[His eyes drifted down to glimpse at that ring on her hand -- but Eddie too smart a man to make any verbal note.]

It isn't that I'm doubting your experience. [Dark ploy, to bring the dirty spotlight back on Lil, with her filmy memories of heartache. His mouth twitched downward, the shame of this evasion game evident on his face.]

She's important to me. She's peerless in her importance to me -- isn't that enough definition? At a time like this -- when we're looking for her.