Chapter 15 Summary

Sughrue and Stacy stage an armed, violent assault on Hyland's home, where they find Melinda, subdue Hyland and his film crew, and shoot Torres (Jackson's bodyguard from chapter ten) into submission. Just as Sughrue is about to negotiate Melinda's freedom, Trahearne rushes in with his shotgun and upsets the entire scenario. In the resulting gunfire, Stacy accidentally kills Hyland and Sughrue shoots off Torres' hand. Trahearne grabs a weepy Melinda and runs back to the car. Sughrue sends Stacy outside to keep watch, and then sits down to negotiate with Torres. They make arrangements that will see Melinda go free, Hyland's death hushed up, Torres in a position to take over Hyland's profitable business, and Sughrue un-pursued—but, Torres insists, the arrangements will only go through if Melinda returns the forty thousand dollars she stole. Sughrue negotiates sixty days for her to...