I laughed. ‘I spend as little time in sleazy company as I can. The people have b.o. and bad breath and try to borrow money all the time. The real underworld lives better.’

‘You think Julius was a high-class crook?’

‘I assume that of all millionaires until I learn different.’

She smiled. Her head tilted a bit as she did so. The slightly bucked teeth were perfectly shaped and near-white. An ambitious dentist would go mad with indecision. ‘There’s a man named Wilson Katz. He worked for Julius in some very senior capacity. He might be able to help you.’

We walked back to St Peters lane. I unlocked the Falcon and she got in without comment or reaction. To a discerning person, the car bears the signs of having had some money spent on it where it matters. To the undiscerning it just looks old. The interior was hot and I started to sweat as soon as I got in. Claudia didn’t sweat, or if she did it didn’t show. The engine started immediately and ran smoothly but there was no air-conditioning and I’d have to rely on a breeze through the window to cool me down.

‘Vaucluse?’

‘No. I hardly spent any time there and I haven’t been back since Julius died. There’s a flat in Kirribilli. Julius liked to spend some time on the other side of the harbour. He said it made him feel like a true resident of the city.’

I released the brake, engaged first gear and drove quietly towards Forbes Street. ‘Good thinking. If you had a spot at Dover Heights and somewhere on Pittwater and down south you’d have the place covered. What other properties are there?’

She wound down her window and the breeze wafted through. ‘What you really mean is, did he leave everything to me? Why don’t you ask straight out?’

I drove up Forbes Street, stopped at the lights. ‘Did he leave everything to you?’