of taking the car. He didn’t need to stop: in twenty seconds the top was secured. One more piece of protection from Ever, thought Lomita. Please Ever, see some sense. Please.

She believed her silent pleas of please would get out there; connect in the ether. She closed her eyes to concentrate the effort: she felt like a witch.