Sally was still talking. “She stuck to her guns, she was a good negotiator. It made me proud of her. She could have been a fine businesswoman. I was going to help her invest the money, set it up in a trust.”

“A trust,” I echoed. Funny word. “Now what happens?”

“The land will be in probate a while, then it will revert to me.”

I nodded, tried to swallow.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said. “About the land, about your plans?”

“I don’t know,” Sally said. “I didn’t think it mattered. It wasn’t exactly your business.”

“Well, it mattered,” I said.

“Why, honey? What difference does it make?”

“Sally, you used me. If I had known—”

“Used you? Charlotte, I paid you. Besides, you just said it was nothing. A phone number.”

“Would you have even bothered getting in touch with her if you didn’t want the land for yourself?”

“Honey,” she said, “Don’t be like this. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“Forget it,” I said. “I don’t want to hear it.”

Sally sighed. “I wish things hadn’t been so hard,” she said. “Danielle was such a sweet little girl. Around when she turned twelve or so . . . well, puberty is always difficult, those hormones. And I guess she blamed me for the divorce.”

“No, she didn’t,” I said. “I mean, maybe, but she got over that.”

“Of course you didn’t know her then.”

“Sally, stop pretending. It was because of your brother.”

“She talked to you about that?”

“Well, I was her friend.” The last word came out vicious. Sally didn’t seem to notice. She sat on the edge of the couch, twisting her sapphire ring with the other hand.

“She didn’t tell me until after he moved back to Denver,” she said.

“She told you and you still saw him, still let him in your house. Her house.”

“Charlotte, what was I supposed to do? He flew in from Colorado. I didn’t even know he was coming, he just showed up for dinner. Was I supposed to send him away at the door?”

“Yes,” I said. “That is exactly what you were supposed to do.”

“Gary and I had just split up,” she said. “I was trying to keep our lives normal, to have a regular Thanksgiving, with people around.”

“Fine, but not him,” I said.

“It would have caused a scene. We had—Jesus, I had colleagues here. Investors. I told him that weekend not to come back. Gary took off, left town with his bimbo, I had to make the money—”

“A scene,” I said, disgusted. “That’s what you cared about?”

“Look, my own brother . . . we grew up together. I knew him. I mean, it was hard to believe.”

“She didn’t make it up,” I said.

“I know that now. But back then, Charlotte, she hated me. She lied about everything. I wasn’t sure. There was so much else going on. Danielle would never let it go.”

“How could she? Nobody gets over something like that. Jesus. She was a little girl.”