City Of Bones

that Lt. Billets was on the scene with her supervisor, Capt. LeValley.
    “Jerry, why don’t you go get the cadets ready?” Bosch said. “Give them the crime scene one-oh-one speech. I’ll be over in a minute.”
    Bosch joined Billets and LeValley and updated them on what was happening, detailing the morning’s activities right down to the neighborhood complaints about noise from the hammers, saws and helicopters.
    “We’ve got to give something to the media,” LeValley said. “Media Relations wants to know if you want them to handle it from downtown or you want to take it here.”
    “I don’t want to take it. What does Media Relations know about it?”
    “Almost nothing. So you have to call them and they’ll work up the press release.”
    “Captain, I’m kind of busy here. Can I-”
    “Make the time, Detective. Keep them off our backs.”
    When Bosch looked away from the captain to the reporters gathered a half block away at the roadblock, he noticed Julia Brasher showing her badge to a patrol officer and being allowed through. She was in street clothes.
    “All right. I’ll make the call.”
    He started down the street to Dr. Guyot’s home. He was headed toward Brasher, who smiled at him as she approached.
    “I’ve got your Mag. It’s in my car down here. I have to go down to Dr. Guyot’s house anyway.”
    “Oh, don’t worry about it. That’s not why I’m here.”
    She changed direction and continued with Bosch. He looked at her attire: faded blue jeans and a T-shirt from a 5K charity run.
    “You’re not on the clock, are you?”
    “No, I work the three-to-eleven. I just thought you might need a volunteer. I heard about the academy call out.”
    “You want to go up there and look for bones, huh?”
    “I want to learn.”
    Bosch nodded. They walked up the path to Guyot’s door. It opened before they got there and the doctor invited them in. Bosch asked if he could use the phone in his office again and Guyot showed him the way even though he didn’t have to. Bosch sat down behind the desk.
    “How are the ribs?” the doctor asked.
    “Fine.”
    Brasher raised her eyebrows and Bosch picked up on it.
    “Had a little accident when I was up there last night.”
    “What happened?”
    “Oh, I was just sort of minding my own business when a tree trunk suddenly attacked me for no reason.”
    She grimaced and somehow managed to smile at the same time.
    Bosch dialed Media Relations from memory and told an officer about the case in very general terms. At one point he put his hand over the phone and asked Guyot if he wanted his name put in the press release. The doctor declined. A few minutes later Bosch was finished and hung up. He looked at Guyot.
    “Once we clear the scene in a few days the reporters will probably stick around. They’ll be looking for the dog that found the bone, is my guess. So if you want to stay out of it, keep Calamity off the street or they’ll put two and two together.”
    “Good advice,” Guyot said.
    “And you might want to call your neighbor, Mr. Ulrich, and tell him not to mention it to any reporters, either.”
    On the way out of the house Bosch asked Brasher if she wanted her flashlight and she said she didn’t want to bother carrying it while she was helping search the hillside.
    “Get it to me whenever,” she said.
    Bosch liked the answer. It meant he would get at least one more chance to see her.
    Back at the circle Bosch found Edgar lecturing the academy cadets.
    “The golden rule of the crime scene, people, is don’t touch anything until it has been studied, photographed and charted.”
    Bosch walked into the circle.
    “Okay, we ready?”
    “They’re ready,” Edgar said. He nodded toward two of the cadets, who were holding metal detectors. “I borrowed those from SID.”
    Bosch nodded and gave the cadets and Brasher the same safety speech he had given the forensic crew. They then headed up to the crime scene, Bosch introducing Brasher to Edgar and then letting his partner lead the way through the checkpoint. He took up the rear, walking behind Brasher.
    “We’ll see if you want to be a homicide detective by the end of the day,” he said.
    “Anything’s got to be better than chasing the radio and washing puke out of the back of your car at the end of every shift.”
    “I remember those days.”
    Bosch and Edgar spread the twelve cadets and Brasher out in the areas adjacent to the stand of acacia trees and had them begin conducting