Bosch thought about that for a moment.

“We might be able to make that work for us. I don’t know if there is going to be enough here to get paper.”

He was talking about the necessary probable cause to get a search warrant for Trumont Story’s former home almost three years after he was dead. The best way in would be without having to get a warrant signed by a judge. The best way would be to be invited. And given the right play, sometimes the least likely invitation can be offered by the least likely individual.

“I’ll work on a script, Harry,” Gant offered.

“Okay. Let me know.”

10

Chu was at his computer working on a Word document when Bosch got back to the squad room.

“What’s that?”

“Parole letter on the Clancy case.”

Bosch nodded. He was glad Chu was getting the letter done. The department was notified whenever a murderer convicted in one of its cases was coming up for a parole hearing. It was not required but the investigators who worked the case were invited to send letters of objection or recommendation to the parole board. The workload often prevented this from getting done but Bosch was usually a stickler about it. He liked to write letters that described the brutality of the murder in detail, hoping that the horror of the crimes would help sway the board to deny parole. He was attempting to pass this practice on to his partner and had given Chu the task of writing the letter on the Clancy murder, a particularly heinous sexually motivated stabbing.

“I should have something for you to read tomorrow.”

“Good,” Bosch said. “Did you run those names I gave you?”

“Yeah, not much there. Jimenez was totally clean and Banks just has a DUI conviction.”

“You sure?”

“That’s all I found, Harry. Sorry.”

Disappointed, Bosch pulled his chair out and sat down at his desk. It wasn’t that he expected the Alex White mystery to be solved on the spot, but he had been hoping for something more than a drunk driving conviction. Something he could chew on.

“You’re welcome,” Chu said.

Bosch looked back at him and turned his disappointment into annoyance.

“If you want to be thanked all the time for just doing your job, then you picked the wrong career.”

Chu didn’t respond. Bosch fired up his computer and was greeted with an email from Mikkel Bonn of the Berlingske Tidende. It had come in almost an hour earlier.

Detective Bosch: I have inquired further. Jannik Frej was the editor who worked with Anneke Jespersen because he was in charge of freelance projects. Mr. Frej did not speak directly to Los Angeles investigators and reporters in 1992 because his English skills were considered poor. Arne Haagan spoke at the time because his English skills were very high and he was editor of the newspaper.

I have made contact with Mr. Frej and his English is not good. I offer my services as go-between if you have questions for him. If this is of help to you I am happy to do this. Please just let me know your answer.