9 Dragons

closed the phone. Just then he heard a siren from directly behind him and saw flashing blues in the rearview.
    “Shit!”
    He looked ahead and saw Chang proceeding south on Sepulveda. He was four blocks from Fortune Fine Foods & Liquor. Bosch quickly pulled to the curb and hit the brake. He opened his door and jumped out. He was holding his badge up as he approached the officer on the motorcycle who had pulled him over.
    “I’m on a surveillance! I can’t stop!”
    “Talking on a cell phone is illegal.”
    “Then write it up and send it to the chief. I’m not blowing a surveillance for this.”
    He turned around and went back to his car. He bulled his way back into the traffic and looked ahead for Chang’s Mustang. It was gone. The next traffic signal turned red and he was stopped again. He banged the heel of his hand off the steering wheel and started wondering if he should call Robert Li.
    His phone buzzed. It was Chu.
    “I’m making the turn. Where are you?”
    “I’m only a block ahead of you. I got pulled over by a motor cop for talking on a cell phone.”
    “That’s just great! Where’s Chang?”
    “Somewhere up ahead. I’m moving now.”
    Traffic was slowly moving through the intersection. Bosch wasn’t panicked because the road was so glutted with vehicles that he knew Chang could not have gotten too far ahead. He stayed in his lane, knowing that he might draw attention in Chang’s mirrors if he started jockeying between lanes and cars to move up.
    In another two minutes he got to the major intersection of Sepulveda and Ventura Boulevard. He could see the lights of Fortune Fine Foods & Liquor a block further down Sepulveda at the next intersection. He did not see Chang’s Mustang anywhere in front of him. He buzzed Chu.
    “I’m at the light at Ventura and don’t see him. He might already be there.”
    “I’m one light back. What do we do?”
    “I’m going to park and go in. You stay out and look for his car. Buzz me when you see either him or the car.”
    “You’re going right to Li?”
    “We’ll see.”
    As soon as the light turned green Bosch pinned the accelerator and jumped into the intersection, nearly broadsiding a red-light runner. He cruised up the next block and took a right into the market’s parking lot. He didn’t see Chang’s car or any open parking spaces other than the one clearly marked for handicapped motorists. Bosch pulled through the lot into the alley and parked behind a trash bin with a no parking sticker on it. He jumped out and trotted back through the parking lot to the market’s front door.
    Just as Bosch was going through the automatic door marked ENTER, he saw Chang coming out the door marked exit. Bosch raised his hand and brushed it through his hair, blocking his face with his arm. He kept going and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
    He walked between the two checkout counters. Two women, different from the ones the day before, stood at the cash registers waiting for customers.
    “Where’s Mr. Li?” Bosch asked without stopping.
    “In the back,” said one woman.
    “His office,” said the other.
    Bosch called Chu as he was walking quickly down the main aisle to the back of the store.
    “He just walked out the front door. Stay with him. I’ll check on Li.”
    “Got it.”
    Bosch disconnected and pocketed the phone. He followed the same route to Li’s office as he had the day before. When he got there, the office door was closed. He felt adrenaline burst inside him as he reached for the knob.
    Bosch pushed the door open without knocking and found Li and another Asian man sitting at the two desks. They were in a conversation that abruptly stopped when the door came open. Li jumped up and Bosch saw immediately that he was physically unharmed.
    “Detective!” Li exclaimed. “I was just about to call you! He was here! That man you showed me was here!”
    “I know. I was following him. Are you all right?”
    “Just scared, that’s all.”
    “What happened?”
    Li hesitated for a moment to gather his words.
    “Sit down and calm down,” Bosch said. “Then you can tell me. Who are you?”
    Bosch pointed at the man seated at the other desk.
    “This is Eugene, my assistant manager.”
    The man stood up and offered his hand to Bosch.
    “Eugene Lam, Detective.”
    Bosch shook his hand.
    “You were here when Chang came in?” he asked.
    “Chang?” Li responded.
    “That’s his name. The man in the photograph I showed