The Concrete Blonde (hb-3)

is what turned him on in the first place. But he can no longer afford to discard the bodies publicly because that would reveal his secret.”
    “So then, why the note? Why send a note to the police this week that opens him to exposure?”
    Locke paced around the dining room table thinking.
    “Confidence,” he finally said. “The follower has become strong over the past four years. He thinks he is invincible. It is a common trait in the disassembling phase of a psychopath. A state of confidence and invulnerability rises as, in actuality, the psychopath is making more and more mistakes. Disassembling. Becoming vulnerable to discovery.”
    “So because he has gotten away with his actions for four years, he thinks he is clear and is so untouchable that he sends another note to tweak us?”
    “Exactly, but that is only one factor. Another is pride, authorship. This big trial on the Dollmaker has begun and he wants to steal some of the attention. You must understand, he craves attention for his acts. After all, it was the follower, not Church who sent the letters earlier. So being prideful and feeling above the reach of the police-I guess, godlike is the way to describe his sense of himself-he writes the note this week.”
    “Catch me if you can.”
    “Yes, one of the oldest games around... And lastly, he might have sent the note because he is still angry with you.”
    “Me?”
    Bosch was surprised. He had never considered this.
    “Yes, you took Church away. You ruined his perfect cover. I don’t imagine the note and its mention in the press has helped your court case any, has it?”
    “No. It might sink me.”
    “Yes, so maybe this is the follower’s way of repaying you. His revenge.”
    Bosch thought about all of this for a moment. He could almost feel the adrenaline surging through his body. It was after midnight but he wasn’t the least bit tired. He had a focus now. He was no longer lost in the void.
    “You think there are more out there, don’t you?” he asked.
    “You mean women in concrete, or similar confinement? Yes, unfortunately, I do. Four years is a long time. Many others are out there, I’m afraid.”
    “How do I find him?”
    “I’m not sure. My work has usually come at the end. After they’re caught. After they’re dead.”
    Bosch nodded, closed the binders and put them under his arm.
    “There is one thing, though,” Locke said. “Look at his pool of victims. Who are they? How does he get to them? The three who are dead and the survivor, they all were in the porno industry, you said.”
    Bosch put the binders back down on the table. He lit another cigarette.
    “Yes, they all did outcall work, too,” he said.
    “Yes. So while Church was the opportunistic killer, taking victims of any size, age or race, the follower was more specific in his tastes.”
    Bosch recalled the porno victims quickly.
    “Right, the follower’s victims were white, young, blonde and large-breasted.”
    “That is a clear pattern. Did these women advertise their outcall services in the adult-related media?”
    “I know two of them did, and the survivor. The latest victim did outcall but I’m not sure how she advertised.”
    “Did the three who did advertise include photographs of themselves in the copy?”
    Bosch could specifically remember only Holly Lere’s ad, and it did not include her photo. Just her stage name, a phone drop and a guarantee of lewd pleasure.
    “I don’t think so. The one I remember didn’t. But her porno name was in the ad. So anyone familiar with her work in video would know her physical appearance and attributes.”
    “Very good. We are already creating a profile of the follower. He is someone who uses adult videos to choose the women for his erotic program. He then contacts them through ads in the adult media by seeing either their names or photos in the advertisements. Have I helped you, Detective Bosch?”
    “Absolutely. Thanks for the time. And keep this under your hat. I’m not sure we want to go public with this yet.”
    Bosch picked up the binders again and headed toward the door but Locke stopped him.
    “We haven’t finished, you know.”
    Bosch turned around.
    “How do you mean?” he asked, though he knew.
    “You haven’t spoken about the aspect of this that is most troubling. The question of how our follower learned the killer’s routine. The task force did not divulge every detail of the Dollmaker’s program to the media. Not back then. Details were