Jonathan held Owen’s stare. He didn’t like it, Owen could tell, but he was trying to read and stay unread at the same time. He’d lose at both by looking away now. “Yes,” Jonathan said.

Owen stoked the staring contest. “The balance wasn’t tilting a little toward her for the expertise and being able to find a buyer? Or heavier in your favor for having it in the first place?”

“What difference does it make? We talked it out—between us—and agreed on splitting it down the middle.”

“And yet that didn’t happen. Who are you going to split it with now? Donna and Carly? Or do you have a bag and your passport in the car?”

From the collar up, Jonathan’s color deepened. It was too dark in the booth to tell if he was the bright-red or the brick-red type.

“What is that to you?”

“It’s nothing to me. But it’s nothing at all to either of us unless I decide I want to take your offer to the Anningers.”

Jonathan leaned in. “What now? What are you . . .? They don’t even know yet? Are you fucking with me?”

“Come on now, are we already back to take it easy? Why did you wait more than four years to get in touch?”

“What?”

“I’m just curious. I wasn’t hard to find, was I? It would have been just as easy to make the call the day after we last met. Or three years ago. Or two. Or even last month. Why now? Did you just wake up the other day with a seven-and-a-half-million-dollar hard-on? Was that it? Or did something happen to make it seem a little urgent?” Owen smiled at Jonathan, all spoiler, and watched it sink in.

“Okay, so you’ve seen the video.”

“Yeah. Hot potato. Not really all that fun outside of kindergarten.”

“And that’s how you figured out where I live.”

Owen just nodded and drank most of the rest of his coffee. He never drained a cup or glass all the way or cleaned a plate to crumbs. He never left anything looking as if he might have wanted more.

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Owen decided to sip the water, too. Might as well. “So, that night. What do you think happened? You think Marcelline’s man turned on her? For what?”

“Huh? I don’t know. And I don’t know that he turned on her as much as he just lost his cool and shot wild. I mean, he was a basket case. An idiot all the way to the bone. That was obvious. Besides, I thought maybe it was you, that he was your guy, not hers. Although now that we’re sitting here talking, I think probably not.”

“No?”

“You don’t seem the sort.” Jonathan risked a smile as if they might be approaching common ground.