All he wanted to do was sleep. But when he landed, he checked his cell phone messages and discovered that he had been missed, to put it mildly:

“Mr. Evans, this is Eleanor in Nicholas Drake’s office. You left your cell phone. I have it for you. And Mr. Drake would like to speak to you.”

“Peter, it’s Jennifer Haynes at John Balder’s office. We’d like you to come to the office no later than ten o’clock tomorrow please. It’s quite important. Call me if for some reason you can’t make it. See you then.”

“Peter, call me. It’s Margo. I’m out of the hospital.”

“Mr. Evans, this is Ron Perry at the Beverly Hills police department. You’ve missed your four o’clock appointment to dictate a statement. I don’t want to issue a warrant for your arrest. Call me. You have the number.”

“This is Herb Lowenstein. Where the hell are you? We don’t hire junior associates to have them disappear day after day. There is work to be done here. Balder’s office has been calling. They want you at the Culver City office tomorrow morning by ten A.M. sharp. My advice is, be there, or start looking for another job.”

“Mr. Evans, this is Ron Perry from Beverly Hills police. Please return my call ASAP.”

“Peter, call me. Margo.”

“Peter, want to get together tonight? It’s Janis. Call me.”

“Mr. Evans, I have Mr. Drake for you, at the NERF office.”

“Peter, it’s Lisa in Mr. Lowenstein’s office. The police have been calling for you. I thought you would want to know.”

“Peter, it’s Margo. When I call my lawyer I expect to get a call back. Don’t be an asshole. Call me.”

“This is Ron Perry from the Beverly Hills police department. If I do not hear from you I will have to ask the judge to issue a warrant for your arrest.”

“Evans, it’s Herb Lowenstein. You really are a dumb shit. The police are going to issue a warrant for your arrest. Deal with it at once. Members of this firm do not get arrested.”

Evans sighed, and hung up.

Sarah said, “Trouble?”

“No. But it doesn’t look like I will be getting any sleep for a while.”

He called the detective, Ron Perry, and was told that Perry was gone for the day, and would be in court in the morning. His cell phone would be off. Evans left a number for him to call back.

He called Drake, but he was gone for the day.

He called Lowenstein, but he was not in the office.

He called Margo, but she did not answer.

He called Jennifer Haynes and said that he would be there tomorrow, at ten o’clock.

“Dress professionally,” she said.

“Why?”

“You’re going to be on television.”