Joe and Greg were partners in their own business. Accountants are supposed to be thin, gray men in suits and glasses, but that certainly wasn’t true of those two. Joe was flamboyant and charismatic. Women always gravitated toward him, drawn by his blue eyes, his wide smile, his air of utter attention. He was rather handsome himself, but Greg and I used to say that the real secret of his charm was that he made other people feel beautiful, special. He was older than us, in his late forties, so he seemed like an uncle or a much older brother. And Greg—well, Greg was Greg. He used to say that if I’d known what he did for a living, I’d never have gone out with him. But I couldn’t have known. We’d met at a party, a mutual friend of a friend’s, and if I’d had to guess, I would have said he was a TV director, a writer, even an actor or a professional activist. He looked raffish and stylishly unkempt; there was a slightly dreamy, unworldly air about him. I was the one who was methodical and practical, whereas he was enthusiastic, untidy, boyish. Certainly not what I thought of as an accountant.

“No,” said Joe. “I’ve looked through everything. Twice.”

“There must be an explanation.”

“Can’t you think of anything?” This time his kind voice, pushing me gently to acknowledge the obvious, made me shudder.

“I would have known.” I glared at him. “You would have known.”

Joe put his hand on my shoulder. “Everyone has secrets, Ellie. Both of us know how wonderful and adorable Greg was but, after all—”

“No,” I repeated, cutting him off. “It’s not possible.”

“WHO WAS MILENA?” I asked Fergus.

“I have no idea,” he replied. “I swear he never mentioned anyone called Milena.”

“Did he mention . . .” I hesitated. “Did he ever say he was . . . you know?”

“Having an affair?” Fergus finished the sentence I couldn’t.

“Yes.”

“He adored you.”

“That’s not the question.”

“He never mentioned he was having an affair. Nor did I ever suspect that he might be. Not for a single second.”

“And now?”

“Now?”

“Do you suspect he might have been?”

Fergus rubbed his face. “Honestly? I don’t know, Ellie. What can I say? You know I was in his office with him the day he died, working on the computers. He seemed completely normal. He talked about you. He never said anything that would make me suspect. Yet he died in a car with a strange woman whom no one seems to have heard of. What’s your explanation?”