9 Dragons

from Quick? Was his sister there?”
    Bosch held his hands up in a calming gesture and shook his head.
    “I never met Quick or his sister. I found your phone but it was broken. All I got was the memory card.”
    “She tried to save me. She found out that Quick was going to sell me and tried to stop it. But he kicked her out of the car.”
    Bosch waited for her to say more but that was it. He wanted to ask her many questions about the brother and sister and everything else but his role as father overtook his role as cop. Now wasn’t the right time. He had to get her calmed and situated. There would be time later to be a cop, to ask about Quick and He and to tell her what happened to them.
    He studied her face and she seemed to be drained of emotion. She still looked tired, even after all the sleep on the plane.
    “Everything’s going to be okay, Maddie. I promise.”
    She nodded.
    “Um, do you think I can just be alone for a little while in here”
    “Sure you can. It’s your room. I think I should make some calls, anyway.”
    He got up and headed to the door. He hesitated as he was closing it behind him and looked back at her.
    “You’ll tell me if you need anything, right?”
    “Yes, Dad. Thanks.”
    He closed the door and went out to the living room. He pulled his phone and called David Chu.
    “It’s Bosch. Sorry to call so late.”
    “No problem. How is it going over there”
    “I’m back in L.A.”
    “You’re back? What about your daughter?”
    “She’s safe. What’s the status on Chang?”
    There was a hesitation before Chu answered. He didn’t want to be the messenger.
    “Well, he walks in the morning. We don’t have anything to file on him.”
    “What about the extortion?”
    “I took a last run at Li and Lam today. They won’t file a formal complaint. They’re too scared of the triad. Li said somebody called already and threatened him.”
    Bosch thought for a moment about the threatening call he had received on Friday. He assumed it was the same caller.
    “So Chang walks out of the DDC in the morning and heads to the airport,” he said. “He gets on a plane and we never see him again.”
    “Looks like we lost this one, Harry.”
    Bosch shook his head, his rage boiling over.
    “Goddamn those motherfuckers.”
    Bosch realized his daughter might be able to hear him. He opened one of the living room sliders and stepped out onto the rear deck. The sound from the freeway traffic down in the pass would help muffle his conversation.
    “They were going to sell my kid,” he said. “For her organs.”
    “God,” Chu said. “I thought they were just trying to intimi-date you.”
    “Yeah, well, they took her blood and she must’ve matched somebody with a lot of money because the plan changed.”
    “Well, they could’ve tested her blood to make sure she was clean before they…”
    He stopped, realizing the alternate scenario wasn’t comforting. He changed directions.
    “Is she back here with you, Harry?”
    “I told you, she’s safe.”
    Bosch knew that Chu would read his indirect answer as a lack of trust, but what was new? He couldn’t help it after the day he’d had. He tried to change the subject.
    “When was the last time you talked to Ferras or Gandle?”
    “I haven’t talked to your partner since Friday. I talked to the lieutenant a couple hours ago. He wanted to know where things stood as well. He’s pretty pissed off about it, too.”
    It was almost midnight on a Sunday and yet the freeway down below was packed, all ten lanes across. The air was crisp and cool, a welcome change from Hong Kong.
    “Who’s supposed to tell the DA’s office to kick him loose” Bosch asked.
    “I was going to call over there in the morning. Unless you want to.”
    “I’m not sure I’ll be there in the morning. Why don’t you handle it, but wait until ten to make the call.”
    “Sure, but why ten?”
    “It will give me time to get over there and say good-bye to Mr. Chang.”
    “Harry, don’t do something you’ll regret.”
    Bosch briefly considered the past three days.
    “It’s too late for that.”
    Bosch ended the call with Chu and stood against the railing, looking out at the night. There was certainly something safe about being home but he couldn’t help thinking about what had been lost and left behind. It was like the hungry ghosts of Hong Kong had followed him across the Pacific.
    “Dad?”
    He turned. His daughter stood in the open doorway.
    “Hey,