In a visit to Claremont, Millhone plans to meet Diane, the sister of her client Greg, to gather more information on the case. She spends some time catching up with old friends, Gideon and Nell, before meeting Diane for lunch. Their meal serves as a backdrop for a discussion about family dynamics, revealing Diane’s complicated feelings toward her late father. Diane is candid about her history of therapy and her disdain for her father’s romantic choices, but her demeanor changes drastically when Millhone enquires about the family dog’s accidental death years ago.

Diane confesses she forgot to let the dog back into the house, which she believes allowed someone to tamper with her father’s medication. Millhone perceives that Diane feels responsible for her father’s death.

Millhone, back at the Hacienda, sifts through phone messages from Charlie Scorsoni before heading to her room. Millhone manages to set up an appointment with Garry Steinberg, the accountant at Haycraft and McNiece, for later that day to discuss Libby Glass’s affairs. Her call to a friend in Las Vegas suggests that she might have unintentionally put Sharon Napier in danger, contributing to her death, and her friend is less than eager to assist further.