“So I’m sitting here, the door opens, and these cops walk in, badge, badge, badge. Three of them, so I know it’s important. They say, what do I know about Frank Meyer? I say, who? They say, Meyer was a merc with your boy Pike. I say, okay, and? They say, Meyer and his family were shot to death. I don’t know what to say to that, but that’s when the alpha cop, a guy named Terrio, asked what I knew about your personal relationship with Meyer, and whether you had a business relationship. I said, brother, I have never heard that name before.”

Cole watched as Pike settled into a spot against the wall. Pike rarely sat when he was at their office. He leaned against the wall.

Pike said, “No reason you would. Frank was one of my guys. From before.”

“Terrio told me they had reason to believe this crew hit Meyer because he had cash or drugs at his home.”

“Terrio’s wrong. He believes the other six victims were crooked, so he’s gunning for Frank.”

Cole frowned, feeling even less in the know.

“Other six?”

“Frank’s home was the seventh hit in a string. Same crew, working the Westside and Encino. They’ve been ripping off criminals.”

“Terrio left out that part. So did the paper.”

After Terrio left, Cole had searched the L.A. Times website and local news stations for their coverage of the murders. The Times had provided the most information, describing Frank Meyer as a successful, self-made businessman. No mention was made of his past as a professional military contractor, but maybe that hadn’t been known at the time the article was written. A detective named Stan Watts was quoted, saying he believed a professional home invasion crew numbering between three and four men entered the home between eight and ten P.M., with robbery as the likely motive. Watts provided no details about what might have been stolen.

Cole had printed out the article, and now pushed it toward Pike, but Pike didn’t look at it.

Cole said, “If Terrio’s wrong, then what did these people go there to steal?”

Pike took a sheet of notepaper and a cell phone from his pocket, and placed them on Cole’s desk.

“I found a connection Terrio doesn’t know about.”

Cole listened as Pike told him about a recently released criminal named Jamal Johnson and his cousin, Rahmi. Pike told him about a new Malibu, and that Jamal told Rahmi his crew bought scores from someone in the Serbian mob. Pike was in the middle of telling it when Cole raised a hand, stopping him.

“Waitaminute. SIS is watching this guy, and you broke into his place?”

“Yes.”

“That’s insane.”

Pike tossed the phone to Cole.