lot of work, and it’s not really fair. But it is what it is. We all do what the geniuses in command tell us to do.”
The speech seemed to placate Rojas. Rodriguez looked impassive.
“Just take the stuff,” Rodriguez said. “Good luck, guy.”
“Actually, I don’t just want to take the stuff,” Bosch said. “We’d like your help. I’d like to ask you about the case. Now, and later as we get into it. You two are the brain trust. Since day one. I’d be shooting myself in the foot if I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Did they get the bullet out?” Rodriguez asked.
“They did,” Bosch said. “We just came from the autopsy.”
Bosch reached into his pocket and pulled out the bullet. He handed the bag to Rodriguez and then watched his reaction. He turned and handed it to his partner.
“Holy shit,” Rojas said. “This looks like a .308.”
Bosch nodded as he took the bag back.
“Think so. Our next stop is the bullet lab at Regional. You guys never had it as a rifle, did you?”
“Why would we?” Rodriguez said. “We never had the goddamn bullet.”
“Did you look at X-rays from the hospital?” Soto asked.
The two Hollenbeck detectives looked at her like she was out of line questioning their work. Bosch could ask because he had the experience. But not her.
“Yeah, we looked at X-rays,” Rodriguez said, an annoyed tone in his voice. “The angle was bad. All we got was the mushroom. Couldn’t tell dick from that.”
Soto nodded. Bosch tried to get the focus off of her.
“Hey, if you guys aren’t too busy right now, we’d like to buy you a cup of coffee and talk about what’s in those books.”
Bosch could tell by the reaction on Rodriguez’s face that he had made a misstep.
“Ten years on a case and we get a cup of coffee,” he said. “Fuck you very much but I don’t need any coffee.”
Rodriguez pointed his chin at Soto.
“Besides, you’ve got heroina con la pistola on your team, man. Lucky Lucy. You don’t need us.”
Bosch realized that it wasn’t just the losing of the case that bothered Rodriguez. He was incensed that he was still working in a divisional detective squad while Soto had been elevated with zero experience to Open-Unsolved. Harry saw that the situation could not be helped at the moment and decided to get out of the station before things went further south. He noted that Rojas had not joined his partner in deriding Soto or the reassignment of the case. He would be the one Bosch would come back to when they were ready.
“Okay, we’ll just take the stuff, then.”
Bosch moved forward and put the three binders on top of the evidence box and picked it all up.
“Lucia, get the guitar case,” he said.
“It’s a vihuela, bro,” Rodriguez said. “Better get it right for the press conference.”
“Right,” Bosch said. “Thanks.”
He straightened up with his burden and checked the desks to see if there was anything he’d missed.
“Okay, guys, thanks for the cooperation. We’ll be in touch.”
He headed out of the alcove with Soto following.
“You do that,” Rodriguez said to their backs. “Bring coffee.”
They were out in the parking lot before either of them spoke.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Soto said. “I really shouldn’t be on this case. Or even in this unit.”
“Don’t listen to them, Lucia. You’ll do fine and I’m going to need you like crazy on this case. You’ll be very important.”
“What, as a translator? That’s not detective work. I feel like I’ve been given something I don’t deserve. I’ve felt this way since they gave me my choice of detective assignments. I should’ve taken Burglary.”
Bosch put the box and the binders down on the hood of the car so he could get out the keys. He popped the trunk, and going to the back of the car, they barely fit the instrument case and the box and binders into the trunk. Once it was all in place Bosch flipped the latches on the case and opened it. He looked at the vihuela without removing it. A single bullet hole splintered the polished facing of the instrument. He closed and latched the case. He then turned and finally responded to his partner.
“Listen to me, Lucia. You would’ve been wasting your time in Burglary. I’ve only worked with you a few weeks but I know you’re a good cop and you’re going to be a very good detective. Stop undercutting yourself. As you just experienced, there will always be people out there to do