Also by way of good news, as I was closing up the office one afternoon during that same period, I received a call from Ari and Teddy Xanakis, who were happily ensconced at Claridge’s in London, having the time of their lives while waiting to hear what the Turner experts had to say about their painting. They were feeling optimistic and, sure enough, by the time they returned to California on the fifteenth of April, its authenticity had been confirmed.

Months later, after Ari’s marriage to Stella Morgan was dissolved, Ari and Teddy married for a second time in a civil ceremony at the Santa Teresa courthouse. Stella was not invited, but I was. I’d have insisted on my role as the oldest living flower girl on record, but it would have looked silly under the circumstances.

There’s a commonly accepted assumption that the rich are greedy and uncaring and the elderly are frail and ineffectual. This isn’t always the case, of course. Sometimes it’s old people who lie, cheat, and steal. Ari and Teddy are supporting all the local charities again, and their generosity is legendary.

The more I see of the world, the more I understand that justice isn’t cut-and-dried. There are more compromises than you’d imagine, and rightly so. Law and order, punishment and fair play, are all on a continuum where there are far more gray stretches than there are black and white. I’m making my peace with this. In the main, I believe people are good. In the main, I believe the judicial system works.

Ned Lowe will be caught eventually. I’ve seen law enforcement at work, and their patience and competence tend to net the right results in the end. That’s what I’m counting on, at any rate. In the meantime, both Henry and I have had our locks changed.

As for Pete Wolinsky, I acknowledge that I misjudged him and I hope he may rest in peace, wherever he may be.

Respectfully submitted,

Kinsey Millhone