As Veronica was preparing to dine alone, in her guest room, as a break from the hectic round of dinners with the Emir, her step-mother, her sister and...her niece in various combinations, the telephone rang in the guest suite."Hullo," she said, wondering who might be telephoning her here."Good evening, Countess," said a pleasant tenor voice, "Allow me to introduce myself, since nobody else has seen fit to do so. I am Crown Prince Mustapha, the eldest son of the Emir. We met once at Stapleford. Finally, he shows me the Master Bedroom.Daddy Jake: "That's where I fuck my wife."Lola: "Is that where you going to fuck me, daddy?"Daddy Jake: "Soon baby."As we start to walk downstairs, I started to feel a little weird. It was getting hard to walk straight. Daddy Jake grabs me, so I wouldn't fall down.Daddy Jake: "Good girl. Fall asleep now, your daddy has plans for you."Lola: "What, dadd.."I passed out.I don't know what happened between when I passed and when I woke. All I know is I woke up. They looked like yellow tinged white marble, or maybe antique parchment.And for God's sake, why would a person - any person - choose their birthday to do something like this?"Your marital status?" Single." Never married?" Right. Not divorced, not widowed: single."More than a hint of irritation accompanied the statement and Detective Renner felt an apologetic need to explain his clarification."Sorry if that seemed to be an unnecessary question, but many people aren't aware of the distinction.". She lifted her hand to his face and ran a fingertip gently over his lips. Still no response. Satisfied, she walked over to the door and looked down the hallway again. No one in sight, just as she expected. With the beginning of another smile spreading across her lovely lips, she turned back into the room. She eased the door shut, then locked it before returning to the bed and the man lying in it. Stretching out her hand, she took the top of the sheet and began pulling it down. She.