McAdams took off his coat. “Tea is fine. Herbal if you have it. And could you hang this up for me?”

Jill took Tyler’s coat and turned to Decker. “Can I take your coat as well?”

Decker took off his coat. “Thank you.”

“Tea?”

“That would be great.”

Jill took the heavy overcoats and came back a minute later with two teacups and saucers. “I hope it’s okay. It’s mint.” The phone buzzed. “Excuse me a moment.” She lifted the handset. “Okay. Sure.” She hung up. “Max says you can come down.”

“Thank you.” Decker picked up his tea and McAdams followed.

The overhead lighting was reduced to emphasize the Tiffany lamps, which seemed to twinkle and dance when illuminated. Max was sitting with a man in his early twenties in front of a display case of art nouveau desk items. They both stood up as the two detectives came down the stairs. The young lad was very lanky with a full, dark beard and limp hair that grazed his shoulders. His shoulders sagged and his head drooped. He wore jeans and a sweatshirt. Max had on his usual suit and tie. He wore a tense expression that he was desperately trying to mask with a forced smile. Decker’s eyes were on the men, McAdams’s eyes were on the objects.

Max said, “You saved me a phone call, Detective. Please sit.”

“Where should we put our cups?” Decker asked.

Max took them and put them on the floor. He said, “This is my first cousin-in-law, Livingston Sobel.”

“The expat from Brown,” Decker said to Max.

“Indeed. Liv, this is Detective Decker and Detective McAdams.”

The men shook hands. Decker said, “Thanks for seeing us on short notice.”

“Actually it was no notice, but that’s fine. Any news?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid.”

“In that case, Livingston has just been telling me a very interesting story. I was about to phone you, but since you’re here, why not hear it from the primary source.”

“Sure.” Decker took a chair and sat as delicately as he could. The chairs were collectibles.

McAdams took out an iPad. “What’s your password so I can get on the Net?”

“Why do you need to get on the Net?” Max snapped.

McAdams looked up at the sharp tone of voice. “I don’t really need it. It’s just that at every interview we’ve had, I seem to be looking material up. The pad is much faster than my phone.” He took out his smartphone. “I’m getting bars. Don’t worry about it.”

“I haven’t given it a single fret. Why are you here?”

“I’ll fill you in. But first I’d like to hear Livingston’s story.”

Max glared at Livingston. “Tell them what you told me.” When the kid started muttering, Max said, “There is no way they can understand you, Liv. You think you can talk a little clearer?”