"I've heard about him," Blumberg said. "A real husder."
"Took him less than a week to find Cordova."
"Where'd you meet?"
"At Garcia's house. He seems to be doing very well for himself."
"I don't get it; why would Cordova talk to you?"
"Because I paid him a thousand dollars, plus another three hundred for his shoes."
"You got the Nikes?"
"I did."
"Was there a cut on the sole?"
"There was; they're in my car; they'll match the photograph the cops took."
> "Now that is great! What did Cordova say?"
Stone took a deep breath and told the lie. "Denied everything; wasn't at the house that day, went to Mexico, because somebody in the family was sick."
"You couldn't shake his story?"
Stone shook his head. "No way to disprove it, without telling him about the footprint, and I didn't want to tip him off about that."
"You think there's any way of getting him back, so the cops can question him?"
"No, short of arranging another meeting and kidnapping him, and I don't think a judge would look kindly on that, not even a judge you play golf with."
"You're right about that."
"He's not coming back to L.A. anytime soon; he's gone to ground, and I doubt if we'll ever see him again."
"Well, we've got the shoes," Blumberg said.
"You think that's enough to win a motion to dismiss?"
"Maybe; I'd like to think about that. I'd really like to have more."
"Like a confession from Cordova?"
Marc grinned. "That would do it, I think."
Stone got serious. "We can't let this go to trial, Marc."
"Oh, I think I could win it," Marc replied cockily.
"Probably, but I don't want to take the chance, and I don't want Arrington to have to live with half the world thinking she murdered her husband."
"We'll go for the motion to dismiss, when I'm ready," Marc said, "and we'll play it big in the press, sow some doubt amongst the jury pool. Even if we lose, we can do ourselves some good."
"Let's don't lose," Stone said.
A Latino in a white jacket came out of the house. "Dinner is served, whenever you're ready, Mr. Blumberg."
"Thank you, Pedro," Marc said. "We'll be right in."