The Stars Are Right: The Irish Rose: Rhyner Interview

Unsurprisingly he takes you straight back to the building you just left. The boy knocks, then opens the door and holds it for you.

Things are not too different from when you were here before. The dishware has been cleared away, and another carafe of water and new glasses sit in their place. The bottle of brandy is still there, as well as the scattering of papers.

The fire has burnt down a bit, and the lamps throw pools of light across the table, leaving the rest of the room in dim shadows.

Hannelore Rhyner looks up when you enter, setting aside a pen and paper. Regarding you frankly from where she sits.

"Mr. Lovejoy. Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure you'd accept." She makes a gesture towards the nearby chairs around the table. "Please, be as comfortable as you can." Her voice is warm without being intimate.

Lovejoy tips his hat, not without irony, and slouches into a chair. He makes a little ceremony of taking out his notebook, turning to a fresh page, licking his pen. "So," he says. "You wanted to see me?"