I draw a line down the middle of the page, scribble what I know on the left side and what I don't know on the right. Chrissy believed she had been sexually abused by her father. But was it true? I didn't know. Rusty bearded me for Guy Bernhardt. Why? For money, I was certain. Guy masterminded Chrissy's mind fuck. He had Schein program her to kill Harry Bernhardt. But why? Cui bono? Guy stood to gain. But he would inherit half his father's estate eventually. Why be so greedy, so inhumane, as to want it all now? Why kill your father and frame your half sister? There had to be something more than the estate, but all I had was a question mark on the right side of my pad. Schein tricked Chrissy into confessing on tape, recording evidence of her premeditation. Or did he? Was Chrissy involved in some double-fake, the legal equivalent of a reverse with a flea-flicker at the end of the play? Was I the patsy for Chrissy, too? Only yesterday, Kip had been watching The Maltese Falcon on cable, and I'd heard Humphrey Bogart telling Mary Astor, "I won't play the sap for you." After I put it all down on paper, I started again, this time ignoring what really happened and trying to figure what made the best story.
What do You think about Lassiter 07 - Flesh And Bones?
