After he left for a meeting with his own attorney, Grace and I drove to see Claudia.

Claudia lived in a small house with a porch swing and a stubborn golden retriever named Toby.

Grace spent half an hour throwing a tennis ball for him while Claudia and I spoke on the back steps.

“I thought I’d be relieved after seeing him embarrassed,” I said.

“Instead, I felt sick.”

“You didn’t go there to embarrass him.”

“No, but I still let Grace get close enough to ask a question she never should have needed to ask.”

Claudia put down her coffee.