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"Is that what Charlotte told you?" He sighed "I don’t know for certain what happened I got the i classified information to the Russians It’s not i ine the upkeep--and they were fighting about it, and so they had a child That child was Charlotte And while I love your friend, Ja easier for anyone"

I bristled "That’s an awful thing to say"

"The state of her parents’ ht on an unsteady foundation They’re not happy people, Alistair and Eine myself to be"

"I know" My father could be called a lot of things, but miserable wasn’t one of theh all this with Charlotte It can be so easy to get bogged down in it The darkness The heartlessness Not in Holmes, of course Well, so about, there I don’t know if he did "Besides, you’re young, ot mixed up with this lot I don’t want it to ruin you"

"Why won’t you let me read Leander’s emails?" I asked He’d mentioned his friend’s na It didn’t sound romantic It didn’t sound unro the loss of a lis about his niece that aren’t very nice"

"Really? They seeirl, and makes mistakes, and--oh, dammit, those emails are private, Jamie They weren’t meant for you I’m sorry to put it so plainly, but I need to make you understand I’m so far away from all of it, and thank God for that, because the last case I took with him? It almost killed us both I have small children I live in America I need that distance, but"

"But you can’t cut him off completely"

"Yes Well Listen, I’ll send you the IP addresses fro happen on that front Hold on--" He covered the receiver with a hand There was soot back on, his voice was ridiculously jolly "Well, son, I’ve been told that I need to go sing about figgy pudding! Happy I could help with your girl problems! We’ll talk more soon I’ll send what I promised Love you, Jamie"

"Bye, Dad," I said "You too"

"SO NATHANIEL ZIEGLER," HOLMES WAS SAYING AN HOUR later, spinning back and forth in her rolling chair "Was arrested for possession three years ago Want to know the address?"

"Let ust paused for dramatic effect He was sprawled on Milo’s couch We’d taken over his penthouse, despite the complaints of his staff There was more space here than in our rooust Have a cookie The address, in fact, is one we visited last night" She gave us a street na a bell?"

"The place was raided?" August sat up "During a party?"

"According to the report, he lived there"