“The point is, why did you suggest hiring a private investigator last night when you’d already gone ahead and done it? And why didn’t you tell me?”

“Lily, sweetheart, I want you to sit down. Are you all right?” He looked at me more closely. “Did someone hit you? You have a bruise on your forehead. I think I should call a doctor.”

“Stop pretending to humor me!” I said, raising my voice. I went to the window and stared down. From fifty stories up, midtown Manhattan looked like an ant colony. People scurried around in predictable patterns, a dance similar to what Martin and I were doing now. As much as I wanted him to hold me and tell me that everything would be all right, I knew I couldn’t believe him. I had to stand my ground. “Why did you hire the private detective, Martin?” I asked, turning around.

“I wanted to help. What else can I say?”

“You can tell me the truth about why you’re so interested in finding Claudia.”

Martin’s brow furrowed. “She’s your sister.”

“I’m supposed to believe that… that you’re doing this because… of me.”

“Of course. Why else would I?”

“I think you’ve got your own agenda. You want to find her for your own reasons.”

Martin’s mouth tightened. When he spoke, there was anger simmering in his voice, but it was at a low boil, controlled. “Think about it. What agenda could I possibly have?”

“I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.”

“You’re upset, sweetheart. I know that. This is too much for you to deal with on your own, and you know what I think of the police. Tell me how you got that bruise.”

“You’re changing the topic.” I stared at him, my whole body quivering. “You are hiding something, and I’m going to find out what it is. You’re looking for Claudia for some reason of your own.”

“Your sister is nothing but a scheming lowlife!” Under his tan, Martin’s face reddened. “Why would I care about finding her?”

“Because you’re having an affair with her!”

We were both still for a moment, the words hanging in the air between us.

“You think I’m having… an affair… with her?”

“Yes,” I said, in a small voice. “Are you?”

Martin stared at me for a moment, as his expression relaxed, shock easing into relief. “Lily. Lily, you dummy. How could you even think…” He laughed and shook his head in obvious amusement. If he was acting, he was giving the performance of a lifetime. “Me, with her? Are you serious?” He closed the distance between us and put his hands on my shoulders. “Has hell frozen over?”

“Claudia was always coming on to you. That time she sat in your lap… and the time she…”