Lila told me her team had pooled tips to buy space heaters for employees working in the chilly lobby.

She said it matter-of-factly, as though the fact should not embarrass me.

It did.

I had been living in a house with a heated indoor pool while the people who kept my father’s hotels running collected money to stay warm.

“I can’t promise what the investigation will find,” I told her.

“I can promise the boiler gets a legitimate safety assessment this week.”

She gave me a skeptical look.