City Of Bones

broken, you understand that? He could’ve washed himself, changed his clothes, I don’t know what else, because you took it upon yourself to take him from the crime scene.”
    Bosch was ready for that.
    “I felt there was a safety issue there. My partner will back me on that. So will Stokes. And he was never out of my custody and control until you came busting in here.”
    “That doesn’t change the fact that you thought your case was more important than us getting the facts about a shooting of an officer of this department, does it?”
    Bosch had no answer for that. But he was now coming to a full understanding of what Gilmore was doing. It was important for him and the department to conclude and be able to announce that Brasher was shot during a struggle for control of her gun. It was heroic that way. And it was something the department public relations machine could take advantage of and run with. There was nothing like the shooting of a good cop-a female rookie, no less-in the line of duty to help remind the public of all that was good and noble about their police department and all that was dangerous about the police officer’s duty.
    The alternative, to announce that Brasher had shot herself accidentally-or even something worse-would be an embarrassment for the department. One more in a long line of public relations fiascos.
    Standing in the way of the conclusion Gilmore-and therefore Irving and the department brass-wanted was Stokes, of course, and then Bosch. Stokes was no problem. A convicted felon facing prison time for shooting a cop, whatever he said would be self-serving and unimportant. But Bosch was an eyewitness with a badge. Gilmore had to change his account or failing that, taint it. The first soft spot to attack was Bosch’s physical condition-considering what had been thrown in his eyes, could he actually have seen what he claimed to have seen? The second move was to go after Bosch the detective. In order to preserve Stokes as a witness in his murder case, would Bosch go so far as to lie about seeing Stokes shoot a cop?
    To Bosch, it was so outlandish as to be bizarre. But over the years he had seen even worse things happen to cops who had stepped in front of the machinery that produced the image of the department that was delivered to the public.
    “Wait a minute, you-” Bosch said, able to hold himself from calling a superior officer an expletive. “If you’re trying to say I would lie about Stokes shooting Julia-uh, Officer Brasher-so he would stay in the clear for my case, then you-with all due respect-are out of your fucking mind.”
    “Detective Bosch, I am exploring all possibilities here. It is my job to do so.”
    “Well, you can explore them without me.”
    Bosch stood up and went to the door.
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’m done with this.”
    He glanced at the mirror and opened the door, then looked back at Gilmore.
    “I got news for you, Lieutenant. Your theory is for shit. Stokes is nothing to my case. A zero. Julia getting shot, it was for nothing.”
    “But you didn’t know that until you got him in here, did you?”
    Bosch looked at him and then slowly shook his head.
    “Have a good day, Lieutenant.”
    He turned to go through the door and almost stepped into Irving. The deputy chief stood ramrod straight in the hallway outside the room.
    “Step back inside for a moment, Detective,” he said calmly. “Please.”
    Bosch backed into the room. Irving followed him in.
    “Lieutenant, give us some space here,” the deputy chief said. “And I want everyone out of the viewing room as well.”
    He pointed at the mirror as he said this.
    “Yes, sir,” Gilmore said and he left the room, closing the door behind him.
    “Take your seat again,” Irving said.
    Bosch moved back to the seat facing the mirror. Irving remained standing. After a moment he also started pacing, moving back and forth in front of the mirror, a double image for Bosch to track.
    “We are going to call the shooting accidental,” Irving said, not looking at Bosch. “Officer Brasher apprehended the suspect and while reholstering her weapon inadvertently fired the shot.”
    “Is that what she said?” Bosch asked.
    Irving looked momentarily confused, then shook his head.
    “As far as I know, she only spoke to you and you said she didn’t say anything specifically in regard to the shooting.”
    Bosch nodded.
    “So that’s the end of it?”
    “I don’t see why it should go any