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“Perhaps, but I hope you see how that still brings me back to you You’re the only major collector who’s on the scene and has a vested interest in Brian’s and Lily’s activities So I’ll ask you again, how close was your relationship with Lily?”

“As I told you before, I liked her a lot We did business together We often dined together And, yes, we slept together on occasion But it wasn’t personal, if you knohat I mean”

“How is sleeping together not personal?”

Stuart tilted his head down and looked up at her in a manner that could alht call a woe Haven’t you had the occasion to have sex with soht or a situation presented itself or you just wanted to have a little fun with no strings attached?”

“Which one was it with you and Lily?”

“For her or for me?”

“Let’s start with you”

“It usually happened up at Bashan So I guess you could say it was convenient, but it was also fun and there were no strings attached Lily was good company She loved to tell stories, and it onderful to watch how she embellished and elaborated on the truth Did she tell you the one about the pornography that decorates the walls of the guesthouse?”

Hulan nodded

“A total fabrication, but those stories were part of what reat salesperson Her fanciful tales of hidden treasures and concubine ghosts gave rotoo crude, it was that aspect of her thatyou”

“And for Lily? How did she see view your relationship?”

“Business, pure and simple She and her company made a considerable amount of money off of me”

“You said earlier that you like to be hands-on”

He nodded cautiously as he followed her abrupt segue

“Would you say you’re hands-on enough to have cut off Lily’s feet?”