'What's on your plate, Lil?'

'The multifunction polis. Remember that?'

'Vaguely.'

'Right, you and everyone else. I'm off to Adelaide tomorrow to look into how it's going. You?'

Lily had met Frank and Hilde a few times, liked them, and knew how close we were. I told her about Frank's problem as we worked through the Merlot.

'Tricky,' she said.

I sneezed; the drifting leaves activated a mild allergy of some kind. I pulled a tissue from my pocket and Frank's money came out with it.

'Nice,' she said.

I blew my nose. 'Yeah-hidden from Hilde. Frank's cut up about it.'

'D'you think he's… in love with this Catherine?'

'No, but you know what men're like.'

'Don't I just? Would you go off me, Cliff? If I went into mood swings and hot flushes?'

'Mood swings you've already got. I don't know if hot flushes'd bother me.'

'We'll have to wait and see, won't we?'

I said, 'I read somewhere about DNA tests. Apparently one in four shows that your poppa ain't your poppa. Remember the song?'

'No, you're older than me, remember.'

'That's right. Any tips on handling this, Lil? I read the other day that males are better at asking how things work and females are better at human relationships.'

'Yeah-watch yourself with Catherine thingo. If she's got to old Frankie, she could get to you.'

I phoned the late Dr Heysen's widow in the morning while Lily was waiting for her cab to the airport. I told Catherine Heysen that Frank Parker had enlisted my help and she agreed to meet me at her place in Earlwood at 11 am. Her voice was the kind they classify as educated Australian. Tells you nothing, because there are various ways of acquiring it.

'You old charmer, you,' Lily said as I put the phone down.

'Less of the old. What's that supposed to mean?'