Yes. Whose fingerprints were they? I dont. Another ten years and I might have some myself. How? I love old movies, she said. Any business can be discussed with my lawyer, Perry Mason. And it was true, or so the official business press had always dutifully reported. A string of Cowls ancestorshad inherited great wealth, but his grandfather apparently had been a lousy businessman and lost half the fortune. Cowls worthless father had sponged off his inheritance, and what he didnt lose in gambling, he squandered in bad investments. When Brad Cowl had come along, there was little if anything left. But he had worked hard and graduated summa cum laude from his Ivy League college. After that the man had,in around two decades, built his eponymous firm up into the same league as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan and Merrill Lynch. The attempt was on Frances, Stone said, I just got in the way. So what? Well, the Candidate put him on the payroll as you suggested so maybe somebody should tell him to leave the blackjack home. Flashing red emergency lights wounded the chilly, cloudy night sky— two patrol cars and three unmarked police cars, a boxy ambulance and a fire chiefs red sedan, though why it was here I didnt know. Well, before you turn on the morning news, theres news. There was a dramatic silence in the courtroom as the witness turned to face Perry Mason-Those are the fingerprints of Perry Mason, the attorney for the defendant She wanted to know how much the union would pay to find out what had happened to Arch Mix. Well, theres the one-hundred-thousand reward that the unions offering, but when I told her about it she said it wasnt enough. How the fuck should I know if its important? But just in case we might miss something, Murfin went up to the room that the Raines woman had rented and sort of poked around before we got there. You know, just to make sure that we wouldnt overlook anything. Well, he comes up with this clue of his. Oxley looked at me. What does Chad mean to you besides being a country in west central Africa and a mans first name? I dont know about you, I said, but I need several hundred drinks..