“Where?” Dev’s investigator had been searching for David in all our old haunts in the Bronx—our apartment building, Cubby’s bar, the bodega on the corner, the plasma donation center.

“Outside a club in Tribeca,” Dev said. “He gave his address as the Hyatt House in Chelsea, but he’d already checked out by the time the police followed up.”

Tribeca and Chelsea. These were his stomping grounds back in our glory days. “Sounds like he came into some money,” I said.

Dev nodded.

ALICE STOOD UP as I returned to the reception area. She opened the outer door to check the public corridor, and her eyes grew suddenly wide. She stepped aside to let a man come through. He wore sunglasses despite the dim light in the corridor, and he ducked his head as he slipped past us.

“What?” I whispered as Alice hustled me to the stairwell. I wondered if Barrett had put a new tail on me.

“Didn’t you see who that was?”

“Who?”

“That movie star. Luke Rafferty.”

I laughed. “That’s why you look so starstruck.”

She blushed, and I continued to tease her about it all the way to the ground floor.

I was just stepping into the revolving doors to the street when I spotted a more familiar figure. Lester was parked down the block, in a blue sedan this time, though that did nothing to disguise him. His head grazed the ceiling where he sat behind the wheel. “Alice?” I said.

“I see him.” She spoke into her earpiece, and in seconds, Lonnie pulled up and double-parked right out front. The rear door sprang open, and Alice steered me in a crouching run into the backseat. She jumped in after me, and Lonnie took off with a squeal of tires.

I looked back through the rear window as we passed Lester’s car. I nodded at him, and he nodded back.

I GOT A text from Mark as we drove north. He’d read the video expert’s report and wanted to celebrate. Great news! Come up for a drink when you get back.

It hadn’t taken long for me to figure out that he was living full-time in his fifth-floor apartment. I saw him one night padding around barefoot while I worked late in the library. From my basement apartment, I often heard him moving about the building. Late at night I heard female voices, too, coming from the fifth floor. Once I recognized Phoebe’s laugh. The other giggles came in other voices.

Just a quick one, I texted back to Mark. I have plans tonight.

OK. C U @ 6, he replied.

Lonnie pulled up in front of the office, and Alice did a quick swivel-scan of the street before she opened the car door for me and escorted me down the stairs to my apartment. She hovered by my side while I swiped my keycard through the lock on the door. “I’ll be back at seven,” she said.

I turned to thank her and came to an abrupt stop. Detective Joe Riley was coming out of the office door one flight up.