“Not then. After Tariq left, Claudia came back to drop off a present for his birthday. Tati was here. She never goes to Pakistan, she just waits for Tariq. Tati wasn’t very… pleased… to see your sister.”

“What happened?”

The girl shook her head. “Tati told Claudia to get out and never come back. And she threw”—the girl’s voice dropped to a whisper—“a bottle like that”—she pointed to a table covered with crystal decanters—“at Claudia.”

“Was Claudia hurt?”

“No, miss, but she was angry.” The girl glanced at the doorway again, obviously afraid of being overheard. “Claudia hit Tati in the face and knocked out two of her teeth.” The girl smiled, covered her mouth with one delicate hand, and ducked her head, a mix of mirth and mortification.

It certainly sounded like we were talking about the same Claudia. “Will you tell Tariq I was here? I don’t think Tati will be passing on that message. He can reach me at Jesse Robb’s. Tariq has the number.” With what I told myself was great albeit slow-moving dignity, I left the apartment.

CHAPTER 9

At the end of Show Boat, Ava Gardner’s character was a wreck of her former self, the result of years of abuse and alcohol. The guard who rang for the elevator said nothing, but when the doors closed, the mirror told me that my transformation into a disaster had taken less than a minute. My hair stuck out as if I’d poked a finger into an electrical socket. My neck had a pair of scratches, not deep but vividly red. The front of my dress was ripped and I was flashing one breast through a sheer black bra. I pulled my coat tightly around me without bothering to button it and tied the belt. There was a little dried blood on my hands, and I rubbed frantically to get it off.

Safe again on the ground floor, I saw Jesse by the doorman’s desk, flirting with him. As I came over, Jesse glanced up, blanched, and ran to me. “Lil! Are you okay? What happened?” he grabbed my arm, as if I were about to fall over. “Holy hell, I’m gonna shoot that son-of-a-bitch’s head off,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“Tariq wasn’t even there,” I said. Then I laughed.

Jesse watched me as if I’d lost my mind. “Lil? What happened up there?” Over his shoulder, I could see the doorman staring at both of us.

“Tariq’s girlfriend thought I was Claudia and she attacked me.”

“But why?” Jesse looked perplexed.

“She was worried I was going to steal her man.” I laughed and put my hand over my mouth. Tati’s frenzy suddenly seemed funny. Claudia would relish that story, whenever I had the chance to tell her about it.

“Did she hurt you, Lil?”

“No, but she ruined my dress. Maybe I should sue.”