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“And guess who was there at the grave.”
“How would I know?”
“Bosch.”
“The detective?”
“Harry fucking Bosch.”
“What did he want?”
“What do you think? To let me know he knew it was me. To bust my balls one more time.”
“You better be careful with him. He doesn’t give up.”
“Relax. If they had anything, they would have arrested me a long time ago. They would have arrested us.”
“Don’t talk like that. Just get home.”
“He’s an old man now. He can’t do anything — he’s not even a cop anymore. He retired or they kicked him out. He fuckin’ walks with a cane.”
“Doesn’t matter. He’s like a dog with a bone, that one.”
“You gotta calm down, Gloria. He’s got nothing. I got rid of everything that could connect us a long time ago.”
“Well, he must have something if he’s still coming around after twenty-five years.”
“He thinks he does, but he doesn’t have shit. Believe me, we’re in the clear.”
“I’ll believe it when he’s permanently in the graveyard with her and we don’t have to worry about him no more.”
“That can be arranged. We’ve done it before.”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear that. Just come home.”
“On my way.”
“Pick up some sourdough at the Vons first. We’ll have it tonight. I’m making Bolognese.”
“Can’t wait. I’ll hit the Vons.”
Talbot disconnected and turned on the radio. Yacht rock, Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues.” The engine revved as he started to drive.
Ballard clapped Osmond on the shoulder and spoke urgently:
“We got that, right, Ozzie?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah, we got it,” Osmond said.
“Then we got him,” Laffont said.
“I think we got them both,” Ballard said. “You hear that, Harry? He said, ‘We’ve done it before,’ and she didn’t deny it.”
Before Bosch could answer, the sound from the speakers — the Steely Dan song — faded away as Talbot drove out of transmission range.
“What about the bug?” Osmond said.
“You don’t have to worry about the bug, Ozzie,” Ballard said. “We know who has it. If things work out, we’ll be knocking on his door with an arrest warrant very soon. You’ll get your bug back then, okay?” Osmond nodded reluctantly. “Harry, what were you about to say?”
