“Two?”

Hardy explained.

“You know, Mr. Hardy, Polk is not one of my clients.”

Hardy obviously didn’t know it. “I thought you were handling it.”

“For everybody but Polk. He was the only one isn’t Mex… Latino, among the distributors, but he was also the first and the biggest. He wasn’t interested in the suit”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t even meet with me to discuss it, although my other clients tried to bring some, uh, leverage to bear.”

“How was that?”

Brody held up a hand. “Nothing illegal, I don’t mean that. No threats or anything. Just some business incentives.”

But Hardy pressed a little. “And when he didn’t come on, did it really hurt your case? What I’m wondering is, could someone have tried to scare Polk by hurting his people? Then maybe there was an accident?”

Brody acted legitimately shocked. “Oh God, no. No chance. All this went down months ago. At that time I would have given a very qualified maybe to that theory-very; now, it’s not even possible. You must be out of litigation awhile. Anything in recent history couldn’t be relevant.” Hardy said okay, and Brody continued. “I don’t understand it really. It, the lawsuit I mean, was to Polk’s advantage.”

“Maybe he didn’t want to pay the legal fees.”

Brody shook his head. “Minimal. In my opinion, I think he just stopped caring about his business. He’s an older fellow, probably rolling in money, maybe just figured it was as good a time as any to hang ’ em up. His daughter was killed, you say?”

“Yesterday.”

“And the other one, his manager?”

“We don’t know he was killed. In some ways it looked like a suicide, maybe was made to look like a suicide. The police leaned that way until Linda was killed. But now they’ve got a suspect for Linda and they’re willing to consider they’re related.”

“Just too much coincidence to buy, right?”

Hardy thought that was it.

“And you think Mr. Cruz might have had a motive…?”

Hardy walked over to the globe and gave it a spin. He appeared to be thinking hard. “All I know, or think I know, is that Cruz lied to me twice while I was interrogating him. I’d like to think he did that for a reason.”

“Why did he let you talk to him? He’s stonewalling us.”

“Eddie’s body was found on his lot. We had a lying contest-I told him I was a cop.”

“I hope you didn’t tell Andy that.”

“No, I don’t think the judge would approve. Anyway, I got to see him and he lied to me about having known Eddie. I also think he was there at or near the time Eddie was killed.”

Brody whistled, sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. “If you can prove that, you’ve got something.”

Hardy took the other chair, saying, “I know. But if my uncle had tits he’d be my aunt.”

Brody drew on his cigar, shaking his head. “The case really pisses me off, you want to know the truth,” he said. “Here’s this guy, Cruz, needs more money like a toad needs warts, and ruins his relationships with people he’s worked with for years. Friends, even.”

“Socially?”

“Not really. He’s got no personal social life, though he’s big in, as they say, the community.”

“Well, that’s a contradiction, isn’t it?”

“Not really. The community is his ad base.”

“So why’d he do it? Cut these guys off, I mean. Wouldn’t that hurt him the same way?”

“I don’t think so. It’s nine guys spread out all over the Bay area. And it’s not the kind of news the TV or the Chronicle’s likely to jump on.”

“What is?” Hardy asked.

“Well, if El Dia prints it, it’s publicity bullshit and sure as hell La Hora isn’t going to run the story.”

“So what are you building your case on?”

Brody crossed a long leg. “Oral contract. Past performance.” He rolled his cigar slowly in his right hand. “Actually, we’re almost to the point of going for a settlement and calling it a moral victory, though don’t quote me on that.”

“Who’s ‘we,’ your clients?”

“We is the firm.”

Hardy followed that. The case was nearly lost. Brody had said almost, and Hardy had known lawyers like Brody who didn’t use the language carelessly. He mentioned it to him.

“We got a private eye looking for dirt on Cruz, but I’m skeptical of finding anything.”

“Why would that even matter?”

Brody shrugged. “As I say, I think it’s a waste of effort, but my clients felt if we got to the last resort, and we’re there now, we might try some form of legal blackmail.”

“Like?”

“I don’t know. It’s what we’re looking for. Something to harm his image with the community, make him lose the ad support if it comes out. Then my clients remain discreet in return for a return to their original distribution contract.” Brody stood up, looked at his watch. “Long-shot city,” he said.

Hardy got up too. The interview was over. “You have any leads on that? He beat up his dog, or what?”

“No. We’re dealing with the macho thing. There’s some rumor he might be gay.”

Hardy had to laugh. “I can’t believe it. Here in San Francisco?”

“I know. But it’s no joke among the Latinos, let me tell you. It’s another bit of news that doesn’t make the papers, but any Saturday you want you go down to Mission Park on Dolores and you can check out the Mexican gangs beating the shit out of anybody who swishes even a little.”

“So if Cruz is gay?”

Brody made a face. “It might be some leverage, that’s all. It’s probably nothing.”

Hardy thought of something. “What if Cochran had found out Cruz was gay, say, and tried to use it himself? Get back Cruz’s La Hora distribution business for Polk that way? Or, maybe, keep the cash for himself?”

“That’s a lot of ifs, but given all of them, I’d say you might have a motive there.”

Hardy thanked him, they shook hands, and again Brody was alone in his office. The clock on the Ferry Building said it was just past noon. The fog had completely burned off, and the flags along the Embarcadero were flying in what looked to be a light breeze. He loosened his tie, sighed, and returned to his desk, punching impatiently at his intercom.

Here was Hardy, thinking Eddie Cochran had been the nicest guy in the world. One of the bona fide good ones. He’d known him pretty well, and had bought his act completely-but it couldn’t have been an act, this is Eddie we’re talking about. Hell, he was married to Frannie, and she was the sister of Hardy’s own best friend. Didn’t he have to be a wonderful person?

And besides, Hardy thought as he picked at his dim sum (waiting for one-thirty, when Polk would talk to Glitsky), they weren’t even suspecting Cruz. Alphonse Page was the suspect.

Okay, say Eddie had known Cruz was gay, and had known all about Polk and his drug deal. Now, how about he puts the squeeze on Cruz, or wants a cut from Polk, or both?

No. That wasn’t Eddie.

Was it?