The Drop

Stone could be the one he brought into the life he shared with his daughter had been a fool’s dream. He had moved too quickly. He had dreamed too quickly.

He shoved the phone into his coat pocket and buried his thoughts about Hannah Stone and failed romance as deep as George Irving had just been put in the ground.

26

Bosch entered the empty cubicle and immediately saw the stack of large envelopes on Chu’s desk. He put his briefcase down on his own desk but then went over to Chu’s and spread the envelopes across his blotter. Chu had received the statements and other records from George Irving’s credit cards. Going back and checking all credit- card purchases was an important component of a thorough death investigation. Their findings would become part of the victim’s financial profile.

The bottom envelope was the thinnest and was from the crime lab. Bosch opened this one, wondering which case it was in regard to.

The envelope contained the report on the analysis of George Irving’s shirt. Forensic testing determined that the navy blue dress shirt contained blood and cellular material—skin—on the inside right shoulder panel. This was consistent with the crescent moon–shaped bruises and lacerations found on Irving’s shoulder during the autopsy.

Bosch sat down at Chu’s desk and studied the report and considered what it meant. He realized it could indicate at least two scenarios. One was that Irving was wearing the shirt when he was choked out and the injury to the skin on his shoulder occurred when the choker’s watch pushed the shirt against his skin. The second was that the shirt was put on after the wounds occurred and the blood and skin were transferred.

Two things led Bosch to discount the second scenario. The button found on the floor indicated there might have been a struggle while Irving was still wearing the shirt. And because Irving had plunged naked to his death, it seemed highly unlikely that the shirt was put on over the wound and then removed again.

Bosch zeroed in on the first scenario. It suggested that Irving was surprised from behind and locked into a choke hold. There was a struggle. The button was torn from the right sleeve and the choker moved into the shoulder creep maneuver to control the victim. The bruises and surface abrasions occurred despite the shirt.

Bosch thought about this for a few minutes and no matter which angle he took on it, it still led back to McQuillen. As he had said to Chu, it was time to bring McQuillen in.

Bosch moved over to his desk and started planning the takedown. He decided it would not be a felony arrest. He would seek McQuillen’s voluntary agreement to come downtown to the PAB and answer questions. If this effort was unsuccessful, then cuffs would come out and he would be arrested.

McQuillen was a former cop and this made him a dangerous arrest target. Almost all ex-cops owned guns and they all knew how to use them. Bosch would have Chu run a check on the ATF gun registry but he knew that such a check would not be conclusive. Cops picked up and seized guns on the street all the time. Not all of them were turned in to Property. An ATF backgrounding would only tell them what McQuillen legally owned.

Because of these concerns Bosch determined first and foremost that McQuillen would not be approached at home. That would put him too close to whatever known and unknown weapons he had. His car would also be a poor choice for the same reasons.

Bosch had already seen the inside of the B&W garage and dispatch office. This gave him a strategic edge. It would also be the least likely place for McQuillen to be armed. It would be one thing if he was driving a cab on the dark edges of Hollywood, but dispatching cabs there was not as dangerous.

The desk phone rang and the screen simply said LATIMES. Bosch was tempted to let it go to message but then thought better of it.

“Open-Unsolved.”

“Is Detective Bosch there?”

“Speaking.”

“Detective, this is Emily Gomez-Gonzmart across the street at the Los Angeles Times. I’m working on a story about the murder investigation of George Irving and I want to ask you a few questions.”

Bosch froze for a long moment. He had a sudden desire for a cigarette. He knew of the reporter. She was nicknamed “GoGo” because she relentlessly pursued the stories she was following.

“Detective?”

“Yes, sorry, I’m in the middle of something here. You called it a murder. What makes you think it is a murder investigation? It’s a death investigation, yes. But we have not called it a murder. We have not made that conclusion.”

Now she paused for a moment before answering.

“Well, my information is that it is a murder investigation and there is a suspect who will be arrested soon, if he has not already been taken into custody. This suspect is a former police officer with an ax to grind against both Councilman Irving and his son. That’s why I’m calling you, Detective. Can you confirm this and have you made an arrest in the case?”

Bosch was stunned by the depth of her information.

“Look, I am not confirming anything. There has been no arrest and I am not sure where you are getting your information, but it is not correct.”

Her voice changed now. It became more of a whisper and it carried an intimate who are you kidding? quality to it.

“Detective,” she said, “we both know that my information is correct. We are going with the story and I would like your comments for the record. You are, after all, the lead investigator. But if you can’t or won’t talk to me, then I’ll go without you and I will report just that, that you refused to comment.”

Bosch’s mind was scrambling. He knew how it worked. The story would be in the morning’s paper, but long before that, it would go out online through the newspaper’s website. And when it hit the digital universe it would be read by every assignment editor at every television and radio station in town. Within an hour of the post on the Times website, there would be a media frenzy. And whether named in the story or not, McQuillen would know Bosch was coming for him.

Bosch couldn’t have that. He couldn’t have the media rush him or dictate his moves in any way. He realized that he had to cut a deal here.

“Who is your source?” he asked, just to gain a little time to consider ways of handling this.

GoGo laughed, as Bosch knew she would.

“Detective, please. You know I can’t reveal my sources. If you want to become an unnamed source, then I would offer you the same absolute protection. I’d go to jail before revealing sources. But I would prefer to have you on the record.”

Bosch raised his head and looked out of the cubicle. The squad room was mostly deserted. Tim Marcia was at his desk near the lieutenant’s office. The L.T.’s door was closed as usual and it was impossible to know if she was holing up in there or out at a meeting.

“I wouldn’t mind going on the record,” he said. “But you know that with a case like this, with the political connections and whatnot, I can’t go on the record without permission. It could mean my job. You’ll have to hold back until I can get it.”

He hoped that by saying his job was on the line, he’d get some sympathy time. Nobody wants to cause somebody to lose their job. Not even a cold and calculating reporter.

“This sounds like a stall to me, Detective Bosch. With you or without you, I have the story and I am filing it today.”

“Okay, then how long can you give me? I’ll get back to you.”

There was a pause and Bosch thought he could hear her typing on a computer keyboard.

“My deadline is five. I need to hear from you before then.”

Bosch checked his watch. He had just gotten three hours from her. He believed that would give him enough time to take down McQuillen. Once he was in custody it didn’t matter what was on the Internet or how many reporters and producers called him or the media relations office.

“Give me your direct number,” he said. “I’ll get back to you before five.”