"Fine." I can play her game. "Let's start with what I saw this morning."

"Oh, that." Paula waved a dismissive hand. "I went to him, asked him to come back to my room. I figured since Laura is gone and he doesn't love you, then there'd be no harm. That's it. Then you came along and stopped it just as things were getting good…"

Her smile fades as she sees that this is really bothering me, and she changes to a sincere tone. "Here it is. Laura was sixteen when her mother married Sterling's father. Sterling was thirteen. At her age, Laura was already well-versed in the sexual arts, and...