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girl’s gaze pulled at him. She clung to her mother in a few shots and shyly peered out from the folds of her skirt in one. The only shot of Ann with her father showed Hugh Montgomery smiling affably into the camera, his hands thrust into the pockets of his expensive suit. He was standing a few feet away from his tiny daughter, who looked up at him. Her uncertain expression said a lot about that relationship.
    Bannon put the photos down with a sigh, wanting to look at the drawing of Ann at age three again. Just as he reached for it, the phone rang.
    Smiling when he saw the caller ID, he picked up the receiver. “Hi, Mom. What’s up?”
    â€œHow are you, RJ? It’s not like you to not call. Haven’t heard from you—”
    He finished the sentence for her. “For a whole day.” He cracked open beer two and kicked back to relax.
    His mother laughed. “Okay, I’m a worrywart. Sue me.”
    â€œI don’t mind, Mom. Good to hear your voice.” He meant it. She was on her own since his father’s death and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. Which didn’t mean that Sheila Bannon didn’t drive him crazy now and then.
    â€œOh, RJ. So what are you doing?”
    â€œEating.” He waited for what he knew she would say. “Yes, leftovers. How did you know?”
    â€œI just do. Are you alone?”
    When the tiger-striped cat sauntered into the room, Bannon glanced his way. “Babaloo is keeping me company. That’s about it for excitement around here. I was thinking of watching the Discovery Channel with him. He loves nature documentaries.”
    â€œThat’s funny. He’s a good cat. You should get out more, though.”
    â€œHe’s fine company.”
    â€œYou know what I’m talking about, RJ. Find a girl, have fun again.”
    â€œI did, as a matter of fact. Today. She seems nice. Her name is Erin. I’ll keep you posted.”
    â€œWhat does she do?” Sheila Bannon just had to make sure that his dates didn’t make a living wrapped around a stripper’s pole.
    â€œShe’s an artist, mostly watercolors.”
    His mother pondered that. “Oh. Well, that’s nice. Not much money in it, though.”
    â€œI didn’t ask for her tax returns,” he said dryly. “Like I said, I just met her.”
    â€œIt’s a start. You can’t live alone forever.”
    â€œI don’t plan to, Mom. But Gina isn’t coming back unless there’s a big fat diamond in it for her.”
    â€œHow do you know that?”
    â€œI told you that story. Not very romantic. She let me know how many goddamn carats she expected. Too many.”
    He waited impatiently while his mother said something sympathetic, but not about him.
    â€œI was flat on my back with a bullet in me, Mom, waiting for an insurance settlement—how was I supposed to pay for a rock like that and in a platinum setting? And from an expensive jewelry store in Washington, DC? You know it—where the senators shop for the women they actually sleep with. Not their wives.” He stopped to take a breath. “Sorry. I’m ranting.”
    â€œYou never told me the name of the store.”
    Was that ever a Mom thing to say. He couldn’t figure out why she would want to know, but he named it. “That was the beginning of the end, believe me. It’s been a year already, Mom. Can’t say I miss her.”
    His mother was silent but not for long. “See what I mean? You’re getting grumpy.”
    â€œNo, I’m not,” he said soothingly. “Look, I gotta go.” He said an affectionate good-bye before she got on his nerves and hung up with a promise to call the next day.
    He had deliberately not mentioned anything to her about the favor he was doing for Doris on the Montgomery case. And he probably wouldn’t when he saw her this weekend either.
    The Montgomery case. Drawing a deep