Lizzie giggled again. “No can do, old family recipe.”

Ted carried in the coffeepot, and Espinosa had the cups and saucers. The table was clear, the signal that pads, pens, and briefcases were ready to be brought out to play.

“Talk to me, Harry, and do not leave anything out. I want you to go back to the beginning of the year and tell me everything you can remember. I don’t care if you think it’s pertinent or not to this case. I’ll decide what’s important and what isn’t.”

Harry talked and talked, from time to time choking up at the injustice of what he was being forced to go through.

When Harry wound down, Jack took the floor and talked about Harry’s box of unopened mail. “There were notices of nonpayment on the home equity and second mortgage that Harry had never opened because, like he said, he paid ahead for a year. He had no idea there was an equity loan or second mortgage. There were also credit card bills for all the bogus accounts some person had opened up. When Harry saw the envelopes, he figured they were probably just offers for him to open new accounts. In that sense Harry is not blameless. He should have opened his mail. As you can see by the two legitimate credit cards he carries, he only uses them once in a while, and he pays the outstanding balances in full in the months that he charges something.

“But regardless of whether he opens his mail or not, no one has the right to steal and ruin a person’s life.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, Jack. I’m on your side,” Lizzie said.

“Lizzie, how much is this going to cost? All my money is gone. Will you take an IOU?” Harry’s voice was fretful.

Lizzie looked Harry in the eye and winced. “Harry, I can’t believe you asked me that. I know it wasn’t your intention to offend me, but you did. We’re family here. Family doesn’t charge family. We will not ever talk about this again, do we understand each other, Harry?”

Harry turned docile, something Jack never thought he would live to see. He was further astounded when Harry meekly said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Lizzie moved on. “Maggie?”

“I put a hacker friend of mine on it early this morning. He should be getting back to me sometime this evening unless he’s hit a snag.”

Lizzie looked puzzled for a moment. “Isn’t that Charles’s job?”

Maggie shrugged. “Possibly. If Charles or the girls don’t want my information, assuming I get any, I can use it for the next series I plan on doing. Being in the newspaper business, it’s a given that you can never have too much information. Abner Tookus is the best hacker in the world. The FBI and the CIA use him. He even writes software for them and always makes sure there’s a back door where he can get in and out without their knowing. It’s like being a painter and signing your name on your work. If there is information to be gotten, Abner is the one to get it.