Don Winslow - The Kings Of Cool

“And he’s going to do that from where, Costa Rica?” Ryan snaps.

“That will be enough of that,” Judge Giannini says.

“He’s a flight risk, Your Honor,” Ryan repeats. “And may I remind the court that these charges include possession of a firearm while in the commission of a drug felony. Mr. Crowe is a danger to the public.”

“The gun was not in Mr. Crowe’s possession,” Chad argues. “It was found in the vicinity of Mr. Crowe’s vehicle.”

“And had Mr. Hennessy’s fingerprints on it.”

“Mr. Hennessy is not Mr. Crowe,” Meldrun says.

Ryan says, “May I also remind the court-”

“The court does not have Alzheimer’s,” Giannini snaps.

She’s in a pissy mood, Dennis thinks.

Good.

Ryan keeps pressing. “This is not only a marijuana charge. Heroin-a Schedule Two narcotic-is involved, and in the vicinity of a school.”

“At one in the morning,” Chad says, throwing his arms in the air. “No jury is going to believe that Mr. Crowe was attempting to sell to schoolchildren.”

“The law does not specify intent,” Ryan answers. “Proximity is sufficient.”

Chad turns and looks directly at Dennis. “We have seen these shenanigans from Agent Cain before. This is an old dog doing old tricks. It’s an outrageous abuse of authority.”

Dennis smiles at him.

“Your Honor,” Ryan says, “Agent Cain is not on trial here.”

“He should be,” Chad snaps. “This whole case is a setup from jump street, Your Honor, and I will argue entrapment. The government has used a so-far-unidentified CI to lure an otherwise innocent-”

“We’ll produce the witness at trial,” Ryan says.

Giannini says, “Let’s get back to the point here. I tend to agree that the weapons allegation will probably not survive judicial scrutiny as to Mr. Crowe. I also tend to agree that while the severity of possible penalties is an inducement toward flight, Mr. Crowe’s standing in the community and the fact that he owns a business are mitigating factors. Therefore I’m inclined to grant bail. Would the government like to suggest a figure, Ms. Ryan?”

“Ten million dollars.”

“Look at my face,” Giannini says. “Do I look like I’m in the mood for jokes, Ms. Ryan?”

“May I suggest OR?” Chad asks.

“Same answer, Chad, but nice try,” Giannini says. “I’m certainly not inclined to release Mr. Crowe on his own recognizance, but I do see a need for a serious deterrent toward flight. You want to come down on your bid, Ms. Ryan?”

“One million.”

“Bail is set at five hundred thousand dollars,” Giannini says, “with Mr. Crowe’s residence and business as security. Can you post the ten percent today, Mr. Crowe?”

“He can, Your Honor,” Chad says.

I’ll bet he can, Dennis thinks.

The boys want him out, no question.

Question is

Who are the boys?

“You cut them loose?” Ben asks.

They’re sitting in Dennis’s car in the parking lot of Albertsons in Laguna.

“We can’t hold them on the murder,” Dennis explains. “Unless one flips on the other, we have nothing.”

“I’ll go in,” Ben says. “If that’s the problem, I’ll-”

“It won’t do any good,” Dennis says. “You can’t put them on the scene, and they have alibis.”

“If I go in and swear out a complaint against Crowe for extortion-”

“The most you have on him is making a threat,” Dennis answers. “You can’t even tie him to the beating Boland gave you, never mind the murders.”

“So now what?”

“Run.”

“What?”

“Run, Ben.”

Because these guys are out, and they’re going to kill you.

Because, as Chon points out, the justice system is more about the system than the justice.

Maybe Crowe and Hennessy jump bail, maybe they roll the dice with a trial on the drug charges, maybe they take a chance on each other’s holding firm, but the point is They have problems of their own now.

And so do the higher-ups.

Someone paid a lot of money to spring Crowe and Hennessy for fear they might flip in the interview room. But Duane and Brian still have good reason-double-digit prison sentences-to trade up, so the question is “Did they get them out to get them out,” Chon asks Ben, “or to get them out of the way?”

The latter of which leaves two options Crowe and Hennessy jump bail and disappear, or Someone disappears them.

In either case, the plan worked-drop Crowe into the shit and see who throws a line.

But how do we track the line back?

One of Ben and Chon’s favorite movies is All the President’s Men. They can practically quote it. Well, not “practically.” Actually. Driving back from Ben’s meet with Dennis, they go into the routine:

Hunt’s come in from the cold. Supposedly he’s got a lawyer with $25,000 in a brown paper bag.

The prices have gone up, Bob.

Follow the money.

“Follow the lawyer who brought the money,” Ben says. “Somebody sent Chad to bail Crowe out. He’s going to report back to that somebody. And he isn’t going to do it over the phone.”

“Can you do it, bro?” Chon asks. “Follow him without getting seen?”

Without getting killed?

“I think so,” Ben says.

“I’ll take the other line.”

Crowe and Hennessy have to be freaking. They know they’re on thin ice. They’re going to reach out.

And up.

It’s a good situation, Chon thinks. If Crowe and Hennessy had flipped on each other, Ben would have gotten his “justice,” but it would still have left the higher-ups out there, and they would have him killed.

Better this way.

“Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Keep your head down.”

“You, too.”

“Always.”

Recent evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.

Duane Crowe goes home long enough to pack a few things.

Because this could go either way.

He folds his Old Guys Rule shirt into the duffel bag and thinks about the phone conversation that was less than reassuring.

Yeah, we have judges, but this is federal, Duane. That makes it tough. Say you get twelve-you serve twelve. You can do twelve. I’ve done it. You’re still a young man when you get out.

I’m not a young man now, Duane thinks. He grabs a couple of pairs of jeans out of a dresser drawer and throws them in the bag. I have a daughter going to college. I have tuition to pay. I can’t do one year, never mind the cost of the trial, the defense.

And that’s just the drug charge.

The other thing…

… is a problem. If the other guy gets weak in the knees… You fucked up. You know, with the girl. It’s a problem.

Yeah, thanks a fucking heap. Tell me something I don’t know. Just like the Powers That Be, you work your ass off for them, make them money, and then when there’s a “problem” they leave you on an island.

But Duane gets the message.

The Powers That Be will take a chance on the drug charge, but the homicides?

If I don’t do something about Brian, they’re going to do something about me. They’re going to clean house-Brian, Leonard, me.

If they’re not on their way already.

He puts the revolver in his pocket and heads out.

Ben sits in his car and calls Chad Meldrun.

The bored, too-cool-for-school receptionist puts him on hold. Comes back on a few seconds later and says, “Chad said to say he can’t represent you anymore.”

“Did he say why not?”

“Conflicted.”

“You or him?”

She hangs up.

But Ben knows what he wanted to know-Chad is in the office.