The Black Box

that.”
    Bosch noted this on his pad. He thought he had all he was going to get from Henrik until he could go to his storage room and look for travel records.
    “Did she tell you why she went to Germany? Was there a story?”
    “She did not tell me. She asked me to get a hotel that would be close to the U.S. military base. I remember that.”
    “She didn’t tell you anything else?”
    “That was all. I don’t understand why it matters when she was killed in Los Angeles.”
    “It probably doesn’t, Henrik. But sometimes it’s good to cast a big net.”
    “What does this mean?”
    “It means, if you ask a lot of questions, you get a lot of information. Not all of it is useful, but sometimes you get lucky. I appreciate your patience and your talking with me.”
    “Will you solve the case now, Detective?”
    Bosch paused before answering.
    “I’m giving it my best shot, Henrik. And I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
    The call with Henrik energized Bosch, even though he had not gotten all there was to get. He could not put his finger on what was happening with the case, but things had shifted. Little more than a day earlier he believed the investigation was going nowhere and that he would soon be repacking the archive boxes and sending Anneke Jespersen back to the depths of the warehouse of unsolved cases and forgotten victims. But now there was a spark. There were mysteries and irons in the fire. There were questions to be answered and Bosch was still in the game.
    His next move was to make contact with Anneke’s editor at the BT . Bosch checked the name Henrik had given him, Jannik Frej, against the news reports and records in the murder book. The names didn’t match. The stories that ran in the wake of the riots quoted an editor named Arne Haagan. The investigators’ chronology also listed Haagan as the editor the RCTF detectives spoke with about Jespersen.
    Bosch could not explain the discrepancy. He Googled a phone number for the newsroom of BT and made the call. He guessed that someone would have to be in the newsroom despite the late hour.
    “ Redaktionen, goddag.”
    Bosch had forgotten about the language difficulty he might encounter. He didn’t know if the woman who had answered was saying her name or a Danish word.
    “ Nyhedsredaktionen, kan jeg hj œ lpe?”
    “Uh, hello? Do you speak English?”
    “A little. How do I help you?”
    Bosch referred to his notes.
    “I am looking for Arne Haagan or Jannik Frej, please.”
    There was a slight pause before the woman on the other end of the line spoke.
    “Mr. Haagan is dead, yes?”
    “He’s dead? Uh, what about Mr. Frej?”
    “No one here.”
    “Uh, when did Mr. Haagan pass away?”
    “Mmm, hold on the line, please.”
    Bosch waited for what seemed to be five minutes. He looked around the squad room as he waited and soon saw Lieutenant O’Toole staring at him through the window of his office. O’Toole fired an imaginary gun and then gave the thumbs-up signal with his eyebrows raised in a question. Bosch knew he was asking if he had qualified at the academy. Bosch gave him a thumbs-up and then looked away. Finally, a male voice came on the line. This speaker’s English was excellent and with only the slightest accent.
    “This is Mikkel Bonn. How can I help you?”
    “Yes, I wanted to speak with Arne Haagan, but the woman before you said he passed away. Is that true?”
    “Yes, Arne Haagan died four years ago. Can I ask why you are calling?”
    “My name is Harry Bosch. I’m a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. I’m investigating the death twenty years ago of Anneke Jespersen. Are you familiar with the case?”
    “I know who Anneke Jespersen was. We are very familiar here. Arne Haagan was the editor of the newspaper at that time. But he retired and then he died.”
    “What about an editor named Jannik Frej? Is he still there?”
    “Jannik Frej . . . no, Jannik is not.”
    “When did he leave? Is he still alive?”
    “A few years ago he retired also. He is alive as far as I know.”
    “Okay, do you know how I can reach him? I need to talk to him.”
    “I can see if someone has contact information. Some of the copyeditors may still be in touch with him. Can you tell me if there is activity on the case? I am a reporter and would want to—”
    “The case is active. I’m investigating but there is nothing other than that. I’m just starting.”
    “I see. Can I get back to you with contact