“The thing is, I want to be fair. If I don’t really have to do anything—if I just have to hang around, keep my eyes open, be ready to handle what comes along—then that’s one kind of fee schedule. But if the situation requires, shall we say, preemptive action, then that’s another kind of fee schedule. You get my question here, Bobby?”

The eyelid tremor seemed to be getting worse. “Are you threatening me?”

“Am I threatening you? Why would I do that? Threatening you would be against the law. As a retired police officer, I have great respect for the law. Some of my best friends are police officers. Some of them are right here in Syracuse. Jimmy Schiff, for example. You might know him. Anyway, the thing is, I always like to do a fee analysis before I commit to a job. You can understand that, right? So let me ask you again: Do you know of any reason why my provision of personal security services to Ms. Corazon would require me to charge anything more than my normal fee?”

Meese started getting a shaky look in his eyes. “What the hell am I supposed to know about her security problems? What’s this got to do with me?”

“You’ve got a good point there, Bobby. You look like a nice young man, very handsome young man, who would never want to cause anybody any trouble. Am I right?”

“I’m not the one causing trouble.”

Gurney nodded slowly, waited, feeling the current shifting.

Meese bit his lower lip. “We had a great relationship. I didn’t want it to end the way it did. These stupid accusations. False charges. Lies. Defamation of character. Bullshit complaints to the police. Now you. I don’t even understand what you’re here for.”

“I told you what I’m here for.”

“But it doesn’t make any sense. You shouldn’t be bothering me. You should be visiting the scumbags she brought into her life. If she has security problems, it’s because of them.”

“Who would these scumbags be?”

Meese laughed. It was a wild, caroming sound. A theatrical sound effect. “Did you know she’s fucking her professor, her so-called academic adviser? Did you know she’s fucking everybody who could possibly advance her trashy career? Did you know she’s fucking Rudy Getz, the biggest scumbag in the whole fucking world? Did you know she’s completely fucking crazy? Did you know that?” Meese seemed to be riding an emotional horse that was getting away from him.