The Last Coyote

you think I’d tell him about our sessions just because he may have ordered me to?”
    “Did he?”
    “You don’t trust me at all, do you?”
    “Did he?”
    “No, he didn’t.”
    “That’s good.”
    “It’s not just me. You don’t trust anyone.”
    Bosch realized that he had been out of line. He could see, though, that there was more hurt than anger in her face.
    “I’m sorry, you’re right, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just…I don’t know, I’ve got my back to the corner here, Doctor. When that happens, sometimes you forget who’s on your side and who isn’t.”
    “Yes, and as a matter of course you respond with violence against those who you perceive are not on your side. This is not good to see. It’s very, very disappointing.”
    He looked away from her and over to the potted palm in the corner. Before leaving the room, Irving had replanted it, getting his hands dirty with black soil. Bosch noticed it was still slightly tilted to the left.
    “So what are you doing up here?” he asked. “What does Irving want?”
    “He wanted me to sit in his office and listen to your interview on the conference line. He said he was interested in my evaluation of your answers as to whether I believed you could have been responsible for the death of Lieutenant Pounds. Thanks to you and your attack on your interviewer, he didn’t need any evaluation from me. It’s clear at this point you are prone to and quite capable of violence against fellow police officers.”
    “That’s bullshit and you know it. Damn it, what I did in here to that guy masquerading as a cop was a lot different than what they think I did. You’re talking about things that are worlds apart and if you don’t see that, you’re making your living in the wrong business.”
    “I’m not so sure.”
    “Have you ever killed anyone, Doctor?”
    Saying the question reminded him of his true confessions conversation with Jasmine.
    “Of course not.”
    “Well, I have. And believe me it’s a lot different than roughing up some pompous ass in a suit with a shine on its ass. A lot different. If you or they think that doing one means you can do the other, you all have a lot to learn.”
    They were both quiet for a long while, letting their anger ebb away.
    “All right,” he finally said. “So what happens now?”
    “I don’t know. Chief Irving just asked me to sit in with you, to calm you. I guess he’s figuring out what to do next. I guess I’m not doing a very good job of calming you.”
    “What did he say when he first asked you to come up here and listen?”
    “He just called me and explained what happened and said he wanted my take on the interview. You have to understand something, despite your problems with authority, he is one person who I think is in your court on this. I don’t think he honestly believes you’re involved in the death of your lieutenant-at least directly. But he realizes that you are a viable suspect who needs to be questioned. I think if you had held your temper during the interview this all might’ve been over for you soon. They would’ve checked your story in Florida and that would have been the end of it. I even told them that you told me you were going to Florida.”
    “I don’t want them checking my story. I don’t want them involved.”
    “Well, it’s too late. He knows you’re up to something.”
    “How?”
    “When he called to ask me to come over he mentioned the file on your mother’s case. The murder book. He said it was found at your house. He also said they found the stored evidence from the case there…”
    “And?”
    “And he asked if I knew what you were doing with all of it.”
    “So he did ask you to reveal what we’ve talked about in our sessions.”
    “In an indirect way.”
    “Sounds pretty direct to me. Did he say specifically that it was my mother’s case?”
    “Yes, he did.”
    “What did you tell him?”
    “I told him that I was not at liberty to discuss anything that was talked about in our sessions. It didn’t satisfy him.”
    “I’m not surprised.”
    Another wave of silence washed between them. Her eyes wandered the room. His stayed on hers.
    “Listen, what do you know about what happened to Pounds?”
    “Very little.”
    “ Irving must have told you something. You must’ve asked.”
    “He said Pounds was found in the trunk of his car Sunday evening. I guess he had been there a while. A day maybe. The chief said he…the body showed signs of