“I need to see Hal Buckley,” Trip said.

“Do you have an appointment?” the secretary asked, without bothering to look at her computer screen. She knew he didn’t.

“I’m Sean O’Connor,” Trip said. It felt weird, as always, to use a name he associated more with his father than with himself.

Recognition dawned on the secretary’s face. She pushed her chair back. “Follow me. This way,” she called over her shoulder.

“Mr. O’Connor,” Hal Buckley said as he pointed to a chair for Trip to sit in. “Is your attorney present?”

“No,” Trip said. “I wanted to talk to you myself. I’m going to take the plea. But I need to clear up some confusion first.”

“I’m listening,” Hal said.

“My brother, William O’Connor. He wasn’t at the party. I don’t know why people are saying that he was, but he wasn’t.”

Hal Buckley leaned back in his chair. He crossed a leg over his knee and knitted his hands behind his head. “Well,” he said slowly. “That’s not what we’ve heard. Our theory is that he planned this thing.”

“You heard that from a bunch of kids who were drunk that night,” Trip replied, feeling steadier than he expected to be. It had to be the adrenaline. “Those are your witnesses?”

Hal just raised his eyebrows and kept looking right at Trip. “And what do you say?” he asked.

“I planned it,” Trip said, surprising himself. He wasn’t sure if he’d meant to go that far. But what was the difference? “I admit that I planned it. I bought the beer. I found the spot. But Will had nothing to do with it. People get us mixed up all the time.”

“Is that right?” Hal asked, still looking at Trip. “Your brother didn’t, say, break a glass window to keep a girl from being assaulted?”

Trip was surprised, but he stuck to his story. “Sounds like whoever did that is a brave kid,” Trip said. “But it wasn’t Will. He was only there to pick me up. He was worried I was going to violate my parole. He says anything different, he’s just covering up for me. You can’t blame a brother for being loyal.”

Buckley gave a short laugh. “Loyalty must run in the family,” he said. “But you’re going to have to give me some details. As I recall, you told the detective you were never at the party.”