Chapters (64)
- PART ONE
- One
- Two
- Three
- PART TWO
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- PART THREE
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- PART FOUR
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- PART FIVE
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Fifty-two
- Fifty-three
- PART SIX
- Fifty-four
- Fifty-five
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- ALSO BY MICHAEL CONNELLY
I walked back inside, and as soon as I reentered the bedroom, I realized my phone was ringing but I had been unable to hear it because of the ocean noise. I checked to see who it was but it said PRIVATE CALLER on the screen. I knew that most people in law enforcement blocked their ID.
“Nina, I have to take this. Do you mind going out to my car and asking my driver to come in?”
“No problem.”
“Thank you.”
I took the call.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. I’m just checking to see when you’re coming by.”
“Me” was my first ex-wife, Maggie McPherson. Under the recently revamped custody agreement, I got to be with my daughter on Wednesday nights and every other weekend only. It was a long way from the shared custody we’d once had. But I had blown that along with the second chance I’d had with Maggie.
“Probably around seven thirty. I have a meeting with a client this afternoon and it might run a little late.”
There was silence and I sensed I had given the wrong answer.
“What, you’ve got a date?” I asked. “What time you want me there?”
“I’m supposed to leave at seven thirty.”
“Then, I’ll be there before that. Who’s the lucky guy?”
“That wouldn’t be any of your business. But speaking of lucky, I heard you got Jerry Vincent’s whole practice.”
Nina Albrecht and Patrick Henson entered the bedroom. I saw Patrick looking at the missing square in the carpet. I covered the phone and asked them to go back downstairs and wait for me. I then went back to the phone conversation. My ex-wife was a deputy district attorney assigned to the Van Nuys courthouse. This put her in a position to hear things about me.
“That’s right,” I said. “I’m his replacement, but I don’t know how lucky that makes me.”
“You should get a good ride on the Elliot case.”
“I’m standing in the murder house right now. Nice view.”
“Well, good luck in getting him off. If anyone can, it’s certainly you.”
She said it with a prosecutor’s sneer.
“I guess I won’t respond to that.”
“I know how you would anyway. One other thing. You’re not going to have company over tonight, are you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about two weeks ago. Hayley said a woman was there. I believe her name was Lanie? She felt very awkward about it.”
“Don’t worry, she won’t be there tonight. She’s just a friend and she used the guest room. But for the record, I can have anybody I want over at my house at any time because it’s my house, and you are free to do the same at your house.”