“Sixty percent of the gross!” Sanders cried. “Are you mad?”
Jennifer Harlow made a wheezing sound. Her husband started to shake his head, but then Justine said, “Perfectly sane. In return for our not revealing the extent of your fraudulent use of nonprofit funds for personal and corporate gain, you are going to increase that orphans’ endowment tenfold.”
“But the Harlows put their life savings into the film,” Terry Graves protested.
“Tell that to someone who gives a shit, Terry,” I said. “That’s term two. Accept it or suffer the consequences.”
Chapter 131
NO ONE SAID a thing for a moment, until Camilla Bronson chimed in: “It could be to your benefit, Jen, Thom. We announce the profit-sharing deal a month before Saigon Falls debuts and the public will think you’re saints.”
First Jennifer and then Thom Harlow nodded.
“Smart move,” I said. “Term three: financial control of Sharing Hands, including the endowment fund, will be turned over to an independent and impartial trustee, who will manage it the way it is supposed to be managed. In this case, that trustee will be Cynthia Maines.”
All eyes turned to the Harlows’ former personal assistant, who said, “I feel like I have a lot to make up for.”
Sanders looked ready to argue but said, “We agree. Anything else?”
“Yes, one last term,” Justine said before staring at Thom Harlow. “The Harlows will sponsor Anita Fontana, Maria Toro, and Jacinta Feliz for US citizenship. The Harlows will also pay Ms. Fontana a sum of three million—”
“What!” Sanders thundered.
“Three million dollars,” Justine insisted, “and guarantee that Ms. Fontana will be given unrestricted access to her son, Miguel, and to Malia and Jin. The cook and the maid will receive a million apiece.”
This last exchange caught the Harlow-Quinn team completely off-guard.
“Wait a second,” Camilla Bronson said. “Miguel’s Anita’s—?”
“Deal,” Jennifer Harlow said.
“Excellent doing business with you,” I said, standing up and pocketing the check Terry Graves had given me. “Once Ms. Maines assures me that all the money you siphoned from the orphans’ fund has been repaid in full, I’ll cash this, use it to fund pro bono work.”
Chapter 132
“THAT WENT BETTER than expected,” Justine said when we’d gotten back to her car and were heading to the office.
“It did, didn’t it?” I said, feeling like we’d actually righted wrongs.
“Karma will still find them, you know,” Justine said. “The Harlows. What goes around comes around.”
“Let’s hope they avoid it for a little while longer,” I replied, then glanced over at her. “You look happy.”
“Do I?” Justine said. “Well, I suppose I am.”
“For a while there, I thought you were sick or something.”
I caught a hesitation before Justine said, “Maybe I was. I’m getting over it.”
She didn’t say another word, and I figured that was the way she wanted it. I looked out the window the rest of the drive back, past Disney and Universal and up over Barham Boulevard to Mulholland Drive and down into Hollywood, thinking that there was no real truth in L.A., only the clever stories people choose to tell themselves and to believe.
“Want to go somewhere, get another drink?” I asked Justine when we pulled up in front of Private’s offices.
“Doctor’s appointment,” Justine said.
I peered at her. “You okay?”
“Getting close,” she replied.