Bosch pulled his car up behind the narcs’ UC car and parked. He got out and moved up to their car, getting in the back after checking the seat to make sure it was clean of vomit and any other detritus from the people they had transported lately.
“Detective Bosch, I presume?” said the driver, whom Bosch guessed was Reyes.
“Yeah, how are you guys?”
He offered his fist over the seat and they both gave him a bump while identifying themselves. Bosch had it wrong. The one who looked to be of Latin origin was Sullivan and the one who looked like a bag of white bread was Reyes.
“Gilbert and Sullivan, huh?”
“That’s what they called us when we got partnered,” Sullivan said. “Kind of stuck.”
Bosch nodded. That was enough for the meet-and-greet. Everybody had a nickname and a story to go with it. These guys together didn’t add up to how old Bosch was and they probably had no clue who Gilbert and Sullivan were, anyway.
“So you know Eddie Roman?”
“We’ve had the pleasure,” Reyes said. “Just another piece of human shit that floats around out here.”
“But like I told you on the phone, we ain’t seen him in a month or so,” Sullivan added. “So we got you his next best thing. His onion. She’s over there in room three.”
“What’s her name?”
Sullivan laughed and Bosch didn’t get it.
“Her name is Sonia Reyes,” said Reyes. “No relation.”
“That he knows of,” Sullivan added.
He burst into laughter, which Bosch ignored.
“Spell it for me,” he said.
He took out his notebook and wrote it down.
“And you’re sure she’s in the room?”
“We’re sure,” Reyes said.
“Okay, anything else I should know before I go in?”
“No,” Reyes said, “but we were planning on goin’ in with you. She might get squirrelly with you.”
Bosch reached forward and clapped him on the shoulder.
“No, I got this. I don’t want a crowd in the room.”
Reyes nodded. Message delivered. Bosch did not want any witnesses to what he might need to do here.
“But thanks for the help. It will be noted.”
“An important case, huh?” Sullivan said.
Bosch opened the door and got out.
“They all are,” he said.
He closed the door, slapped the roof twice and walked away.
The hotel had an eight-foot security fence around it. Bosch had to press a buzzer and hold his badge up to a camera. He was buzzed into the compound but walked right by the office and down a breezeway leading to the rooms.
“Hey!” a voice called from behind.
Bosch turned and saw a man with an unbuttoned shirt leaning out the door of the motel’s office.
“Where the fuck you goin’, dude?”
“Go back inside and shut the door. This is police business.”
“Don’t matter, man. I let you in but this is private property. You can’t just come through the-”
Bosch started quickly moving back up the breezeway toward the man. The man took his measure and backed down without Bosch saying a word.
“Never mind, man. You’re good.”
He quickly stepped back inside and closed the door. Bosch turned back and found room three without a further problem. He leaned close to the jamb to see if he could pick up any sound. He heard nothing.
There was a peephole. He put his finger over it and knocked. He waited and then knocked again.
“Sonia, open up. Eddie sent me.”
“Who are you?”
The voice was female, ragged and suspicious. Bosch used the universal pass code.
“Doesn’t matter. Eddie sent me with somethin’ to hold you over till he’s done.”
No response.
“Okay, Sonia, I’ll tell him you weren’t interested. I’ve got someone else who wants it.”
He took his finger off the peep and started walking away. Almost immediately the door opened behind him.
“Wait.”
Bosch turned back. The door was open six inches. He saw a set of hollow eyes looking out at him, a dim light behind them.
“Let me see.”
Bosch looked around.
“What, out here?” he said. “They got cameras all over the place.”
“Eddie tol’ me not to open the door for strangers. You look like a cop to me.”
“Well, maybe I am, but that doesn’t change that Eddie sent me.”
Bosch started to turn again.
“Like I said, I’ll tell him I tried. Have a nice night.”
“Okay, okay. You can come in but only to make the drop. Nothing else.”
Bosch walked back toward the door. She moved behind it and opened it. He entered and turned to her and saw the gun. It was an old revolver and he saw no bullets in the exposed chambers. Bosch raised his hands chest high. He could tell she was hurting. She’d been waiting too long for somebody, putting blind junkie trust in something that wouldn’t pay off.
“That’s not necessary, Sonia. Besides, I don’t think Eddie left you with any bullets.”
“I got one left. You want to try it?”
Probably the one she was saving for herself. She was skin and bones and close to the end of the line. No junkie went the distance.
“Give it to me,” she ordered. “Now.”
“Okay, take it easy. I have it right here.”
He reached his right hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a balled piece of aluminum foil he had taken from a roll in Mickey Haller’s kitchen. He held it out to the right of his body and he knew her desperate eyes would follow it. He shot his left hand out and snatched the gun out of her hand. He then stepped forward and roughly shoved her onto the bed.
“Shut up and don’t move,” he commanded.
“What is-?”
“I said shut up!”
He popped the gun’s barrel out and checked it. She had been right. There was one bullet left. He slid it out into his palm and then put it in his pocket. He hooked the gun into his belt. Then he pulled his badge wallet and opened it for her to see.
“You had that right,” he said.
“What do you want?”
“We’ll get to that.”
Bosch moved around the bed, looking about the threadbare room. It smelled like cigarettes and body odor. There were several plastic grocery bags on the floor containing her belongings. Shoes in one, clothing in a few others. On the bed’s lone side table was an overloaded ashtray and a glass pipe.
“What are you hurting for, Sonia. Crack? Heroin? Or is it meth?”
She didn’t answer.
“I can help you better if I know what you need.”
“I don’t want your help.”
Bosch turned and looked at her. So far things were going exactly as he predicted they would.
“Really?” he said. “Don’t need my help? You think Eddie Roman is going to come back for you?”
“He’s coming back.”
“I got news for you. He’s already gone. I’m guessing they got him cleaned up nice and neat and he won’t be coming back up here once he does what they want him to do. He’ll take the paycheck and when that runs out he’ll just find himself a new trick partner.”
He paused and looked at her.
“Somebody who still has something somebody would want to buy.”
Her eyes took on the distant look of someone who knows the truth when she hears it.
“Leave me alone,” she said in a hoarse whisper.
“I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. You’ve been waiting for Eddie longer than you thought you would, huh? How many days you have left on the room?”
He read the answer in her eyes.
“Already past, huh? Probably giving the guy in the office blowjobs to let you stay. How long’s that going to last? Pretty soon he’ll just want the money.”
“I said go away.”
“I will. But you come with me, Sonia. Right now.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to know everything you know about Eddie Roman.”