and fish. Bosch breathed through his mouth to try to avoid it. He realized he was also a contributor to the problem. The last time he’d showered was on Friday morning in L.A. To him, that seemed like a lifetime ago.
The ride up was more excruciating than the wait down below. Finally, on its fifth stop, the door opened on fifteen. By then the only passengers left were Bosch, Eleanor and two men who had pushed sixteen. Harry glanced at the two men and then ran his finger down the row of buttons below the one marked 15. It meant the elevator would stop multiple times on the way down. He stepped off first, with his left hand behind his hip and ready to go for the gun the moment it was necessary. Eleanor came out behind him.
“I guess we’re not going to wait for Sun Yee, are we” she said.
“I’m not,” Bosch said.
“He should be here.”
Bosch wheeled around on her.
“No, he shouldn’t.”
She raised her hands in surrender and stepped back. This wasn’t the time for this. At least she knew it. Bosch turned away and tried to get a sense of their bearings. The elevator alcove was in the center of an H floor design. He moved toward the hallway to the right because he knew this would be the side of the building fronting Nathan Road.
He immediately started counting doors and came up with twelve on the front side of the hall. He moved to the seventh door, room 1514. He felt his heart hit a higher gear as a charge went through him. This was it. This was what he was here for.
He leaned forward, putting his ear to the door’s crack. He listened intently but heard no sounds from within the room.
“Anything” Eleanor whispered.
Bosch shook his head. He put his hand on the knob and tried to turn it. He didn’t expect the door to be unlocked but he wanted a feel for the hardware and how solid it might be.
The knob was old and loose. Bosch had to decide whether to kick the door in and use the element of complete surprise, or to pick the lock and possibly make a sound that would alert whoever was on the other side of the door.
He dropped to one knee and looked closely at the doorknob. It would be a simple pick but there could be a bolt lock or a security chain inside. He thought of something and reached into his pocket.
“Go to our room,” he whispered. “Find out if there’s a dead bolt or a security chain.”
He handed her the key to room 1504.
“Now?” Eleanor whispered.
“Yeah, now,” Bosch whispered back. “I want to know what’s inside here.”
She took the key and hurried down the hall. Bosch pulled his badge wallet out. Before going through airport security he had slid his two best picks behind the badge. He knew the badge would light up on the X-ray but that the two thin metal strips behind it would likely be mistaken for part of the badge. His plan had worked and now he removed the picks and quietly maneuvered them into the doorknob lock.
It took him less than a minute to turn the lock. He held the knob without pushing the door open until Eleanor came hurrying back down the dimly lit hallway.
“There’s a security chain,” she whispered.
Bosch nodded and stood up, still holding the knob with his right hand. He knew he could easily shoulder the door past a security chain.
“Ready?” he whispered.
Eleanor nodded. Bosch then reached back and under his jacket and pulled the gun. He thumbed off the safety and looked at Eleanor. In unison, they mouthed the words one, two, three and he pushed the door open.
There was no security chain in place. The door moved all the way open and Bosch quickly entered the room. Eleanor came in right behind him.
The room was empty.
29
Bosch stepped through the room to the tiny bathroom. He slapped the dirty plastic shower curtain back from a small, tiled shower space but it was empty. He walked back into the room and looked at Eleanor. He said the words he dreaded.
“She’s gone.”
“Are you sure this is even the room?” she asked.
Bosch was. He had already looked at the pattern of cracks and nail holes on the wall over the bed. He took the folded photo print out of his jacket and handed it to her.
“This is the room.”
He put the gun back under his jacket and in