The Testament

Jevy learns from a passing boat that their larger boat is not where they left it. The captain lends him some gas with promises of repayment back in Corumbá. Jevy wonders if Welly went out to look for them, but later learns from a local that the boat sank, and Welly’s whereabouts are unknown. Nate’s fever breaks, but he remains dangerously ill with Corumbá still a day away.

Back in the US, Hark calls a brunch meeting with the Phelan children’s lawyers, serving “oysters, caviar and salmon, champagne and mimosas” (321). All are sworn to secrecy before he tells them that he has found a witness who can win the case for them: Snead, who wants $5 million. The sum seems modest to the lawyers. His demand for 10% up front does not faze them, except for the lawyers for Troy Jr., now on his fourth firm. Though not above corruption, they “were big-firm lawyers, unaccustomed to the dirt and grime from the streets” (323). Perjury is a felony that could lead to disbarment and indictment. However, if the lawyers do not agree with the perjury, as the others point out, Troy will likely replace them. A lawyer asks where