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Ron. I could hear the wheels churning. He’d earned his living and built a career on poking into other people’s dirty little secrets. He wasn’t above snapping pictures of people in compromising situations, and he certainly wasn’t above working with shady law firms in proving a case. Graham and Valdez weren’t a bad firm, they just latched onto a lot of big-money cases that often put good people in a bad light. I knew this was really at the heart of Drake’s attitude.
     “Well, you know where I am.” I said. “Anything you want me to check out in Santa Fe, give me a call.” We hung up.
    Linda came out of the bathroom. “Problem?”
    I shrugged. “Brother versus husband. It’ll resolve itself soon.” There wasn’t much else to say.
    By the time I finished my bedtime routine in the bathroom she was deep into a book and I could barely keep my eyes open.

Chapter 6

    When the alarm went off at six-thirty the next morning I found I’d spent the night mulling over Drake’s upcoming deposition through a series of strange dreams that included my own heart-thumping experience in our simulated crash. I sat up in bed and gazed around the murky pre-dawn room. Nothing to be gained by fretting over it. I decided I would do my best to get into the spirit of the coming seminars and give Linda the help I’d promised.
    My roommate was not an early riser. She groaned at the sound of the alarm and rolled over. I decided to grab first use of the bathroom, so I snagged a clean set of clothes and headed that way. By the time I’d showered, dressed, and dried my hair Linda was sitting on the edge of her bed. Her blond curls stuck out at odd angles and her face was puffy with sleep.
    “Good morning, Mary Sunshine,” I greeted in a sing-song voice.
    She threw a pillow at me. “I hate that phrase. My mother used it on me every day of the week, including Saturday and Sunday,” she growled.
    “I know. I remember you throwing pillows at her too.” I laughed and tossed the pillow back. “I’m finished in the bathroom.”
    She stood up and tugged her oversized T-shirt over her thighs as she shuffled toward the open doorway.
    I located an in-room coffee service in a small alcove near the door and started the process for some wake-up brew. I wasn’t sure how this whole nutrition program would go, but I couldn’t live without my daily caffeine jolt. A few minutes later I poured two cups, slipping one of them onto the vanity in the steamy bathroom. Behind the shower curtain, Linda dropped a heavy plastic bottle and cursed. She wasn’t always dimples and grins.
    Thirty minutes later we joined some of our group for a breakfast buffet, which consisted of fruit, whole grain muffins, and herbal teas. Made me glad I’d already managed my one cup of coffee. I piled fresh strawberries and melon onto my plate and added a large muffin, wondering if it had come from Sweet’s Sweets.
    Across the dining room, I spotted Nicole Mayhew with an older man. Her husband, apparently. I guessed him to be about double Nicole’s age, salt and pepper hair, clean shaven, and dressed the way you’d expect a businessman to be in a resort atmosphere. The tie was gone but otherwise he could walk right into a boardroom. She wore a white slacks suit today, with gold accent jewelry, her light brown hair twisted up into a not-quite-formal up-do. With those types, it always seemed to take a few days to go casual.
    Dina Carlotti was sitting alone at a table, so Linda and I asked if we might join her.
    “Certainly.” She smiled widely, her voice friendly. “I’m very pleased to meet you again. Charlie, is it? Is that not a man’s name in this country?”
    “Yes. Actually, it’s a nickname for Charlotte. My brothers stuck it on me as a kid. Guess I’m just not the Charlotte type.” I forked a cube of melon. It was sweet and delicious.
    A tiny crease of puzzlement crossed her brow and quickly left. “And, Linda.”
    “You’re very good with names,