Page 8 of Resurrection Walk

“Uh, no, no witnesses,” Aronson said. “It’s basically his word against what the police say.”

Bosch was silent. It sounded like a case he wouldn’t want to be anywhere near. Haller broke into the silence.

“Tell you what, Jennifer,” he said. “Email what you’ve got to Lorna and tell her to print it. Harry will have eyes on it in thirty minutes. We are headed to her place now.”

Haller looked at Bosch.

“Unless you’re saying no,” he said.

Bosch slowly shook his head. This was not what he had signed up for. He didn’t want the last act of his professional life to be helping criminals. The haystack work, as Haller called it, was one thing. Finding innocence among the many convicted felt to Bosch like a check on a system he knew firsthand was imperfect. But assisting in the defense of someone accused was something else in his mind.

“I’ll take a look,” he said grudgingly. “But if there’s any follow-up work needed, you have to go to Cisco for that.”

Dennis “Cisco” Wojciechowski was Haller and Associates’ longtime investigator — and Lorna Taylor’s husband.

“Thank you, Harry,” Aronson said. “Please call me as soon as you’ve had a chance to look it over.”

“Sure,” Bosch said. “Why does your sister want you to go up there to see the kid?”

“Because she says he’s not doing well,” Aronson said. “He’s getting bullied by other kids there. I figure if I can sit with him for an hour, that’s an hour he doesn’t have to be afraid.”

“Okay, well, I’ll look at the stuff from the file as soon as I get it,” Bosch said.

“Thank you, Harry,” Aronson said again. “I really, really appreciate it.”

“Anything else on your end, Jennifer?” Haller asked.

“No, just what I said,” she said.

“When’s the next meet with the city attorney’s office?” Haller asked.

“Tomorrow afternoon,” Aronson said.

“Good,” Haller said. “Keep the pressure on. Let’s talk after that.”

Haller disconnected and they drove in silence for a bit. Bosch was not happy and wasn’t trying to hide it.

“Harry, just look at the file and tell her you got nothing,” Haller said. “She’s too emotionally invested in the case. She’s got to learn to —”

“I know she’s invested,” Bosch said. “I don’t blame her. But what is happening now is exactly what I told you I didn’t want to happen. One more time and I’m out. You understand?”

“I understand,” Haller said.

They made good time to West Hollywood, which was a relief to Bosch since there was a steely silence in the car after the phone call with Aronson. Bosch turned off Santa Monica Boulevard onto Kings Road and cruised two blocks south. Haller had texted Lorna about their imminent arrival and she was standing at a red curb waiting, file in hand. The windows on the Navigator were smoked. When Bosch pulled to a stop, Lorna stepped off the curb, walked around the back of the SUV, and got in the passenger seat behind Bosch.

“Oh,” she said to Haller. “I thought you’d be in your usual spot.”

“Not when Harry’s driving,” Haller said. “Did you print out the stuff from Jennifer?”

“Got it right here.”

“Pass that up to Harry so he can take a look while I jump in the back with you.”

Bosch was handed a file. He opened it and tried to tune out the conversation from the back as Haller started going over his court calendar and other case-related matters with Lorna. Bosch’s starting point was the incident report.

The kid’s name was Anthony Marcus. He was about to spend his seventeenth birthday in the juvenile detention center in Sylmar. He was accused of shooting a patrol cop named Kyle Dexter with the officer’s own gun. According to the report, Dexter and his partner Yvonne Garrity had responded to a burglary-in-progress call at a home on Califa Street in Woodland Hills. Upon arrival they searched the exterior of the house and found a sliding door on a rear pool deck open. They called for backup, but before other officers arrived,

Dexter saw a figure in dark clothing run from the house, climb over a wall behind the pool, and drop down to Valley Circle Boulevard, which ran parallel to Califa. He told Garrity to get the patrol car while he chased the fleeing figure. Dexter climbed the wall and pursued. The chase lasted several blocks and ended when Dexter followed the suspect around a corner at Valerie Avenue. The suspect had stopped, apparently thinking he had lost his pursuer, and Dexter turned the corner and came upon him. He drew his weapon and ordered the suspect to kneel and lace his fingers behind his head. The suspect complied and Dexter radioed his location to his partner and backup officers. When he moved in to handcuff the suspect, a struggle ensued and Dexter was shot. The suspect then ran off but was quickly apprehended by the other officers who were now responding to Dexter’s officer-down call.

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