go?”
“It’s not the trial. It’s another case. A body was found today, looks a lot like the Dollmaker did it. We got a note at the station. Basically said I killed the wrong guy. That the Dollmaker, the real one, is still out there.”
“Can it be true?”
“I don’t know. There had been no doubt before today.”
“How could-”
“Wait a minute, the story’s on the news. Channel 2.”
“I’ll put it on.”
They watched on separate TVs but connected by phone as the story was reported on the early news show. The anchor reported nothing about the Dollmaker. There was an aerial shot of the scene and then a sound bite of Pounds saying that little was known, that an anonymous tip had led police to the body. Harry and Sylvia both laughed when they saw Pounds’s char-smeared forehead. It felt good to Bosch to laugh. After the report Sylvia turned serious.
“So, he didn’t tell the media.”
“Well, we have to make sure. We have to figure out what’s going on first. It was either him or a copycat... or maybe he had a partner we didn’t know about.”
“When will you know which direction to go?”
It was a nice way of asking when he’d know if he had killed an innocent man.
“I don’t know, probably tomorrow. Autopsy will tell us some things. But the ID will tell us when she died.”
“Harry, it wasn’t the Dollmaker. Don’t you worry.”
“Thanks, Sylvia.”
Her unequivocal loyalty was beautiful, he thought. He then immediately felt guilty because he had never been totally open with her about all the things that concerned them. He had been the one who held back.
“You still haven’t said how it went in court today or why you aren’t coming out here like you said you would.”
“It’s this new case they found today. I am involved... and I want to do some thinking on it.”
“You can think anywhere, Harry.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do. And court?”
“It went fine, I guess. We only had openers. Testimony starts tomorrow. But this new case... It’s sort of hanging over everything.”
He switched the channels as he spoke but he had missed reports on the new body discovery on the other channels.
“Well, what’s your lawyer say about it?”
“Nothing. He doesn’t want to know about it.”
“What a shit.”
“He just wants to get through the case quickly, hope that if the Dollmaker or a partner is still running around out there, that we don’t confirm it until the trial is over.”
“But, Harry, that is unethical. Even if it is evidence in the plaintiff’s favor, doesn’t he have to bring it forward?”
“Yes, if he knows about it. That’s just it. He doesn’t want to know about it. That makes him safe.”
“When will it be your turn to testify? I want to be there. I can take a personal day and be there.”
“No. Don’t worry. It’s all a formality. I don’t want you to know any more about this story than you do already.”
“Why? It’s your story.”
“No it’s not. It’s his.”
He hung up after telling her he’d call her the next day. Afterward, he looked at the phone on the table in front of him for a long time. He and Sylvia Moore had been spending three or four nights a week together for nearly a year. Though Sylvia had been the one who spoke of changing the arrangement and even had her house for sale, Bosch had never wanted to touch the question for fear that it might disturb the fragile balance and comfort he felt with her.
He wondered now if he was doing just that, disturbing the balance. He had lied to her. He was involved in the new case to some degree, but he was done for the day and was going home. He had lied because he felt the need to be alone. With his thoughts. With the Dollmaker.
He flipped through the second binder to the back where there were clear plastic Ziploc pouches for holding documentary evidence. In these were copies of the Dollmaker’s previous letters. There were three of them. The killer had begun
“It’s not the trial. It’s another case. A body was found today, looks a lot like the Dollmaker did it. We got a note at the station. Basically said I killed the wrong guy. That the Dollmaker, the real one, is still out there.”
“Can it be true?”
“I don’t know. There had been no doubt before today.”
“How could-”
“Wait a minute, the story’s on the news. Channel 2.”
“I’ll put it on.”
They watched on separate TVs but connected by phone as the story was reported on the early news show. The anchor reported nothing about the Dollmaker. There was an aerial shot of the scene and then a sound bite of Pounds saying that little was known, that an anonymous tip had led police to the body. Harry and Sylvia both laughed when they saw Pounds’s char-smeared forehead. It felt good to Bosch to laugh. After the report Sylvia turned serious.
“So, he didn’t tell the media.”
“Well, we have to make sure. We have to figure out what’s going on first. It was either him or a copycat... or maybe he had a partner we didn’t know about.”
“When will you know which direction to go?”
It was a nice way of asking when he’d know if he had killed an innocent man.
“I don’t know, probably tomorrow. Autopsy will tell us some things. But the ID will tell us when she died.”
“Harry, it wasn’t the Dollmaker. Don’t you worry.”
“Thanks, Sylvia.”
Her unequivocal loyalty was beautiful, he thought. He then immediately felt guilty because he had never been totally open with her about all the things that concerned them. He had been the one who held back.
“You still haven’t said how it went in court today or why you aren’t coming out here like you said you would.”
“It’s this new case they found today. I am involved... and I want to do some thinking on it.”
“You can think anywhere, Harry.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do. And court?”
“It went fine, I guess. We only had openers. Testimony starts tomorrow. But this new case... It’s sort of hanging over everything.”
He switched the channels as he spoke but he had missed reports on the new body discovery on the other channels.
“Well, what’s your lawyer say about it?”
“Nothing. He doesn’t want to know about it.”
“What a shit.”
“He just wants to get through the case quickly, hope that if the Dollmaker or a partner is still running around out there, that we don’t confirm it until the trial is over.”
“But, Harry, that is unethical. Even if it is evidence in the plaintiff’s favor, doesn’t he have to bring it forward?”
“Yes, if he knows about it. That’s just it. He doesn’t want to know about it. That makes him safe.”
“When will it be your turn to testify? I want to be there. I can take a personal day and be there.”
“No. Don’t worry. It’s all a formality. I don’t want you to know any more about this story than you do already.”
“Why? It’s your story.”
“No it’s not. It’s his.”
He hung up after telling her he’d call her the next day. Afterward, he looked at the phone on the table in front of him for a long time. He and Sylvia Moore had been spending three or four nights a week together for nearly a year. Though Sylvia had been the one who spoke of changing the arrangement and even had her house for sale, Bosch had never wanted to touch the question for fear that it might disturb the fragile balance and comfort he felt with her.
He wondered now if he was doing just that, disturbing the balance. He had lied to her. He was involved in the new case to some degree, but he was done for the day and was going home. He had lied because he felt the need to be alone. With his thoughts. With the Dollmaker.
He flipped through the second binder to the back where there were clear plastic Ziploc pouches for holding documentary evidence. In these were copies of the Dollmaker’s previous letters. There were three of them. The killer had begun
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