“We found a journal that your sister kept of her investigation. Like a notebook. Drummond had it translated a long time ago. It looks like he used different translators for different parts so no one would know the whole story. He was a cop and he probably said it was for a case he was working. We have that translation and it goes all the way back to what happened—at least what she remembered—on the ship. We think it was in her hotel room and we believe Drummond went there and stole it after he killed her. It was one of the things he used to control the other men from the ship.”

“Can I have this journal?”

“Not yet, Henrik, but I will make a copy for you and send it. It’s going to be part of our evidence when we go to trial. That’s one of the reasons I’m calling. I’m going to need handwriting samples so we can authenticate the journal. Do you have any letters from your sister or anything else with her handwriting on it?”

“Yes, I have some letters. Can I send copies? These are very important to me. It’s all I have of my sister. And her photographs.”

This was why Bosch had wanted to go in person. To deal directly with Henrik. O’Toole had called his request a boondoggle, an effort by Bosch to take a vacation at taxpayers’ expense.

“Henrik, I’m going to ask you to trust me with the originals. We need them because the analyst also makes the comparison based on how hard the writer presses down on some letters and punctuation, things like that. Will that be okay? I promise to get it all back to you undamaged.”

“Yes, this is fine. I trust you, Detective.”

“Thank you, Henrik. I’m going to need you to send them as soon as you can. There will be what is called a grand jury first, and we’ll want to authenticate before we present the journal. Also, Henrik, we got a good prosecutor assigned to the case, and he wanted me to ask if you would be willing to come to L.A. for the trial.”

There was a long pause before Henrik answered.

“I must come, Detective. For my sister.”

“I thought you would say that.”

“When should I come?”

“It probably won’t be for a long while. As I said, we have the grand jury first and then there are always delays.”

“How long?”

“Well, Drummond’s medical condition will probably delay things a bit and then his lawyer. . . . Guilty people are given a lot of opportunities to delay the inevitable in our system over here. I’m sorry, Henrik. I know you’ve waited a long time. I will keep you informed about—”

“I wish you had shot him. I wish he had died.”

Bosch nodded.

“I understand.”

“He should be dead like the others.”