Part 2: Chapter 9 Summary

Harry and Inez meet with Frank Tawagata, a relative of Omura's, to solicit his cooperation in the handling of the case. They don't want it to go to trial; they want her father to get treatment. The facts of the case are clarified via Dillon's research. Congressman Wendell Omura had introduced legislation hindering Dick Ziegler's real estate development, which would have worked to benefit Dwight Christian and possibly Wendell Omura's brother, who had an interest in Chriscorp. This is the deal that led Paul Christian to kill Omura.

Part 2: Chapter 9 Analysis

The plot thickens. It's even dirtier than we first thought, and manipulation of national legislation is implicated. Didion, here, is portraying another aspect of modern-day United States politics by showing how such manipulations interfere with the ethical decision-making that preserves a democracy. A citizen is involved in this particular deal...