at least six times in the last five years since I’ve been here. As far as I know, he never pulled a gun. This is the first I knew about a gun.”
Bosch nodded. It was a valid observation. He turned his head to speak over his shoulder to the sergeant.
“Tell me about the witness,” he said.
“Uh, she’s not really a witness,” Lucas said. “It’s Mrs. Li, the wife. She came in and found her husband when she was bringing him in his dinner. We’ve got her in the back room but you’ll need a translator. We called the ACU, asked for Chinese to go.”
Bosch took another look at the dead man’s face, then stood up and both his knees cracked loudly. Lucas had referred to what was once known as the Asian Crimes Unit. It had recently been changed to the Asian Gang Unit to accommodate concerns that the unit name besmirched the city’s Asian population by suggesting all Asians were involved in crime. But the old dogs like Lucas still called it the ACU . Regardless of name or acronym, the decision to call in an additional investigator of any stripe should have been left to Bosch as lead investigator.
“You speak Chinese, Sarge?”
“No, that’s why I called ACU.”
“Then, how did you know to ask for Chinese and not Korean or maybe even Vietnamese?”
“I’ve been on the job twenty-six years, Detective. And—”
“And you know Chinese when you see it.”
“No, what I’m saying is I have a hard time making it through a shift these days without a little jolt, you know? So once a day I stop by here to pick up one of those energy drinks. Five-hour boost it gives you. Anyway, I got to know Mr. Li a little bit from coming in. He told me he and his wife came from China and that’s how I knew.”
Bosch nodded and was embarrassed at his effort to embarrass Lucas.
“I guess I’ll have to try one of those boosts,” he said. “Did Mrs. Li call nine-one-one?”
“No, like I said, she doesn’t have much English. From what I got from dispatch, Mrs. Li called her son and he’s the one who called nine-one-one.”
Bosch stepped out and around the counter. Ferras lingered behind it, squatting to get the same view of the body and the gun that Bosch had just had.
“Where is the son?” Bosch asked.
“He’s coming but he works up in the Valley,” Lucas said. “Should be here anytime now.”
Bosch pointed to the counter.
“When he gets here, you and your people keep him away from this.”
“Got it.”
“And we’re going to have to try to keep this place as clear as possible now.”
Lucas got the message and took his officers out of the store. Finished behind the counter, Ferras joined Bosch near the front door, where he was looking up at the camera mounted on the ceiling at the center of the store.
“Why don’t you check out the back?” Bosch said. “See if the guy really pulled the disc, and look in on our witness.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and find the thermostat and cool it down in here. It’s too warm. I don’t want that body to turn.”
Ferras headed down the center aisle. Bosch looked back to take in the scene as a whole. The counter was about twelve feet long. The cash register was set up at center with an open space for customers to put down their purchases. On one side of this were racks of gum and candy. On the other side of the register were other point-of-purchase products like energy drinks, a plastic case containing cheap cigars and a lotto display case. Overhead was a wire-mesh storage box for cigarette cartons.
Behind the counter were shelves where high-end liquors were stored, and which had to be asked for by customers. Bosch saw six rows of Hennessy. He knew the expensive cognac was favored by high-rolling gang members. He was pretty sure the location of Fortune Liquors would put it in the territory of the Hoover Street Criminals, a street gang that once was a Crips set but then became so powerful its leaders chose to forge their own name and reputation.
Bosch noticed two
Bosch nodded. It was a valid observation. He turned his head to speak over his shoulder to the sergeant.
“Tell me about the witness,” he said.
“Uh, she’s not really a witness,” Lucas said. “It’s Mrs. Li, the wife. She came in and found her husband when she was bringing him in his dinner. We’ve got her in the back room but you’ll need a translator. We called the ACU, asked for Chinese to go.”
Bosch took another look at the dead man’s face, then stood up and both his knees cracked loudly. Lucas had referred to what was once known as the Asian Crimes Unit. It had recently been changed to the Asian Gang Unit to accommodate concerns that the unit name besmirched the city’s Asian population by suggesting all Asians were involved in crime. But the old dogs like Lucas still called it the ACU . Regardless of name or acronym, the decision to call in an additional investigator of any stripe should have been left to Bosch as lead investigator.
“You speak Chinese, Sarge?”
“No, that’s why I called ACU.”
“Then, how did you know to ask for Chinese and not Korean or maybe even Vietnamese?”
“I’ve been on the job twenty-six years, Detective. And—”
“And you know Chinese when you see it.”
“No, what I’m saying is I have a hard time making it through a shift these days without a little jolt, you know? So once a day I stop by here to pick up one of those energy drinks. Five-hour boost it gives you. Anyway, I got to know Mr. Li a little bit from coming in. He told me he and his wife came from China and that’s how I knew.”
Bosch nodded and was embarrassed at his effort to embarrass Lucas.
“I guess I’ll have to try one of those boosts,” he said. “Did Mrs. Li call nine-one-one?”
“No, like I said, she doesn’t have much English. From what I got from dispatch, Mrs. Li called her son and he’s the one who called nine-one-one.”
Bosch stepped out and around the counter. Ferras lingered behind it, squatting to get the same view of the body and the gun that Bosch had just had.
“Where is the son?” Bosch asked.
“He’s coming but he works up in the Valley,” Lucas said. “Should be here anytime now.”
Bosch pointed to the counter.
“When he gets here, you and your people keep him away from this.”
“Got it.”
“And we’re going to have to try to keep this place as clear as possible now.”
Lucas got the message and took his officers out of the store. Finished behind the counter, Ferras joined Bosch near the front door, where he was looking up at the camera mounted on the ceiling at the center of the store.
“Why don’t you check out the back?” Bosch said. “See if the guy really pulled the disc, and look in on our witness.”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and find the thermostat and cool it down in here. It’s too warm. I don’t want that body to turn.”
Ferras headed down the center aisle. Bosch looked back to take in the scene as a whole. The counter was about twelve feet long. The cash register was set up at center with an open space for customers to put down their purchases. On one side of this were racks of gum and candy. On the other side of the register were other point-of-purchase products like energy drinks, a plastic case containing cheap cigars and a lotto display case. Overhead was a wire-mesh storage box for cigarette cartons.
Behind the counter were shelves where high-end liquors were stored, and which had to be asked for by customers. Bosch saw six rows of Hennessy. He knew the expensive cognac was favored by high-rolling gang members. He was pretty sure the location of Fortune Liquors would put it in the territory of the Hoover Street Criminals, a street gang that once was a Crips set but then became so powerful its leaders chose to forge their own name and reputation.
Bosch noticed two
Similar Books
Ole Doc Methuselah
L. Ron Hubbard
Sweet Hell on Fire
Sara Lunsford
Anzac's Dirty Dozen
Craig Stockings
Riptide
Cherry Adair
The Life and Times of Innis E. Coxman
R. P. Lester
FriendlySeduction
Gillian Archer
Justice Falling
Audrey Carlan
Agent X
Noah Boyd
Savage Smoke
Kay Dee Royal
