Kevin drew a deep breath and shook his head, then adroitly changed the subject. "How was your stay in Monte Carlo and San Remo?" he asked.
"Not too good," Jeff replied. "Eleanore likes to gamble. She wins a bit, and then-well, then she can't stop." He shook his head. "It's a problem."
"I thought she was trying to get it under control, that she'd made a resolution not to even enter a casino," Kevin said.
Jeff shrugged. "You know how these things go. Promises made by a gambler are no better than promises made by an alcoholic." He glanced up at Kevin. "How's Tanya, by the way?"
"She's the same," Kevin replied. "I'd like our lawyer to see if he could help her, maybe direct her to a legal counselor, someone who could advise her concerning her problems-whatever they are."
"I'll check for you. Anything specific?"
"Not that I know of. She seems to think her stay out of the country will solve all of her problems." Kevin shook his head. "I have my doubts."
Jeff laughed. "I've never seen a problem solved by going on vacation. But that's just my opinion, after all." Kevin was silent. "It will be difficult to help the girl if we have no information about her. Do you have anything else, anything at all?"
"She recently shipped a painting to someplace in Montreal for a contest," Kevin said. "The contest was called Wonder in Children. I remember the painting well. It was breathtaking, a study of a young black boy staring at something spectacular."
"Wonder in Children," Jeff repeated. "Sounds familiar. Montreal, you said? I may ask around. I have some contacts over there." He finished the tea in his cup and pushed it aside. "Anything else you can tell me about her?"
"Not much. She didn't talk about herself very often. Her parents were in the import-export business, with dealings in Europe as well as the Americas. They traveled extensively, and usually took the children with them. They died in an air crash, along with Tanya's younger brother." Kevin paused, considering. "That's about all I know, except she won a scholarship to MacKenzie Academy. She studied there."
Jeff nodded, then stood. "One more thing, Kevin," he said as he gestured for the waitress to bring their check. "Vanessa misses you. She seems restless, in search of something. She keeps asking about you." He paused, glanced at Kevin. "If you don't mind, I'd like to invite her to the cottage next weekend, when you're there."