bottom of the hill. It’s a public middle school. I think classes started last week because I saw all the cars on my way to work. I don’t know if it’s where you’ll end up going or if we’ll try to get you into a private school, but I could take you down there and you could look around and check it out. Maybe sit in on a class or two and see what you think while I go downtown. How would that be? I know the assistant principal and I trust her. She’ll take care of you.”
His daughter hooked a strand of hair behind her ear and stared out at the view for a few moments before answering.
“I guess that would be okay.”
“Okay, good, then we’ll do that. I’ll call in the morning and set it up.”
Problem solved, Bosch thought.
“Dad?”
“What, baby?”
“I heard what you said on the phone.”
He froze.
“I’m sorry. I will try not to use that kind of language anymore. And never around you.”
“No, I don’t mean that. I mean when you were out here. About what you said about them selling me for my organs. Is that true?”
“I don’t know, darling. I don’t know what their exact plan was.”
“Quick took my blood. He said he was going to send it to you. You know, so you could run DNA and know that I was really kidnapped.”
Bosch nodded.
“Yeah, well, he was lying to you. The video he sent was enough to convince me. The blood wasn’t necessary. He was lying to you, Mad. He betrayed you and he got what he deserved.”
She immediately turned toward him and Bosch realized he had slipped again.
“What do you mean? What happened to him?”
Bosch didn’t want to go down the slippery slope of lying to his daughter. He also knew that his daughter obviously cared about Quick’s sister, if not for Quick himself. She probably still didn’t understand the depth of his betrayal.
“He’s dead.”
Her breath caught in her throat and she brought her hands to her mouth.
“Did you?…”
“No, Maddie, I didn’t do it. I found him dead at the same time I found your phone. I guess you somehow liked him, so I’m sorry. But he betrayed you, baby, and I have to tell you, I might have done the same thing to him if I had found him alive. Let’s go in now.”
Bosch turned from the railing.
“What about He?”
Bosch stopped and looked back at her.
“I don’t know about He.”
He moved to the door and went inside. There, he had lied to her for the first time. It was to save her from some grief, but it didn’t matter. He could already feel that he was beginning to slide down the slope.
40
At 11 A.M. Monday, Bosch was waiting outside the Downtown Detention Center for the release of Bo-Jing Chang. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do or say to the murderer when he stepped through the door as a free man. But he knew he couldn’t let the moment pass. If Chang’s arrest had been the trigger that resulted in all that had happened in Hong Kong, including the death of Eleanor Wish, then Bosch would not be able to live with himself if he didn’t confront the man when he had the chance.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he was tempted not to answer it and risk missing Chang, but he saw on the screen that it was Lieutenant Gandle calling. He took the call.
“I hear you’re back.”
“Yeah, I was going to call you.”
“You got your daughter?”
“Yeah, she’s safe.”
“Where?”
Bosch hesitated but not for too long.
“She’s with me.”
“And her mother?”
“She’s still in Hong Kong.”
“How’s that going to?”
“She’ll live with me. For a while, at least.”
“What happened back there? Anything I need to worry about?”
Bosch wasn’t sure what to tell him. He decided to put it off.
“I’m hoping there’s no blowback. But you never know.”
“I’ll let you know what I hear. Are you coming in?”
“Uh, not today. I need to take a couple days to get my daughter situated and in school and stuff. I want to get her some counseling.”
“Is this white time or vacay days? I need to put it down.”
Comp time was called “white time” in the LAPD, after the blank white form on which supervisors kept track of it.
“Doesn’t matter. I think I have the white time.”
“Then I’ll go with that. Are you okay, Harry?”
“I’m fine.”
“I guess Chu told you about Chang getting kicked.”
“Yeah, he told me.”
“His prick lawyer was already here this morning to pick