Standing, I offered my hand as Mrs. McFadden entered my office. She was an attractive woman, as long as I worked hard not to imagine her as the sharp-toothed fish that inhabited South American waters.

A few inches shorter than I, with blonde hair short and styled to perfection, her face appeared smooth for her age. I had no doubt she’d had some surgical assistance, yet it wasn’t overdone.

“Mrs. McFadden,” I said with all the enthusiasm I could muster. “It is ...