Gia appeared to be listening intently. That was something, at least.

He went over to the dressing table and glanced at the perfume bottles. There were dozens of them; some names were familiar, most were not. He wandered into the private bathroom and was there confronted by another array of bottles: Metamucil, Philips Milk of Magnesia, Haley’s M-O, Pericolace, Surfak, Ex-Lax and more. One bottle stood off to the side. Jack picked it up. It was clear glass, with a thick green fluid inside. The cap was the metal twist-off type, enameled white. All it needed was a Smirnoff label and it could have been an airline vodka bottle.

“Know what this is?”

“Ask Nellie.”

Jack screwed off the cap and sniffed. At least he was sure of one thing: It wasn’t perfume. The smell was heavily herbal, and not particularly pleasant.

As Nellie returned, she appeared to be finding it increasingly difficult to hide her anxiety. “That was the police. I rang up the detective in charge a while ago and he just told me that they have nothing new on Grace.”

Jack handed her the bottle.

“What’s this?”

Nellie looked it over, momentarily puzzled, then her face brightened.

“Oh, yes. Grace picked this up Monday. I’m not sure where, but she said it was a new product being test marketed, and this was a free sample.”

“But what’s it for?”

“It’s a physic.”

“Pardon?”

“A physic. A cathartic. A laxative. Grace was very concerned—obsessed, you might say—with regulating her bowels. She’s had that sort of problem all her life.”

Jack took the bottle back. Something about an unlabeled bottle amid all the brand names intrigued him.

“May I keep this?”

“Certainly.”

Jack looked around a while longer, for appearances more than anything else. He didn’t have the faintest idea how he was even going to begin looking for Grace Westphalen.

“Please remember to do two things,” he told Nellie as he started downstairs. “Keep me informed of any leads the police turn up, and don’t breathe a word of my involvement to the police.”

“Very well. But where are you going to start?”

He smiled—reassuringly, he hoped. “I’ve already started. I’ll have to do some thinking and then start looking.” He fingered the bottle in his pocket. Something about it…

They left Nellie on the second floor, standing and gazing into her sister’s empty room. Vicky came running in from the kitchen as Jack reached the bottom step. She held an orange section in her outstretched hand.

“Do the orange mouth! Do the orange mouth!”

He laughed, delighted that she remembered. “Sure!” He shoved the section into his mouth and clamped his teeth behind the skin. Then he gave Vicky a big orange grin. She clapped and laughed.

“Isn’t Jack funny, Mom? Isn’t he the funniest?”

“He’s a riot, Vicky.”

Jack pulled the orange slice from his mouth. “Where’s that doll you wanted to introduce me to?”

Vicky slapped the side of her head dramatically. “Ms. Jelliroll! She’s out back. I’ll go—”