“Mind if I keep this?”

“If you like. It sold in two days, much to my astonishment.”

“That’s good news,” I said. “I understand the real estate market’s been depressed.”

“We were fortunate to find a buyer.”

“Too bad you couldn’t hang on to it.”

“Easy come, easy go. It’s an attitude I share with Kim. It’s not that either one of us enjoys being strapped for cash, but when you start at the bottom, it’s not unfamiliar turf. I pulled myself up once and I can do it again. You have to have an exit strategy.”

“What’s yours?”

She declined to respond, so I moved on, saying, “I take it you made Christian Satterfield’s acquaintance through Kim’s husband?”

“Exactly, but by the time I realized I was in need of his services, he’d already been released. Bret had no idea how to get in touch with him, and I’m a complete innocent when it comes to the prison system.”

“Which is where I came in.”

“I must say I was surprised by the speed with which you produced his contact information.”

“Workin’ like a little beaver for my pay,” I said. I tucked the brochure in my shoulder bag. As is sometimes the case in conversation, I was picking up a line she hadn’t spoken aloud. “You haven’t mentioned the story about the baby you gave up for adoption.”

“I thought it had a certain ring of truth to it.”

“Isn’t that because it’s true?”

That was another avenue she didn’t care to explore.

I said, “When I met Christian, he didn’t look like any parolee I’ve ever seen. His hair was styled and his wardrobe was elegant. Did you do that for him?” I knew full well she had, but I was curious to see if she’d own up to it.

“Being handsome counts a lot in this world. He’d never get a job looking as he did.”

“Maybe Ari will hire him if he doesn’t get sent back to Lompoc.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“Well, whatever happens, that was nice of you.”

“He tells me you went into Lou’s looking for him, so you must have realized how bright he is. Why did you want to talk to him?”

“I hoped to warn him off. I got him into this and I’d like to get him out. I don’t know what you have in mind, but it can’t be good for anyone.”

“How much did he tell you?”

“Nothing and I didn’t press the point. This is between you and your ex. My only concern is to see that Christian and I don’t get caught in the crossfire.”

Her look was unblinking and I had no way to know if she was really hearing me or not.

“You have any idea where the baby was placed?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I did leave a letter in his file, but I’ve never heard from him.”

“There’s time yet. Does Ari know?”

She shook her head for the second time. Then she said, “So now what? So far, I don’t see that we’ve settled anything.”