“I’m sorry to keep this from you for so long,” Helen said. “I’ve been a prosecutor for a long time, and I worked with Sack Glover for years. I wanted you to have the full benefit of his story before I told you mine.”

“Do you remember what time it was when you left Butch’s house?”

“I got there around nine thirty, and it was a little after ten when I left.”

“Which, based on Melvin Ragland’s time-of-death range, would still leave two hours for the true killer to do the deed.” Bo paused. “Any ideas?”

“Zannick,” Helen said. “His trial was about to start, and we had the goods. Mandy Burks was going to testify that he forcibly raped her. Even if the jury didn’t find for us on that charge, there was still the statutory offense, which I think we definitely would have won on. Zannick does jail time, and he loses the Hoshima contract.”

Bo stood and began to pace. He thought best when moving. “OK, I hear you on Zannick, but I asked him what he was doing the night of the murder, and he said point-blank that he was with Cassie Dugan.”

“The bartender at Kathy’s Tavern?” Helen asked.

“Correct.”

“Have you confirmed—?”

“The next day I went in and had a beer at Kathy’s and asked Cassie if she was with Zannick, and she said she was with him all night and the next morning.”

“So, she’s his girlfriend?”

“She was that night,” Bo said.

“Well, a prick like Zannick probably has someone to do his dirty work.”

Bo nodded. “There’s a longhaired Irish-speaking man named Finn Pusser who manages the Sundowners Club. I’m pretty sure that he’s Zannick’s heavy.”

“Where was he the night of the murder?”

“Don’t know.”

Helen smiled. “That’s where I would focus my energy. Everything in my gut tells me that Zannick set me up to avoid prison time and to keep his precious Hoshima project.” She paused and wrinkled her nose.

“What?”

“You might also look at Lou Horn.”

Bo tensed as he recalled his interaction with Ennis Petrie the night before and the prostitution ring that Ennis said Lou was involved in. “What could Lou have gained by killing Butch and framing you for it?”

“I have no idea,” Helen said. “But Lou was nervous as a long-tailed dog in a room full of rocking chairs the morning of trial. He also said he was sick on Monday afternoon and bought a recess until Tuesday.”

“And Butch was killed Monday night,” Bo added, thinking it through with her.

“Right.” She snapped her fingers.