‘Yes, it does,’ Caprice agreed. ‘Diane and I started the Common Way Foundation that same year. The violence outraged people around the country, and they supported us financially. The assassination was an attempt to silence what Lyle and Birch tried to do, and the foundation honored them and their principles. We stayed outside the process, but we took sides. We put a thumb on the scale. We pushed candidates and policy, and we didn’t hesitate to rip both parties for their unwillingness to tell the truth. We learned our lesson.’

‘Which was?’

‘Play hardball,’ Caprice said.

‘Hardball. Is that why you hired a dirty tricks specialist like Ogden Bush for Diane’s campaign?’ Cab smiled and added: ‘I may not be political, but I do read the papers, you know.’

Caprice winced at the man’s name. ‘Ogden was Diane’s choice, not mine.’

‘Still, he’s a Democrat with a reputation for running fiercely negative campaigns, isn’t he? Doesn’t that fly in the face of your “we’re not all the same” speech?’

‘I suppose you could say that,’ she agreed. ‘Ogden fell out with the Dems a couple years ago, so he sells himself to the highest bidder. He was helpful to us on voting rights legislation last year. I didn’t think we wanted him on the campaign, but Diane thought he could help her make inroads with liberal voters. In politics, we can’t always be particular about who we sleep with.’

She leaned closer to him. Their shoulders brushed together.

‘So what do you need me for?’ he asked.

‘I told you, Mr Bolton, I want to hire you.’

‘Call me Cab,’ he said.

Caprice’s face softened. ‘Okay. That’s an unusual name. Why Cab?’

‘Tarla was in a deli eating stuffed cabbage when her water broke.’

‘How cute. Is that true?’

Cab smiled but didn’t reply. He had no idea what was true. Tarla had never told him. Just like she had never told him who his father was. He’d made up stories over the years to fill in the gaps.

‘You don’t look much like any detective I’ve ever met,’ Caprice went on. ‘Do most Naples detectives have spiky hair like that?’

‘It’s a pomade from London.’

‘I like it. The diamond earring?’

‘A gift from a wealthy older woman.’

‘And how tall are you? Eight feet?’

‘About that.’

‘Your suit looks like it costs what I make in a month at the foundation.’

‘About that.’

‘You don’t apologize for having money, do you?’

‘No. It is what it is. Tarla’s wealthy, and she made me wealthy, which means I can do whatever I want. In my case, that usually means dealing with people doing ugly things.’

‘Which is why I want to hire you.’

‘I already have a job,’ Cab said.