offer. He’ll let us know tomorrow. Hardest part is giving him a reason to need the money.”
“Surely he can use it to buy protection inside,” Jonas says.
“He already has protection. He’s in a cellblock with a bunch of people who all need protection.”
“Well, then he can put the money toward a better defense.”
Schroder smiles at him. “Maybe. But after the last few lawyers wanting to defend him, I’m not sure there’ll be any takers.”
Jonas stops scrubbing the shoe and stares at Schroder. “So what else do you suggest we offer him?” he asks, sounding annoyed.
Schroder shrugs. He isn’t sure. “He’ll either accept it or he won’t. I guess with the timing and everything he doesn’t really need the body found right now.”
“Well, let’s hope he sees the merit in telling us.”
“It’s still not right,” Schroder says. “Doing it this way.”
“He’s getting prosecuted for so much as it is,” Jones says, “and we all know he didn’t actually kill Calhoun. He may have staged it and set Melissa up, but he’s not the one who killed her and tied him up. When are you heading back to see him?”
“Same time tomorrow.”
“Okay. Okay, good.” He puts the shoe down and leans back in his chair. “What are you going to do with your signing bonus?”
Schroder isn’t sure, and wishes Jonas hadn’t asked. The signing bonus is ten thousand dollars. That’s what he gets if Joe takes the deal. Joe gets fifty and Schroder gets ten and they’re both making money off a dead detective and Schroder’s curve of hating himself keeps reaching for the sky. “I don’t know,” he says, but he thinks he does know. As much as his family could do with it, it feels like blood money. He already has a few charities in mind—only when that check arrives he’s not so sure how willing he’ll be to part with it.
“You must have some ideas,” Jonas says. “Why don’t you treat your family to something? A holiday, perhaps? Or a new car?”
“Maybe,” Schroder says. “Or maybe I’ll treat my mortgage to an injection of cash.”
Jonas laughs. “It’s a good bonus,” he says. “If it all works out as planned, there may be other bonuses in the future.”
Schroder doesn’t answer him. He hates thinking of his future these days.
“Tell me, Carl, what do you make of this referendum?” Jonas asks, changing the direction of the conversation.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Schroder answers, happy to move away from the bonus that puts him deeper into Jonas’s pocket.
“You agree with the death penalty?”
“That’s not what I mean,” he says, even though he will be voting for it. “I mean it’s a good thing that the people are going to be listened to.”
“I agree. You know what I heard?”
“What?”
“I heard the prosecution will be asking for it if Joe is found guilty.”
“I heard the same thing,” Schroder says. It’s not exactly a secret. “It makes it difficult to suggest to a man that fifty grand is useful when he’s going to be put down anyway.”
“But we don’t know that. Even if the public votes for it, it may be years before it comes into play, and even more years before Joe is executed. Could be ten years away. Longer. Surely the money can be useful to him for that amount of time.”
Schroder nods. He hates agreeing with Jonas, but he’s right.
“Do you think there’s an angle here?” Jonas asks.
“What kind of angle?”
“I don’t know, not yet. But if Joe is executed, maybe that’s good for the show. Do you think that, if the referendum is voted in and the death penalty is reinstated, and let’s say the government makes an example out of Joe and executes him within the next year or two, do you think we can use that? Somehow, for the show? I’m thinking that if there are other victims of Joe’s, other bodies, we could get him to talk. Somehow. And then—”
“And then after he’s dead you’ll be in touch with him and he’ll tell
“Surely he can use it to buy protection inside,” Jonas says.
“He already has protection. He’s in a cellblock with a bunch of people who all need protection.”
“Well, then he can put the money toward a better defense.”
Schroder smiles at him. “Maybe. But after the last few lawyers wanting to defend him, I’m not sure there’ll be any takers.”
Jonas stops scrubbing the shoe and stares at Schroder. “So what else do you suggest we offer him?” he asks, sounding annoyed.
Schroder shrugs. He isn’t sure. “He’ll either accept it or he won’t. I guess with the timing and everything he doesn’t really need the body found right now.”
“Well, let’s hope he sees the merit in telling us.”
“It’s still not right,” Schroder says. “Doing it this way.”
“He’s getting prosecuted for so much as it is,” Jones says, “and we all know he didn’t actually kill Calhoun. He may have staged it and set Melissa up, but he’s not the one who killed her and tied him up. When are you heading back to see him?”
“Same time tomorrow.”
“Okay. Okay, good.” He puts the shoe down and leans back in his chair. “What are you going to do with your signing bonus?”
Schroder isn’t sure, and wishes Jonas hadn’t asked. The signing bonus is ten thousand dollars. That’s what he gets if Joe takes the deal. Joe gets fifty and Schroder gets ten and they’re both making money off a dead detective and Schroder’s curve of hating himself keeps reaching for the sky. “I don’t know,” he says, but he thinks he does know. As much as his family could do with it, it feels like blood money. He already has a few charities in mind—only when that check arrives he’s not so sure how willing he’ll be to part with it.
“You must have some ideas,” Jonas says. “Why don’t you treat your family to something? A holiday, perhaps? Or a new car?”
“Maybe,” Schroder says. “Or maybe I’ll treat my mortgage to an injection of cash.”
Jonas laughs. “It’s a good bonus,” he says. “If it all works out as planned, there may be other bonuses in the future.”
Schroder doesn’t answer him. He hates thinking of his future these days.
“Tell me, Carl, what do you make of this referendum?” Jonas asks, changing the direction of the conversation.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Schroder answers, happy to move away from the bonus that puts him deeper into Jonas’s pocket.
“You agree with the death penalty?”
“That’s not what I mean,” he says, even though he will be voting for it. “I mean it’s a good thing that the people are going to be listened to.”
“I agree. You know what I heard?”
“What?”
“I heard the prosecution will be asking for it if Joe is found guilty.”
“I heard the same thing,” Schroder says. It’s not exactly a secret. “It makes it difficult to suggest to a man that fifty grand is useful when he’s going to be put down anyway.”
“But we don’t know that. Even if the public votes for it, it may be years before it comes into play, and even more years before Joe is executed. Could be ten years away. Longer. Surely the money can be useful to him for that amount of time.”
Schroder nods. He hates agreeing with Jonas, but he’s right.
“Do you think there’s an angle here?” Jonas asks.
“What kind of angle?”
“I don’t know, not yet. But if Joe is executed, maybe that’s good for the show. Do you think that, if the referendum is voted in and the death penalty is reinstated, and let’s say the government makes an example out of Joe and executes him within the next year or two, do you think we can use that? Somehow, for the show? I’m thinking that if there are other victims of Joe’s, other bodies, we could get him to talk. Somehow. And then—”
“And then after he’s dead you’ll be in touch with him and he’ll tell
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