9 Dragons

an act. For a few moments Haller let it float over the table like a thundercloud before continuing.
    “Now, as you gentlemen know, people got killed. My client isn’t going to get into the details with you about all of that. Suffice it to say that, left alone in Hong Kong without any help from the government and police, this mother and father trying to find their daughter encountered some very bad people and there were kill-or-be-killed situations. There was
provocation!
?”
    Bosch saw the two Hong Kong detectives physically lean back as Haller shouted the last word. He then continued in a calm and well-modulated courtroom voice.
    “Now, we know you want to know what happened and you have reports that need to be filled out and supervisors who need to be informed. But you have to seriously ask yourself, is this the proper course to take?”
    Another pause.
    “Whatever happened in Hong Kong occurred because your department failed this young American girl and this family. And if you are now going to sit back and analyze what actions Detective Bosch took because your department failed to act properly-if you are looking for a scapegoat to take back with you to Hong Kong-then you won’t find one here. We won’t be cooperating. However, I do have someone here whom you
will
be able to talk to about all of this. We can start with him.”
    Haller pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and slid it across the table to them. Wu picked it up and studied it. Haller had shown it to Bosch earlier. It was the business card of a reporter from the
Los Angeles Times
.
    “Jock Meekeevoy,” Lo read. “He has information about this?”
    “That’s Jack McEvoy. And he has no information now. But he would be very interested in a story like this.”
    This was all part of the plan. Haller bluffing. The truth was, and Bosch knew, that McEvoy had been laid off by the
Times
six months earlier. Haller had dug the old card out of a stack of business cards he kept wrapped in a rubber band in his Lincoln.
    “That’s where it will start,” Haller said calmly. “And I think it will make a great story. Thirteen-year-old American girl kidnapped in China for her organs and the police do nothing. Her parents are forced into action and the mother is killed trying to save her daughter. From there it will go international for sure. Every paper, every news channel in the world will want a part of this story. They’ll make a Hollywood movie out of it. And Oliver Stone will direct it!”
    Haller now opened his own file that he had carried into the meeting. It contained the news stories he had printed in the car following his Internet search. He slid a set of printouts across the table to Wu and Lo. They moved closer together to share.
    “And finally, what you have there is a package of news articles that I will be providing to Mr. McEvoy and any other journalist who makes an inquiry of me or Detective Bosch. These articles document the recent growth of the black market in human organs in China. The waiting list in China is said to be the longest in the world, with some reports of as many as a million people waiting for an organ at any given time. Doesn’t help that a few years back and under pressure from the rest of the world, the Chinese government banned the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners. That only heightened the demand and value of human organs on the black market. I am sure you will be able to see from those stories from very credible newspapers, including the
Beijing Review,
where Mr. McEvoy will be going with his story. It’s up to you now to decide if that is what you want to happen here.”
    Wu turned so he could whisper in rapid-fire Chinese directly into Lo’s ear.
    “No need to whisper, gentlemen,” Haller said. “We can’t understand you.”
    Wu straightened himself.
    “We would like to make private telephone call before continuing the interview,” he said.
    “To Hong Kong?” Bosch asked. “It’s going on five in the morning there.”
    “This does not matter,” Wu said. “I must make the call, please.”
    Gandle stood up.
    “You can use my office. You’ll have privacy.”
    “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
    The Hong Kong investigators stood up to go.
    “One last thing, gentlemen,” Haller said.
    They looked at him with
what now?
written on their faces.
    “I just want you and whoever it is you are calling to know that we are also very concerned about the disposition of Sun Yee in this matter. We