Michael Connelly - The Reversal

My two visitors were still standing when I got back to the living room. Neither had gone for coffee. Bosch was silhouetted by the big picture window that looked out upon the city-the view that made me buy the house. I could see streaks of light entering the sky behind his shoulders.

“No coffee?”

They just stared at me.

“Okay, let’s sit down and talk about this.”

I gestured toward the couch and chairs but Bosch seemed frozen in his stance.

“Come on, let’s figure it out.”

I walked past them and sat down in the chair by the window. Finally, Bosch started to move. He sat down on the couch next to Hayley’s school backpack. Maggie took the other chair. She spoke first.

“I’ve been trying to convince Harry that we didn’t put his home address on the witness list.”

“Absolutely not. We gave no personal addresses in discovery. For you, I listed two addresses. Your office and mine. I even gave the general number for the PAB. Didn’t even give a direct line.”

“Then how did he find my house?” Bosch asked, the accusatory tone still in his voice.

“Look, Harry, you’re blaming me for something I had nothing to do with. I don’t know how he found your house but it couldn’t have been that hard. I mean, come on. Anybody can find anybody on the Internet. You own your house, right? You pay property taxes, have utility accounts, and I bet you’re even registered to vote-Republican, I’m sure.”

“Independent.”

“Fine. The point is, people can find you if they want. Added to that, you have a singular name. All anybody would have to do is punch in-”

“You gave them my full name?”

“I had to. It’s what’s required and what’s been given in discovery for every trial you’ve ever testified in. It doesn’t matter. All Jessup needed was access to the Internet and he could’ve-”

“Jessup’s been in prison for twenty-four years. He knows less about the Internet than I do. He had to have help and I’m betting it came from Royce.”

“Look, we don’t know that.”

Bosch looked pointedly at me, a darkness crossing his eyes.

“You’re defending him now?”

“No, I’m not defending anybody. I’m just saying we shouldn’t rush to any conclusions here. Jessup’s got a roommate and is a minor celebrity. Celebrities get people to do things for them, okay? So why don’t you calm down and let’s back up a little bit. Tell me what happened at your house.”

Bosch seemed to take it down a notch but he was still anything but calm. I half expected him to get up and take a swing at a lamp or punch a hole in a wall. Thankfully, Maggie was the one who told the story.

“We were with the SIS, watching him. We thought he was going to go up to one of the parks he’s been visiting. Instead, he drove right by them all and kept going on Mulholland. When we got to Harry’s street we had to hang back so he wouldn’t see us. The SIS has a bike car. Two of them saddled up and rode down. They found Jessup sitting in his car in front of Harry’s house.”

“Goddamn it!” Bosch said. “I have my daughter living with me. If this prick is-”

“Harry, not so loud and watch what you say,” I said. “My daughter’s on the other side of that wall. Now, please, go back to the story. What did Jessup do?”

Bosch hesitated. Maggie didn’t.

“He just sat there,” Maggie said. “For about a half hour. And he lit a candle.”

“A candle? In the car?”

“Yeah, on the dashboard.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Who knows?”

Bosch couldn’t remain sitting. He jumped up from the couch and started pacing.

“And after a half hour he drove off and went home,” Maggie said. “That was it. We just came from Venice.”

Now I stood up and started to pace, but in a pattern clear of Bosch’s orbit.

“Okay, let’s think about this. Let’s think about what he was doing.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Bosch said. “That’s the question.”

I nodded. I had that coming.

“Is there any reason to think that he knows or suspects he’s being followed?” I asked.

“No, no way,” Bosch said immediately.

“Wait a minute, not so fast on that,” Maggie said. “I’ve been thinking about it. There was a near-miss earlier in the night. You remember, Harry? On Breeze Avenue?”

Bosch nodded. Maggie explained it to me.

“They thought they lost him on a walk street in Venice. The lieutenant sent a guy in with a pizza box. Jessup came out from between two houses after taking a leak. It was a close call.”

I spread my hands.

“Well, maybe that was it. Maybe that planted suspicion and he decided to see if he was being followed. You show up outside the lead investigator’s house and it’s a good way to draw out the flies if you’ve got them on you.”

“You mean like a test?” Bosch asked.

“Exactly. Nobody approached him out there, right?”

“No, we left him alone,” Maggie said. “If he had gotten out of his car I think it would’ve been a different story.”

I nodded.

“Okay, so it was either a test or he’s got something planned. In that case, it would’ve been a reconnaissance mission. He wanted to see where you live.”

Bosch stopped and stared out the window. The sky was fully lit now.

“But one thing you have to keep in mind is that what he did was not illegal,” I said. “It’s a public street and the OR put no restrictions on travel within Los Angeles County. So no matter what he was up to, it’s a good thing you didn’t stop him and reveal yourself.”

Bosch stayed at the window, his back to us. I didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Harry,” I said. “I know your concerns and I agree with them. But we can’t let this be a distraction. The trial is coming up quick and we have work to do. If we convict this guy, he goes away forever and it won’t matter if he knows where you live.”

“So what do I do till then, sit on my front porch every night with a shotgun?”

“The SIS is on him twenty-four/seven, right?” Maggie said. “Do you trust them?”

Bosch didn’t answer for a long moment.

“They won’t lose him,” he finally said.

Maggie looked at me and I could see the concern in her eyes. Each of us had a daughter. It would be hard to put your trust in anybody else, even an elite surveillance squad. I thought for a moment about something I had been considering since the conversation began.

“What about you moving in here? With your daughter. She can use Hayley’s room because Hayley’s going back to her mother’s today. And you can use the office. It’s got a sleeper sofa that I’ve spent more than a few nights on. It’s actually comfortable.”

Bosch turned from the window and looked at me.

“What, stay here through the whole trial?”

“Why not? Our daughters will finally get a chance to meet when Hayley comes over.”

“It’s a good idea,” Maggie said.

I didn’t know if she was referring to the daughters meeting or the idea of Bosch and child staying with me.

“And look, I’m here every night,” I said. “If you have to go out with the SIS, I got you covered with your daughter, especially when Hayley’s here.”

Bosch thought about it for a few moments but then shook his head.

“I can’t do that,” he said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because it’s my house. My home. I’m not going to run from this guy. He’s going to run from me.”

“What about your daughter?” Maggie asked.

“I’ll take care of my daughter.”

“Harry, think about it,” she said. “Think about your daughter. You don’t want her in harm’s way.”

“Look, if Jessup has my address, then he probably has this address, too. Moving in here isn’t the answer. It’s just… just running from him. Maybe that’s his test-to see what I do. So I’m not doing anything. I’m not moving. I’ve got the SIS, and if he comes back and so much as crosses the curb out front, I’ll be waiting for him.”