The Reversal

“Look, shithead, Jessup is not tucked in for the night. I just saw him. And it almost turned bad. Now let me talk to somebody out there or my next call is to Lieutenant Wright at home.”

While he waited Bosch moved to the sidewall so he could get out of the storage area. His leg hurt badly and he was walking with a limp.

In the darkness he couldn’t find the spot where he could slip under the wall. Finally, he put the light on, holding it low to the ground. He found the spot but saw that Jessup had pushed sand into the hole, just as he had the night before.

A voice finally came to him over the phone.

“Bosch? This is Jacquez. You claim you just saw our subject?”

“I don’t claim I saw him. I did see him. Where are your people?”

“We’re sitting on his zero, man. He hasn’t left.”

Zero was a surveillance subject’s home location.

“Bullshit, I just saw him under the Santa Monica pier. Get your people up here. Now.”

“We got his zero down tight, Bosch. There’s no-”

“Listen, Jackass, Jessup is my case. I know him and he almost just crawled up my ass. Now call your men and find out which one went off post because-”

“I’ll get back to you,” Jacquez said curtly and the line went dead.

Bosch turned the phone’s ringer back on and put it in his pocket. Once again he dropped to his knees and quickly dug out the hole, using his hands as a scoop. He then pushed his body through, half expecting Jessup to be waiting for him when he came up on the other side.

But there was no sign of him. Bosch got up, gazed south down the beach in the direction of Venice and saw no one in the light from the Ferris wheel. He then turned and looked up toward the hotels and apartment buildings that ran along the beach. Several people were on the beach walk that fronted the buildings but he didn’t recognize any of the figures as Jessup.

Twenty-five yards up the pier was a set of stairs leading topside and directly to the pier’s parking lot. Bosch headed that way, still limping badly. He was halfway up the stairs when his phone rang. It was Jacquez.

“All right, where is he? We’re on our way.”

“That’s the thing. I lost him. I had to hide and I thought you people were on him. I’m going to the top of the pier now. What the hell happened, Jacquez?”

“We had a guy step out to drop a deuce. Said his stomach was giving him trouble. I don’t think he’ll be in the unit after tonight.”

“Jesus Christ!”

Bosch got to the top of the steps and walked out onto the empty parking lot. There was no sign of Jessup.

“Okay, I’m up on the pier. I don’t see him. He’s in the wind.”

“Okay, Bosch, we’re two minutes out. We’re going to spread. We’ll find him. He didn’t take the car or the bike, so he’s on foot.”

“He could’ve grabbed a cab at any one of the hotels over here. The bottom line is we don’t know where-”

Bosch suddenly realized something.

“I gotta go. Call me as soon as you have him, Jacquez. You got that?”

“Got it.”

Bosch ended the call and then immediately called his home on the speed dial. He checked his watch and expected Sue Bambrough to answer, since it was after eleven.

But his daughter picked up the call.

“Dad?”

“Hey, baby, why are you still up?”

“Because I had to do all that homework. I wanted a little break before I went to sleep.”

“That’s fine. Listen, can you put Mrs. Bambrough on the line?”

“Dad, I’m in my bedroom and I’m in my pajamas.”

“That’s okay. Just go to the door and tell her to pick up the phone in the kitchen. I need to talk to her. And meantime, you have to get dressed. You’re leaving the house.”

“What? Dad, I have-”

“Madeline, listen to me. This is important. I am going to tell Mrs. Bambrough to take you to her house until I can get there. I want you out of the house.”

“Why?”

“You don’t need to know that. You just need to do what I ask. Now, please, get Mrs. Bambrough on the phone.”

She didn’t respond but he heard the door of her room open. Then he heard his daughter say, “It’s for you.”

A few moments later the extension was picked up in the kitchen.

“Hello?”

“Sue, it’s Harry. I need you to do something. I need you to take Maddie to your house. Right now. I will be there in less than an hour to get her.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sue, listen, we’ve been watching a guy tonight who knows where I live. And we lost him. Now, there is no reason to panic or to believe he is heading that way but I want to take all precautions. So I want you to take Maddie and get out of the house. Right now. Go to your place and I will see you there. Can you do this, Sue?”

“We’re leaving right now.”

He liked the strength in her voice and realized it probably came with the territory of being a teacher and assistant principal in the public school system.

“Okay, I’m on my way. Call me back as soon as you get to your place.”