The Closers

his eyes for a moment before speaking.
    “You can go now,” she said.
    Bosch nodded and followed Rider through the door.

24
    THEY DIDN’T SPEAK to each other as they left the courthouse. It was as if they wanted to get out of there without putting the jinx on it, as if their saying one word about what had happened might echo back through the building and make the judge change her mind and recall them. Now that they had the judge’s signature on the authorization forms, all they cared about was getting out.
    Once on the sidewalk in front of the monolithic courthouse Bosch looked at Rider and smiled.
    “That was close,” he said.
    She smiled and nodded her approval.
    “Ripples, huh? You took it right up to the red line with her. I thought I was going to have to go downstairs and post a bond for you.”
    They started walking toward Parker Center. Bosch pulled his phone out and turned it back on.
    “Yeah, it was close,” he said. “But we got it. You want to tell Abel to set up the meeting with the others?”
    “Yeah, I’ll tell him. I was just going to wait until we got over there.”
    Bosch checked his phone and saw he had missed a call and had a message. He didn’t recognize the number but it had an 818 area code-the Valley. He checked the message and heard a voice he didn’t want to hear.
    “Detective Bosch, it’s McKenzie Ward at the
News
. I need to talk to you about Roland Mackey as soon as possible. I need to hear from you or I may have to hold the story. Call me.”
    “Shit,” Bosch said as he deleted the message.
    “What?” Rider asked.
    “It’s the reporter. I told Muriel Verloren not to mention Mackey to her. But it sounds like she let it slip. Either that or the reporter is talking to somebody else.”
    “Shit.”
    “That’s what I said.”
    They walked a little further without speaking. Bosch was thinking of a way to deal with the reporter. They had to keep Mackey out of the story or else he’d probably just cut and run without bothering to call anyone else.
    “What are you going to do?” Rider finally asked.
    “I don’t know. Try to talk her out of it. Lie to her if I have to. She can’t put his name in the story.”
    “But she has to run the story, Harry. We only have seventy-two hours.”
    “I know. Let me think.”
    He opened his phone and called Muriel Verloren. She answered and he asked her how the interview went. She said it was fine and she was glad it was over.
    “Did they take photos?”
    “Yes, they wanted pictures of the bedroom. I didn’t feel good, opening it up like that to them. But I did.”
    “I understand. Thank you for doing that. Just remember, the story is going to help us. We’re getting close, Muriel, and the newspaper story will push things. We appreciate your doing it.”
    “If it helps, then I am glad to do it.”
    “Good. Let me ask you something else. Did you mention the name Roland Mackey to the reporter?”
    “No, you told me not to. So I didn’t.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m more than sure. She asked me what you people were telling me but I didn’t say anything about him. Why?”
    “No reason. I just wanted to make sure, that’s all. Thank you, Muriel. I’ll call you as soon as I have some news.”
    He closed the phone. He didn’t think Muriel Verloren would lie to him. The reporter had to have another source.
    “What?” Rider asked.
    “She didn’t tell her.”
    “Then who did?”
    “Good question.”
    The phone started to vibrate and chirp while he was still holding it. He looked at the screen and recognized the number.
    “It’s her-the reporter. I have to take this.”
    He answered the call.
    “Detective Bosch, it’s McKenzie Ward. I’m on deadline and we need to talk.”
    “Right. I just got your message. My phone was off because I was in court.”
    “Why didn’t you tell me about Roland Mackey?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Roland Mackey. I was told you already have a suspect named Roland Mackey.”
    “Who told you that?”
    “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you withheld a key piece of information from me. Is Roland Mackey your prime suspect? Let me guess. You are playing both sides and giving that to the
Times
.”
    Bosch had to think quickly. The reporter was sounding pressed and upset. A reporter who goes off angry could be a problem. He had to calm the situation and at the same time take Mackey out of the mix. The one thing he had going for him was that she had not mentioned a