“My grandfather and you stick with that. It’s probably the best strategy.” Sounded like he was laughing on the other end. Then he asked, “How is the Van Gogh book?”

“It’s a Jo Bonger book. Difficult to read at times. She had a rough life. I thought women in the eighteen hundreds sat at home and embroidered. And, speaking of exceptional women, thank you for Adele.” The corporate attorney had called that morning. Bram had asked her to contact me. I’d googled her while we’d talked on phone—one of the highest-rated attorneys in the city, part of a power couple. Her wife was a councilwoman. It would have been childish to refuse her just because of her connection to Bram.

“You’re welcome. You’re in good hands. She knows what she’s doing.”

“Thank you. Again. I have to go. I have a ton of work.”

“Let me know if you need anything. And try to stay out of trouble.”

“Expect nothing, and you won’t be disappointed.”

I hung up and set Lai Fa on the floor so she could stretch her legs, but she plopped down on my foot.

“I hope you’re not developing abandonment issues.” I petted her. “I don’t want to have to ask my mother to ask her psychologist about chickens and separation anxiety.”

In response, Lai Fa pecked at a loose thread in my sock.

I left her to it and worked on a list of talking points for potential investors until lunch, which I ordered from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told the chick. “It’s broccoli beef.” I attacked the food with my chopsticks and mentally catalogued the office.

“I am going to keep the paintings from Violet’s students. The furniture will have to be sold. And I’ll have to go over Violet’s papers to figure out what to do with them.”

I ordered a shredder online—under forty dollars, overnight delivery—while I finished lunch. I was thinking about licking the sauce from the bottom of the container when Strena popped in.

Had she seen me stretching my tongue toward the empty box? I decided not to worry about it unless she brought it up. “Hi. I didn’t realize you were coming over today.”

“I want you to be one of my models. Hi, Lai Fa.”

“To practice on?”

“Practice first, yes. But I want you to be in my next show.”

“The show that’s in ten days?”

“The one after that. I’m working up a new concept. I can see the entire performance in my head. I see you in the picture.”

“I don’t do naked in public.” It was important enough to repeat. “I don’t do naked in public.”

“Come to the MoMA with me.”

“Right now? I’m working.”