“Yeah. I don’t trust him, and I think he wants to settle this case. Sometimes I think the whole town wants it to go away. Especially with Hoshima delaying signing that plant deal until the charge is addressed.”

Bo took a sip of the beer, which tasted crisp and cold. “What’s the favor?”

“Will you come to the settlement docket? I was also thinking of suing Zannick for money damages. Would you be Mandy’s attorney?”

Bo took another drink from the bottle and exhaled. “I’ll definitely attend the docket.” After drinking another sip of beer, he nodded at her. “And I’ll represent her too. But let’s see how the criminal case plays out first. We wouldn’t want to file a civil lawsuit against Zannick until after the criminal trial. If we file suit before then, Zannick’s defense attorney will argue that all Mandy is after is money. I’ve seen that happen, and it can be devastating to the chances of a conviction.”

“OK, that makes sense.” She leaned in and hugged his neck, and he could smell her perfume, which reminded Bo of fresh strawberries. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lona turned to go but paused again in the doorway. “The Reynolds complaint is in your chair.”

Bo gave her a salute, and she ambled down the hall. A minute later, he heard the front door open and close, and she was gone.

Taking his beer with him, Bo stood and walked down the hallway to his private office and picked up the complaint that was lying in his chair. After reviewing the document for several minutes, he realized there was only one word to describe it. “Perfect,” he whispered, and he could smell the faint scent of Lona on the page and in his office.

He wrote the word file on top of the document and trudged down the hall toward the lobby, which was now dark. Lona had turned off the lights when she left. Bo placed the complaint in the spiral outbox on Lona’s desk and took another sip of beer.

He didn’t notice the man sitting in the waiting area until the visitor spoke.

“You should probably lock your door at night.”

Bo wheeled so fast that his beer fizzed over and began to spill out of the bottle. “Who are you?”

In the unlit room, all Bo could make out was the shadow of a man. But the voice sounded familiar. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”

“I can’t see you.”

The man stood and stepped into the light. He had a crew cut of light red hair and was clean shaven. Nothing about his appearance resembled the lawman he’d once been. Only the voice . . . and perhaps the eyes, all of which were cool and calm. Bo had always thought that Ennis Petrie could have stepped on a rattlesnake and talked the reptile out of biting him.

“Ennis?”

The man nodded.