“Don’t you think it’s strange there hasn’t been a funeral yet?”

“Not particularly. They’re planning it now. It’ll be next week.”

“I see. I’ll look forward to it.”

“You’re coming?”

“Of course. Derek and I go way back. He was our firm’s biggest client.”

Right. That was how Lacey had gotten involved in all this.

“I understand the police are investigating all of his children…and Lacey.”

I dropped my mouth open. I didn’t know why I was surprised. It must be common knowledge. A high-profile billionaire had been murdered.

“Yes. They’re all innocent.”

“I believe they probably are.”

“Does this have something to do with what you want to tell me?”

“Yeah, actually. I like Lacey. Always have. I don’t for a minute believe she could murder anyone, not even Derek Wolfe.”

“Good. Because she didn’t. And you’re right. She doesn’t have it in her.”

“As for the Wolfe siblings, I don’t know them well, other than Reid. Reid shares his father’s business acumen, and he’s a pretty nice guy. Derek Wolfe paid our firm a lot of money over the years, so we did our share of ass kissing. But I’ll be honest with you, Charlie.”

I nodded.

“He wasn’t a nice guy.”

Right. Tell me something I don’t know.

“Uh-huh,” was all I said.

“I’m not sure what Lacey thought of him, but she hadn’t worked with him very long. He could be very charming when he wanted to be.”

“Lacey doesn’t discuss her clients with me,” I said.

“Charlie, of course she does. You’re her assistant.”

“She would never say anything disrespectful about a client.”

“That’s to her credit, then.” He cleared his throat when the waiter came by with our food.

Lasagna Bolognese. His favorite. I’d told him once that I loved it as well—which was true—and he’d apparently taken that to mean I wanted to eat nothing else. He ordered it for me whenever we went to a place that served it.

“Sure you don’t want a glass of wine?” He touched his finger to his goblet, indicating to the waiter to bring him another.

“I don’t drink during the workday.”

He laughed. “You’re young yet.”

I didn’t reply. It was easier not to. A petty argument over day drinking wasn’t the reason I was here. I wanted the information he said he had for me.

I took a small bite of my lasagna, chewed, and swallowed. Then a large gulp of my iced tea. “So Derek Wolfe wasn’t a nice guy. That’s kind of common knowledge, Blaine.”

“He’s a tiger in the boardroom, yes,” Blaine said. “I’m talking about personally.”

“Oh?”

This still wasn’t news to me. Did he really think I was that ignorant?”