"I think you're better off asking for that in discovery."
Rick obviously didn't want to get more involved than he already was. "Maybe you're right."
"I thought of something, though."
"What's that?"
"I told you how tough it was to get suspects out of Mexico, but there might be something you can do."
"Tell me."
"I know a guy named Brandy Garcia. Brandy is a Latino hustler, does a little of everything to make a buck. He's been a coyote, running illegals across the border, he's run an employment agency for recendy arrived Latinos, he may even have smuggled some drugs in his time, I don't know. But he's well connected below the border, especially in Tijuana, where he's from, and he might be able to find this guy, Felipe Cordova, for you."
"Sounds good."
"Trouble is, Cordova is not a suspect, so even if you found him and the Mexicans were willing to extradite him, nobody would arrest him."
"That's discouraging," Stone replied.
"I know. But you might try to talk to him, if Brandy can find him."
"How do I get hold of Brandy Garcia?"
"I left a message on an answering machine, giving him your number. He may or may not call; I don't know if he's even in the country."
"Okay, I'll wait to hear from him."
"Good luck."
"Thanks, Rick." Stone hung up.
Twenty minutes later Betty buzzed him. "There's somebody on the phone, who says his name is Brandy Garcia; says Rick Grant told him to call."
"Put him through," Stone said. There was a click. "Hello?"
"Mr. Barrington?"
"Yes."
"My name is Brandy Garcia; Rick Grant said I might be of some service to you." The accent was slight.
"Yes, I spoke to Rick. Can we meet someplace?"
"You free for lunch?"
"How about a drink?"
"Okay: the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel at twelve-thirty?"
"All right."
"See you then." Garcia hung up.
Stone opened his briefcase, found a bank envelope, and counted out some money.
* * *
Stone drove up to the portico of the Beverly Hills Hotel and turned his car over to the valet. Walking inside, he thought that the place looked very fresh and new. It was the first time he'd visited the hotel since its multimillion-dollar renovation by its owner, the Sultan of Brunei.