The Gentlemen's Hour

18

Boone walks back into The Sundowner and sits down at the booth.

Not Sunny sighs and turns to the cook.

“Got it,” the cook says.

“Why me?” Boone asks. “Why not some other PI?”

“Because you know the scene,” Petra answers. “Another PI would take God knows how much time just to catch up on a learning curve that you already know.”

“Why did Alan take this case?” Boone snaps.

“Corey’s father is an old fraternity brother,” Petra says.

“So I take it he can handle Alan’s bill.”

Petra nods.

“Doctor? Lawyer? Indian chief?”

“Real estate developer.”

“I hate him already.”

This is true. Generally speaking, Boone would have every real estate developer in Southern California put on a bus and driven over a cliff if it wouldn’t kill the bus driver. If he can find a bus-driving real estate developer, though, it’s on.

Not Sunny sets Boone’s plate down. He takes a big bite of the reheated machaca, then says, “I won’t help you go for an acquittal.”

“We’re not asking that,” Petra says. “Just a sentence that reflects the facts, that a drunken teenager threw one punch with unfortunately tragic consequences, as opposed to the mob mentality that’s driving an inflated first-degree murder charge. We don’t want to go to trial, Boone. Just try to get enough leverage that we can make a deal that resembles justice.”

They want to knock it down to voluntary manslaughter. Boone knows that the State of California has mandatory sentencing guidelines—a vol man plea bargain could get Corey anywhere from 24 to 132 months in prison. Figure it somewhere in the middle range.

“Tell Alan I’ll take the case.”

“Actually, I already did.”

Because with all your contradictions you’re really a very simple man, she thinks.

You’ll do the right thing.

She reaches over to his plate, tears off a piece of tortilla, and says mildly, “There’s a slight problem.”

Actually, six slight problems.

Five eyewitnesses.

And Corey’s confession.