“Really,” she said, bemused. “He didn’t strike me as morally compromised, which is what you’re suggesting.”

“Let’s put it this way: what got him killed was extorting money from someone with something to hide. Maybe he was different in his dealings with you.”

“Possible.”

“You know, I appreciate your professional reticence, but so far this is like pulling teeth. Can we loosen up a bit?” I asked. “I’m trying to decide how much time and effort to expend, so a tiny bit of information would be a boon.”

“Ask anything you like. I’ll tell you what I can.”

“I’d appreciate it. Let’s start with Lenore Redfern. Am I correct in thinking Ned was married to her?”

“Years ago, yes. According to the story I heard, Lennie suffered postpartum psychosis after their little girl was born. When the child was three, Lennie killed herself, and now he’s married to someone else.”

“Celeste. I ran across her name in a wedding announcement Pete clipped from the local paper.”

“You’re talking about April’s marriage,” Taryn said. “I saw the notice myself and remember thinking her life must be turning out okay after all.”

“Given her mother’s suicide?”

“Yes.”

“What do you know about Shirley Ann Kastle? I’m assuming she’s connected to Ned in some way. As nearly as I remember, she wasn’t named as a party to the lawsuit.”

“She wasn’t. Shirley Ann was peripheral.”

“Meaning what in this context?”

“Meaning I don’t want to go into it quite yet. I’m not saying I won’t, but I have concerns to satisfy first. How much do you know about the lawsuit?”

“Ned’s attorney hired Byrd-Shine while I was there. You sued for intentional infliction of emotional distress, and they were asked to do a deep background check.”

“On me, yes. I’m painfully aware.”

“I thought you dropped the suit.”

“We reached a settlement.”

“Really. According to the talk around Byrd-Shine, you had him nailed. They were sweating bullets. Why did you back off?”

“Because I panicked. When Ned’s attorney—I notice I’m blanking on the name . . .”

“Arnold Ruffner.”

“Of course. How could I forget? When Ruffner took my deposition, he tore me apart. He had information that would have been devastating if we’d gone to trial.”

“Like what?”

She closed her mouth and shook her head once before she went on. “Sorry to do this to you, but I’ve said enough for now. That was a difficult time, and I really don’t want to go into it.”

“When I mentioned Lenore’s name and then Shirley Ann’s, you jumped right to Ned. Why was that?”

“He grew up in Burning Oaks.”

“He was born there?”

“Don’t think so. I know that’s where he went to high school. Phyllis Joplin was his second wife.”

“Well, that’s a help. I take it you weren’t the one who gave Pete the list?”

“He must have put that together on his own.”

“Do you know why?”

“I can make a reasonable guess, but I’d prefer not to spell it out. I hope you won’t push.”

“Of course not. I appreciate what you’ve told me so far, and I want you to feel okay about sharing more. I hate the word ‘sharing,’ by the way.”

“Oh, me too,” she said, and we both smiled. She shifted positions slightly. “Is there a connection between the list and the mailer you mentioned?”

“Don’t know yet. Intuition says yes, but that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, it strikes me the two of us do much the same job. We study people’s lives, determine what went wrong, and try to make it right. That lawsuit was ten years ago. What harm could it do if you talked about it now?”

“That whole subject still makes me squirm because I blew it. It’s embarrassing to admit this, but I made every mistake imaginable. Starting with my attorney.”

“What was wrong with him?”

“He was kind.”

“Oh, boy.”

“Really,” she said. “I was an emotional mess, and he seemed so sympathetic. The minute things got rough, he gave up.”

“So how much was the settlement?”

“I signed a confidentiality agreement, which I’d be violating if I revealed the terms. It was an ugly business. I’ve had to put it behind me and move on with life. I will say the settlement allowed me to finish my degree with enough left over to set up the office I’m in.”