Charlotte stalks from the library like the Grim Reaper missing his scythe. Mitch rises, already opening her purse, producing a small velvet bag. “Ah, there you are, Jenny…”
Charlotte glares at Mitch’s advance and the glint of silver and green emerging from the bag. Klempner watches, slit-eyed, at the mother and daughter performance. He angles towards James, speaking behind his hand. “Has Jenny always been like this?”
James sucks in a smile. “As long as I’ve known her. Utterly uninterested in what she’s wearing. For a woman who went to such lengths to raise money, she’s completely non-materialistic.”
“She"s happy enough to spend my money.”
“I"d say her early years made Charlotte… careful… with resources.”
Klempner sparks sidelong at him, eyes widening.
I break in… “To answer your ques
