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evidence too.”
    Jane sipped her tea daintily. “Why do you say that?”
    “One of the scene officers is a friend of mine from high school. He said they found something when they retrieved her body, but he didn’t know what it was.”
    Ari nodded. As a former cop, she knew it was typical to withhold key evidence that might be needed later to identify the perpetrator. “And the police have you as the prime suspect?”
    “I don’t have an alibi. I was home alone that night working on my father’s speech for his upcoming announcement. The governor is appointing him to a special commission overseeing child abuse law reform. It’s a real coup to be selected.”
    “So, is there anything else?” Ari asked.
    He stared at the sea and rubbed a hand across his five o’clock shadow. His eyes were glassy, and she realized he probably hadn’t slept well in the last few nights.
    “My breakup with Nina wasn’t amicable. We’d been having trouble since summer, and when I finally broke it off a month ago I made the mistake of taking her to the Montage hoping she’d make less of a scene if we were in public.”
    Jane snorted. “You don’t understand women, Sam. Hell hath no fury even in a room full of china. I guess she didn’t take it very well?”
    “No, she stormed out. I followed her and we fought in the parking lot. It got pretty heated. I finally grabbed my keys from the valet and left her there.”
    “That’s not a very strong motive,” Ari said. “Lots of couples fight.”
    He looked down, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, but I said something I shouldn’t have. She was very upset and said she’d publicly denounce my father’s appointment to the governor’s commission.”
    “What did you say in return?” Jane prodded.
    “I told her if she said anything that could hurt my father’s political career she’d be sorry. Of course, I didn’t mean it, and she didn’t mean what she’d said either. Even though she didn’t agree with my father on the governor’s position, she wouldn’t have done something as rash as a public statement. Nina was too good for that.”
    “Someone must have heard you in the parking lot,” Ari said.
    Jane nibbled on a cookie, mindful of any crumbs landing on her lap. “Why didn’t Nina agree with your dad? It isn’t like the governor’s advocating
in favor
of child abuse, is it?”
    “No, of course not. He just wants the parents, usually mothers, to be held more accountable about their reporting even if they’re also being abused.”
    Ari thought about the ramifications of an abused spouse being labeled as a criminal. “I imagine that was the point of their disagreement.”
    Sam nodded and swiped at his hair again. “Yes, she thought that would penalize the mother twice.”
    “She’s right,” Jane said.
    Ari gazed at the sea, unsatisfied by the conversation. “Was there anything else? Did she know something that was embarrassing to your family?”
    He shook his head. “My mom’s company is on the level, we’re not being investigated for anything and we pay our taxes. We’re pretty boring actually.”
    An older woman wearing a red bandanna like a turban sailed through the French doors. She wore jeans and a man’s crisp blue button-down, the breast pocket of which was missing. While the shirt looked new, her jeans were flecked with paint in every color of the rainbow.
    “Hello, I’m Georgie, Sam’s mother.” Sam rose and introduced Ari and Jane. “You’ll have to forgive me,” she said, motioning to her attire. “I’m working on a piece right now, but I wanted to take a moment and meet you. Which one of you is the private investigator?”
    “The investigator is actually a friend of ours who’ll be joining us in a few days. We’re here to get a head start,” Ari said assuredly.
    “I see,” she said hesitantly and glanced at Sam.
    “What do you paint?” Jane asked.
    “Mainly glass right now. I decorate wine and martini glasses and sell them at my