‘Big difference.’

‘Sure, but I’ve got a house in Newtown that I own and a job that I love. No dependants. I don’t need five million. She’s just got her face and her figure and her greed.’

‘Your father sounds like a pretty cluey guy. How come he went for a gold-digger?’

‘She’s a good actress, and she only showed her true colours after she got him.’

‘No pre-nuptial?’

She shook her head. ‘He hated lawyers.’

‘Can’t say I blame him.’

‘Look, I don’t expect you to work miracles, but surely you can look at the reports on the fire and the medical evidence and…do an investigation of some kind. And you could meet her and investigate her. See who she knows, what she does. If there’s anything…I know it sounds thin.’

‘Is she hands-on in the real estate agency?’

‘Oh, yes. She fancies herself a great saleswoman.’

‘It so happens I’m looking for office space. Where’s the agency?’

She grimaced. ‘Newtown. I see her far too often.’

‘I was in Darlinghurst. I wouldn’t mind Newtown.’

She smiled and the animation came back. ‘You’ll do it?’

‘I’ve got a feeling you’d sic Harkness onto me if I didn’t.’ I put one of my cards on her tidy desk. ‘I’ll take a look at it. Siphon off a bit of your money. Give me your number and I’ll fax you a contract. You can email me some of the relevant details-addresses, dates. People involved-like your father’s doctor, the police you spoke to, insurance and stuff.’

‘Thank you.’

‘No guarantees.’

She gave me a card with her contact details on it and we shook hands. She had a strong, cool grip and there was a faint tang of something astringent about her. Standing, she was tall, in the 180 centimetre bracket. I wondered about the no dependants. I wondered about a lot of things to do with her. I always do. People who hire private detectives aren’t like the normal run. They want to know other people’s secrets and they usually have some of their own, sometimes harmless, sometimes not. It makes the work interesting. Anyway, I did need to think about office space.