step across any lines with these people.”
“I’m there. Where?”
“You want to check your calendar first?”
“I already know I have the morning free. You want to do it here or are you going into the police station?”
“No, I’ve got butting jurisdictions. I’d like to do it at your place. You have a room we can put about six or seven people in?”
“I’ll book the conference room. What time?”
“How about nine o’clock?”
“Fine. I’ll be here early if you want to come in and talk first and go over everything.”
“That would be good. I’ll see you about eight-thirty.”
“I’ll be here. Do you think you have it?”
I knew what she meant. Did I have the story, if not the actual evidence that would push the LAPD and FBI into running with the case again.
“It’s coming together. There’s maybe one more thing I can do and then I’ve got to give it to somebody who can get warrants and knock down doors.”
“I get it. I’ll see you tomorrow. And I’m glad you made it through on this. I really am.”
“Yeah, me too. Thanks, Janis.”
After hanging up I realized I had forgotten about the parking meter. I went out to feed it but it was too late. West Hollywood Parking Enforcement had beat me there. I left the ticket on the windshield and went back inside. I got Lindell in his office just before he was leaving for the day.
“What do you got?”
“Herpes simplex five. What do you got?”
“Come on, man.”
“You’re an asshole, Bosch, asking me to wash your dirty laundry.”
I realized what he was mad about.
“The plate number?”
“Yeah, the plate number. As if you didn’t know. It belongs to your ex-wife, man, and I really don’t appreciate being pulled into your bullshit. I mean, either kill her or get over her, you know what I mean?”
I agreed that I knew what he meant but not what he had suggested. I could tell that I had seriously put him out with the plate check.
“Roy, all I can tell you is that I didn’t know. I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t drag you in and I am sorry I did.”
There was silence and I thought that I had placated him.
“Roy?”
“What?”
“Did you write down the address from the registration?”
“You fucking asshole.”
He vented for another minute but eventually, grudgingly gave me the address Eleanor’s car was registered to. There was no apartment number with it. It looked like she had not only come up a level in wheels. She was living in a house now.
“Thanks, Roy. It’s the last time on that. I promise. Anything come up on the other thing I asked about?”
“Nothing good, nothing useful. The guy’s record is pretty clean. There is some juvenile stuff but it’s all sealed. I didn’t go any further with it.”
“Okay.”
I wondered if the juvenile stuff involved his former Beverly Hills High classmates and now partners.
“The only other thing is that he’s a junior. There is another Linus Simonson on the computer. Going by the age it looks like Daddy.”
“What’s he on there for?”
“He’s got an IRS rap and a bankruptcy. It’s all old stuff.”
“How old?”
“The IRS came first, like they usually do. That was in ’ninety-four. The old man went bankrupt two years later. Who is this guy Linus and why did you want me to check him for a tail?”
I didn’t answer as I found myself looking into a Most Wanted picture on the post office wall. A serial rapist. But I wasn’t really looking at him. I was looking at Linus. I was working the interior circuits as another piece fell into place. Linus said he wasn’t going to make the same mistakes as his father, who had gone belly-up and broke, an IRS collar around his neck. The question that poked through all of that was, how does a guy with no job and no backing from Daddy parlay the thirty grand he’s got in his pocket into the purchase and major renovation of a bar? And then another, and then another.
Loans maybe-if he qualified. Or maybe with a $2 million bank withdrawal.
“Bosch, you there?”
I came out of it.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“I asked you a question. Who is this guy? Is he on the movie deal?”
“It’s looking like it, Roy. What are you doing tomorrow morning?”
“I’m doing what I’m always doing. Why?”
“If you want a piece of this be at my lawyer’s office at nine. And don’t be late.”
“Is this guy connected to Marty? If he’s the guy I don’t want a piece. I want all of it.”
“I don’t know yet. But he’ll get us closer, that’s for sure.”
Lindell wanted to ask more questions but I cut him off. I had more calls to make. I gave him Langwiser’s name and address and he finally said he would be at the law office at nine. I hung up and then called Sandor Szatmari and left a message inviting him to the same meeting.
Lastly I called Kiz Rider in the administration office at Parker Center and extended the invitation to her as well. She went from zero to sixty on the anger speedometer in about five seconds.
“Harry, I warned you about this. You are going to find yourself in a lot of trouble. You can’t just work a case and then call in a gang bang when you think it’s time we were made privy to your private investigations.”
“Kiz, I already did. You just have to decide if you want to be there or not. There will be a nice piece of this for somebody at the LAPD. As far as I’m thinking, it might as well be you. But if you’re not interested, I’ll call RHD.”
“Goddamnit, Harry.”
“In or out?”
There was a long pause.
“I’m in. But, Harry, I’m not going to protect you.”
“I wouldn’t expect it.”
“Who is your lawyer?”
I gave her the information and was ready to hang up. I felt a sense of dread about the damage to our relationship. It seemed permanent to me.
“Okay, see you then,” I finally said.
“Yes, you will,” she replied sternly.
I remembered something I needed.
“Oh, and Kiz? See if you can find the original of the currency report. It should be in the murder book.”
“What currency report?”
I explained and she said she would look for it. I thanked her and hung up. I went out to my car and grabbed the parking ticket off the windshield. I got in and threw it over my shoulder into the backseat for good luck.
It was almost seven on the dashboard clock. I knew things didn’t get going in the Hollywood club scene until ten or later. But I had forward momentum and didn’t want it to ebb away while I just went home and waited. I sat there thinking with my hand over the top of the wheel, ticking my fingertips on the dashboard. Soon they were going through the phrasing that Quentin McKinzie had taught me, and when I realized this, I knew how I could spend the next few hours. I opened up the cell phone again.
