The Reversal

store evidence there. And, of course, you make your own decisions.”
    “And if I do this, I pick second chair and my own investigator out of the LAPD. People I can trust.”
    “In or outside my office for your second?”
    “I would need someone inside.”
    “Then I assume we’re talking about your ex-wife.”
    “That’s right—if she’ll take it. And if somehow we get a conviction out of this thing, you pull her out of Van Nuys and put her downtown in Major Crimes, where she belongs.”
    “That’s easier said than—”
    “That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
    Williams glanced at Ridell and I saw the supposed sidekick give an almost imperceptible nod of approval.
    “All right,” Williams said, turning back to me. “Then I guess I’ll take it. You win and she’s in. We have a deal.”
    He reached his hand across the table and I shook it. He smiled but I didn’t.
    “Mickey Haller for the People,” he said. “Has a nice ring to it.”
    For the People . It should have made me feel good. It should have made me feel like I was part of something that was noble and right. But all I had was the bad feeling that I had crossed some sort of line within myself.
    “Wonderful,” I said.

Two
    Friday, February 12, 10:00 A.M .
    H arry Bosch stepped up to the front counter of the District Attorney’s Office on the eighteenth floor of the Criminal Courts Building. He gave his name and said he had a ten A.M. appointment with District Attorney Gabriel Williams.
    “Actually, your meeting is in conference room A,” said the receptionist after checking a computer screen in front of her. “You go through the door, turn right and go to the end of the hall. Right again and CONFERENCE ROOM A is on the left. It’s marked on the door. They’re expecting you.”
    The door in the paneled-wood wall behind her buzzed free and Bosch went through, wondering about the fact that they were waiting for him. Since he had received the summons from the DA’s secretary the afternoon before, Bosch had been unable to determine what it was about. Secrecy was expected from the DA’s Office but usually some information trickled out. He hadn’t even known he would be meeting with more than one person until now.
    Following the prescribed trail, Bosch came to the door marked CONFERENCE ROOM A , knocked once and heard a female voice say, “Come in.”
    He entered and saw a woman seated by herself at an eight-chaired table, a spread of documents, files, photos and a laptop computer in front of her. She looked vaguely familiar but he could not place her. She was attractive with dark, curling hair framing her face. She had sharp eyes that followed him as he entered, and a pleasant, almost curious smile. Like she knew something he didn’t. She wore the standard female prosecutor’s power suit in navy blue. Harry might not have been able to place her but he assumed she was a DDA.
    “Detective Bosch?”
    “That’s me.”
    “Come in, have a seat.”
    Bosch pulled out a chair and sat across from her. On the table he saw a crime scene photograph of a child’s body in an open Dumpster. It was a girl and she was wearing a blue dress with long sleeves. Her feet were bare and she was lying on a pile of construction debris and other trash. The white edges of the photo were yellowed. It was an old print.
    The woman moved a file over the picture and then offered her hand across the table.
    “I don’t think we’ve ever met,” she said. “My name is Maggie McPherson.”
    Bosch recognized the name but he couldn’t remember from where or what case.
    “I’m a deputy district attorney,” she continued, “and I’m going to be second chair on the Jason Jessup prosecution. First chair—”
    “Jason Jessup?” Bosch asked. “You’re going to take it to trial?”
    “Yes, we are. We’ll be announcing it next week and I need to ask you to keep it confidential until then. I am sorry that our first chair is late coming to our meet—”
    The door opened and Bosch turned. Mickey Haller stepped into the room. Bosch did a double take. Not because he didn’t recognize Haller. They were half brothers and he easily knew him on sight. But seeing Haller in the DA’s office was one of those images that didn’t quite make sense. Haller was a criminal defense attorney. He fit in at the DA’s office about as well as a cat did at the dog pound.
    “I know,” Haller said. “You’re thinking, What in the hell is this?”
    Smiling, Haller moved