“That much we got out of Goldberg. This is where conjecture comes in. I think Rudy did some improvising.”

“Go on.”

“If I had to lay out a scenario, it would probably be this. Rudy Banks called up Leroy Josephson, promising him a career as a rapper if he would just waylay Ben Little and bring him to a spot where Goldberg could talk to him. When Josephson asked how to do that, Banks probably gave him a gun and told him to use his imagination.

“Now, Little would never have met with Banks, but Little couldn’t resist a student in trouble. Just after he had phoned his wife to tell her that he was on his way home, I’m thinking that Leroy Josephson flagged Little down just as he exited the civic center parking lot. Probably Little stopped for him, they talked, and eventually Leroy got into the Mercedes. Maybe Leroy was invited into the car, maybe he forced his way in. Then Leroy pulled the gun on Little.”

“Why do you assume that?”

“Why else would Little have driven all the way out to the foothills? That was the designated spot where Ryan Goldberg and Rudy Banks were waiting for them. Also, Leroy had the gun drawn when he and Little got out of the car.”

“That’s awful.”

Involuntarily, Decker rubbed his neck. “Goldberg told us that all he had wanted to do was to talk to Little, to find out if Ben loved Melinda as much as he did. He told us that Little was patient with Goldberg’s pleas. He also remarked that Little didn’t seem surprised by the affair, he didn’t even seem upset by it. In the end, Little told Goldberg that it was up to Melinda. He couldn’t make that decision for her.”

Decker shifted in his desk chair.

“This part is where Goldberg’s memory got murky. Rudy was telling him things and Leroy was telling him things and Little was telling him things.”

“What things?” Genoa asked.

“Something like…are you just going to take that? Come on, Mudd, show him who’s boss.” A pause. “It appears that Rudy wanted a confrontation between two guys who weren’t anxious to fight. But words got heated. Mudd remembered someone coming after him, and he threw a punch. The next thing that Mudd remembered was Little lying on the ground. Rudy went over to Little and felt for a pulse. He told Mudd that Little was dead.”

“From a single punch?’

“Mudd was a big guy. Rudy also could have been lying. Rudy told Mudd to put Little in the trunk of his car and he’d take care of everything. Mudd complied. Then shots rang out. Mudd claims he didn’t know who did the shooting. Just that Little was dead.”

“Hmmm…sounds like a convenient time to forget things.”