James was already thinking, calculating on the best way to approach the William Howell situation.
He has no plan of going through a private investigator like he had for the McCullens. That had been necessary because the McCullens operated behind polished doors.
But as for William? He's different.
Yes, his family's name is a big name and influential in California, but James isn't going after his family.
He's going just after William. And William is too young, too arrogant. And his actions and attitude indicates that he's careless too.
But James wasn't going to stress himself. He didn't feel the need to, as he felt instinctively that he wouldn't need to dig very hard and the information he wanted would come naturally.
He felt that it would be served up either by gossips, by William himself, or by the ripple effects that fools like him inevitably left behind.
He also had a strong feeling that he'd be seeing William again sooner rather than later.
