Chapter 103

“How did that happen?” William said. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Long story, unhappy ending,” I said, then I gave him the tale, but in summary form.

“You guys do lead interesting lives,” Tom said.

Everyone was beginning to yawn a bit, so we said good night and retired to our respective rooms. Dani and I had taken Friday off so we could be available to our guests as needed. We took the tram to the concert hall Friday morning and sat in the front row while Tom did a complete run-through of that evening’s performance, except for the improvisation on a telephone number. We applauded, then sat quietly while he and the graduate student discussed some final changes to the stops Tom had selected for the various pieces. While he was playing, Father had slipped quietly into a seat near me and, when I turned to look in his direction, I spotted one of his aides hovering in the background.