happen to think it means a lot, Eugene. And the prosecutor on the other side of that camera is thinking the same thing. He says it sounds like a prison door slamming, with you standing there on the wrong side of it.”
Bosch picked up the gun and the bag with the casing in it and put them back in the box. He grabbed the box with both hands and stood up.
“So that’s where we’re at, Eugene. You think about all of that while you’re waiting for your lawyer.”
Bosch slowly moved toward the door. He hoped Lam would tell him to stop and come back, that he wanted to make the deal. But the suspect said nothing. Harry put the box under one arm, opened the door and walked out.
Bosch carried the evidence box back to his cubicle and dropped it heavily on his desk. He looked over at his partner’s cubicle to make sure it was still empty. Ferras had been left behind in the Valley to keep an eyeball on Robert Li. If he figured out that Lam was in police custody and possibly talking, he might make a move. Ferras hadn’t liked the babysitting assignment but Bosch didn’t really care. Ferras had moved himself to the periphery of the investigation and that was where he was going to stay.
Soon Chu and Gandle, who had been watching Bosch’s play with Lam from the other side of the camera in the AV room, came to the cubicle.
“I told you it was a weak play,” Gandle said. “We know he’s a smart kid. He had to have been wearing gloves when he reloaded the gun. Once he knew you were playing him, you lost.”
“Yeah, well,” Bosch said. “I thought it was the best we had.”
“I agree,” Chu said, showing his support for Bosch.
“We’re still going to have to kick him loose,” Gandle said. “We know he had the opportunity to take the gun but we have no proof that he actually did. Opportunity is not enough. You can’t go to court with just that.”
“Is that what Cook said?”
“That’s what he was thinking.”
Abner Cook was the deputy DA who had come over from the CCB to observe in the AV room.
“Where is he, anyway?”
As if to answer for himself, Cook called Bosch’s name from across the squad room.
“Get back here!”
Bosch straightened up and looked over the cubicle partition. Cook was frantically waving from the door of the AV room. Harry got up and started walking toward him.
“He’s calling for you,” Cook said. “Get back in there!”
Bosch picked up speed as he moved toward the interview room door, then he slowed and composed himself before opening the door and calmly stepping back in.
“What is it?” he said. “We called your lawyer and he’s on the way.”
“What about the deal? Is it still good?”
“For the moment. The DA’s about to leave.”
“Bring him in. I want the deal.”
Bosch stepped all the way in and closed the door.
“What are you giving us, Eugene? If you want the deal, I’ve got to know what you’re going to give me. I’ll bring in the DA when I know what’s on the table.”
Lam nodded.
“I’ll give you Robert Li…and his sister. The whole thing was their plan. The old man was stubborn and wouldn’t change. They needed to close that store and open another in the Valley. One that made money. But he said no. He always said no and finally Rob couldn’t take it anymore.”
Bosch slid back into his seat, trying to hide his surprise about Mia’s involvement.
“And the sister was part of this?”
“She was the one who planned it. Except…”
“Except what?”
“She wanted me to hit them both. The mother and father. She wanted me to show up early and hit ’em both. But Robert told me no. He didn’t want his mother hurt.”
“Whose idea was it to make it look like a triad hit?”
“That was her idea and then Robert sort of planned it. They knew the police would go for it.”
Bosch nodded. He hardly knew Mia but knew enough about her story to feel sad about the whole thing.
He glanced up at the overhead camera, hoping his stare would send the message to Gandle that he needed to put somebody on locating Mia Li so arrest teams could move in simultaneously.
Bosch brought his eyes back down to Lam. He was staring down dejectedly at the table.
“What about you, Eugene? Why’d you get involved in this?”
Lam shook his head. Bosch could read the regret in his face.
“I don’t