"I wouldn't say that. It just seemed like fate. The minute I saw Cornell, that was it for me. That was grade school. We went to different junior high schools and reconnected in high school in our senior year."

"Love at first sight."

"Right."

"So really, it didn't matter if Charisse and Adrianne were friends –in terms of its effect on you."

"Charisse could do anything she liked. No skin off my back." She glanced at her watch, signaling time was up. She could have been a shrink, given her skill in silent communication.

I held up a hand. "Just one other thing and then I'll let you go. Doesn't it seem a trifle coincidental that your father disappeared just about the same time she did?"

Justine stared at me. "I don't get what you mean."

"Come on, Justine. You're not that naive."

"You're implying the two of them went off together?"

"Didn't it ever cross your mind?"

"Of course not. Daddy left in June. She was with us for months and months after that."

"Actually, it was only until the end of July. Maybe six weeks or so. What if they were having an affair?"

Justine laughed. "Oh, that's gross. I don't like to think he had sex with my mother, let alone with someone like her. That's disgusting."

"Disgusting to you perhaps, but in the annals of human history it's not exactly a first. I said the same thing to your mom. Charisse was promiscuous, so why not him?"

Justine clamped her mouth shut, staring at the floor. Agitated, she tucked a strand of pale hair behind one ear.

I said, "Look, I'm not making any claims here. None of us have the facts. This is purely speculation."

"Well, it's in bad taste," she said. She stood up.

"I guess I better let you go. Maybe I should have a chat with Cornell."

"I'm not sure he's interested."

"He didn't seem opposed to my talking to you."

"He was being polite."

"A quality I've always admired in a man. Anyway, you needn't fret because I can't do it now. I have something else to do."

Hazelwood Springs on my California map was a microdot on Highway 78 ten miles south of Quorum. The town turned out to be so small that I drove straight through without realizing it. I made a three-point turn, using the next convenient driveway, and then doubled back. The entire town consisted of a minimart, two side roads, a scattering of houses, and a two-pump gas station of the old-fashioned variety, where some guy actually came outside, filled your tank, cleaned the windshield, and passed the time of day. I ended up putting another twenty bucks' worth of gas in Dolan's boat, but in return, the fellow was kind enough to point out Lennie Root's place, which was just across the road.