“Through a dating site,” he answered simply.

Does your wife know?

Jessie was tempted to ask the question out loud but decided to hold off for later if she needed it. The circle of pale skin on Harington’s otherwise tanned ring finger suggested he was either very recently divorced or had taken his band off for this occasion.

“Care to make the introductions?” Dolan asked. “We don’t want to freak her out by barging in.”

“Sure,” Harrington said, leading them into the cavernous den with its vaulted ceiling and floor to ceiling glass windows.

“Gabby,” he said in a firm but gentle voice. “There are some folks here to see you.”

A woman lying on the chaise lounge poked her head up. Though she looked wiped out and her eyes were red from what Jessie suspected was hours of crying, she was still stunning. More exotic and sultry than the all-American look of Claire, she had long dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders. As she sat up, Jessie saw that she had the kind of voluptuous body that might make someone like Carter Harrington hide his wedding ring.

“Who are they?” she asked, half-scared, half-defiant.

“My name is Jessie, Gabby,” Jessie replied kindly, taking the initiative. “This is Jack. We’re part of the team investigating what happened last night. We know you already answered some questions but we have a few more for you. Do you think you’re up for that?”

“I guess,” Gabby said reluctantly.

“Thanks,” Jessie said, walking over and sitting on the couch closest to the chaise. “We’ll try to keep it brief. I know you must be wiped out.”

Gabby nodded, then looked to the corner of the room.

“Who’s that?’ she asked, indicating the US marshal who had positioned himself between the entrance to the den and the hallway they’d just passed through.

“That’s Murph,” Jessie said. “He’s not a big talker. But he’s really smart. He’ll mostly just listen. Jack and I will be asking the questions. Why don’t you have a seat, Jack?”

She gave Dolan her best “sit down—you’re freaking her out” look. And, seeming to get it, he did so.

“So, let’s start with this, Gabby,” Jessie began. “Do you know if anyone had threatened Claire recently? Maybe an ex or a co-worker she’d had a falling out with?”

Gabby sat quietly for a moment, searching her memory.

“Not that I can think of,” she finally said. “She was a sweetie. It was hard for anyone to truly get mad at her.”

“Really?” Jessie pressed. “A pretty girl like her—I’d imagine she probably had to deal with letting down some disappointed pursuers.”

“Maybe. I guess. But she was really good at letting guys down easy. Like just yesterday, I heard her on the phone, telling someone she couldn’t see him anymore. She was really gentle about it.”

“So then she did have a dispute recently,” Dolan noted.

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” Gabby said, seeming to realize only now that the call fit the profile Jessie had described.