Joey is now very confused. A civil suit? He’s pretty sure wrongful death means a lower standard of proof. He knows that from prison too. Is that why they’re charging him with it?

And what lawyer is this? Why wasn’t he told? Maybe the evidence from the criminal case can be used in the civil case so they don’t even need to talk to him? Or was he not told because of what they’ve already argued about his mental capacities? Being left out of his own defense, like in his criminal case before. This is all so weird to him. But he’s starting to sense the shadow of Karloff in it.

“If it’s a civil suit, why am I being brought there in a police cruiser?”

“Oh, we’re just doing a favor to the court and the lawyers. Just making sure you show up, Joey.”

The cop now turns to face him. Joey can read his badge. Patrick O’Connor. “I wouldn’t get too excited, Joey. I’m sure the state is going to retry you. They’re probably just dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s to make sure we get it right this time. But I guess they didn’t want to hold up some grieving family from at least suing your ass.” O’Connor leans toward him. “Where’d you stash all the money, Joey?”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Yeah. Right.”

“I don’t!”

“Well someone must think you do, because that’s what they’re coming after.”

Joey has nothing. A few hundred bucks left from what his parents gave him. That’s what some family wants from him? What a fucking waste of everyone’s time. If they’re so hurt and angry that they’re now trying to get their own justice, they’ll just feel worse when they discover he has nothing.

Hell, he’ll give them the few hundred and save them the trouble. Here, take it, you poor schmucks. What’s the point of a wrongful death suit?

But then he suddenly realizes the point of this wrongful death suit.

It puts him inside a courtroom.

And the impression, the theory that he has money stashed away from all his hits? He’d bet that fairy tale has somehow come from Karloff.

Joey figures the police were hoping to drop him off at the courthouse before the press and the news outlets were even awake. Probably hoped it would be routine, quick, unnoticed.

But it apparently leaked so quickly and spread so fast that Joey sees reporters already, eager beavers, outside the courthouse as they pull up.

And smartphones set to get pushes and alerts from news sources soon say it: JOEY RICHTER TO STAND TRIAL ON CIVIL CHARGES. ALLEGED HIT MAN FACES WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT.

Emily Lane’s iPhone gets such a notification. What does this mean for Zack’s insane obsession, she wonders.