The image didn’t show that, though. It showed a curious look on Helen’s face, right before she reached for a pack of cigarettes, found it empty, a...d pulled out a string of what I now know are Greek Worry Beads instead.“You knew that Contessa Helena de San Finzione was a real person on TV before you met her. But in the same way as the President or the Pope; someone powerful and famous that you knew existed, but Susan Bailey’s chances of ever meeting her were zero. Chad was never going to take. I mulled disclosure for a few seconds, and throwing caution to the wind, I decided to let my best friend in on my secret. He was staring at me with curiosity written all over his face, anyways.“Back in the old days when I lived in the apartment,” I began; “I came home one night and my remote stopped working, so I went across the street to a small electronics store and bought a generic universal remote.”“OK,” he offered indifferently, “You have my attention.”I handed him the remote and. From the subtle change inher expression Herb could tell she had him pegged ? another stalker, Couldn?t aguy be an admirer anymore? Hell, he wasn?t a pedophile, but even at ten she hadbeen one of those girls you couldn?t take your eyes from. It wasn?t as if Herbhad spent the next twenty years creeping in her shadow ? who in town didn?tknow all about her? The only child of the wealthiest man in town, her life waschronicled in the society pages: scholarships, vacations abroad, graduationfrom. It sounded more like Mississippi bayou country than the European original version of the musical language.She was leaning back in the sudsy water keeping her curls out of the water and smoking one of those Mexican cigars that tended to make one feel like they were walking on a cloud.Shortly before she had woken up from a deep sleep, I had suffered a bad coughing spell that brought a supply of red-tinged residue from my damaged lungs. I was generally able to control my coughing spells now.