“So you sent Olivet down with the woman on it. Then five, six minutes later she is still on the train car when you bring it up. Is that right?”

“Right.”

“And during that five or six minutes that Olivet was sitting down there, you weren’t looking down there?”

“No, I was counting the money outta the register. Then when it was ’leven ’clock I went out and locked up Sinai. Then I brought Olivet on up. That’s when I found them. They were dead.”

“But you didn’t hear anything from down there? No shots?”

“No, like I told the lady — Miss Kizmin — I wear earplugs on account of the noise underneath the station. Also, I was countin’ the money. It’s mostly all quarters. I run ’em through the machine.”

He pointed to a stainless-steel change counter next to the cash register. It looked like the machine put the quarters into paper rolls containing ten dollars. He then stamped his foot on the wood floor, indicating the machinery below. Bosch nodded that he understood.

“Tell me about the woman. You said she was a regular?”

“Yeah, once a week. Fridays. Like maybe she have a little job up here in the apartments, cleanin’ or somethin’. The bus runs down there on Hill Street. I think she caught it down there.”

“And what about Howard Elias?”

“He a regular, too. Two, three times a week, all different times, sometimes late like last night. One time I was locking up and he was down there callin’ up to me. I made a ’ception. I brought him up on Sinai. I was bein’ nice. At Christmastime he gave me a little envelope. He was a nice man, ’membering me like that.”

“Was he always alone when he rode the train?”

The old man folded his arms and thought about this for a moment.

“Mostly, I think.”

“You remember him ever being with somebody else?”

“I think one or two times I remember him bein’ with somebody. I can’t rightly remember who it was.”

“Was it a man or woman?”

“I don’t know. I think it mighta been a lady but I’m not gettin’ a picture, know what I mean?”

Bosch nodded and thought about things. He looked at Rider and raised his eyebrows. She shook her head. She had nothing more to ask.

“Before you go, Mr. Peete, can you turn everything on and let us ride down?”

“Sure. Whatever you and Miss Kizmin need.”

He looked at Rider and bowed his head with a smile.

“Thank you,” Bosch said. “Then let’s do it.”

Peete moved to the computer keyboard and began typing in a command. Immediately the floor began to vibrate and there was a low-pitched grinding sound. Peete turned to them.