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just scramble it all up?”
    “Scrambled is fine with me.”
    Emma hovered over the toaster, thinking about the Naiman family as she watched the red-hot coils do their job. “I find it difficult to believe Max would intimidate his own daughter into killing herself. They were quite close, as I recall. Whenever there were parent meetings or programs at school, it was always Max who showed up, not Joanna.”
    “Maybe her schedule was less flexible.”
    “Every time? Grant almost always came with me to school functions. He may be a jerk, but until he married Carolyn and started a second family, he was always a good father and there for Kelly.”
    The toast popped just as Phil was dividing the eggs between two plates. He placed them on the counter, in front of two stools. Emma put the toast on a small separate plate and added it to the meal before retrieving silverware and napkins. She took the opportunity to glance out the window at the porch.
    “The rocking ghosts still out there?” asked Phil.
    “Nope. The chairs are both still.”
    They ate a few minutes in silence, each savoring the simple, cozy meal, before Phil brought up the Naimans again. “My offer’s still good if you want me to see if I can get the official report on Max Naiman’s death.”
    “Who knows, that might be a help.” Emma took a sip of her coffee and looked up at Phil. He was grinning.
    “I’m not involved, Phil. I’m just going to go visit my daughter’s friend to bring her some comfort.”
    “Uh-huh.” Phil brushed his moustache with his fingertips and stared at Emma, his eyes twinkling. “Tell me that again after you’ve seen the girl.”
    Emma almost threw her toast at him.

f ive
    Serenity Place was a residential facility for the treatment of emotional issues, located in the beautiful hills above San Clemente. The morning after they spoke on the phone, Emma received the information from Kelly about Lainey’s whereabouts. She’d been happy to see it was located closer to Julian than to Los Angeles. That same morning she called Serenity to inquire about its visitation policy. After giving her name and relationship to Lainey, Emma was put on hold. When the woman on the phone returned, she advised Emma that while most visitation occurred on Sundays, Ms. Naiman had an hour of free time that afternoon at three o’clock.
    The facility was lovely, though not as posh as where most of Hollywood went to get their heads screwed back on. The grounds encompassed acres of rolling hills and looked like a family resort, with small, peach-colored bungalows scattered around a large main building and a few smaller buildings. There were gardens; a swimming pool, gym, and spa; and art and music rooms. Paved paths edged with clusters of flowers led to the bungalows and other buildings. The Pacific Ocean could be seen in the distance.
    When she first arrived, Emma had waited in the lobby until someone went to fetch Lainey. When the young woman saw Emma, she was clearly happy.
    “Kelly is still in Boston,” Emma explained, “so I hope you don’t mind that it’s me visiting.”
    “Not at all, Mrs. Whitecastle.” Lainey fiddled with the ends of a clump of her long hair. “I … I just didn’t realize anyone knew I was here.”
    When Lainey seemed unsure of what to do, Emma held out her arms, inviting a hug. After a brief hesitation, Lainey stepped into Emma’s embrace. Once there, the young woman clung to her like a life preserver for nearly half a minute. Emma stroked the girl’s hair, as she would have done to Kelly, until Lainey pulled away. She did not appear sedated.
    “I believe Kelly found out you were here from Summer Perkins.”
    “Summer?” Lainey’s mouth twitched. “If Summer knows, then I guess everyone knows by now.” She shrugged. “People were bound to find out, no matter how hard my mother tries to hide it.”
    Emma changed the subject, not sure she wanted to talk about Joanna—at least not yet. “Serenity looks charming,