Trunk Music

ballistics, fingerprints, hard evidence. But he wouldn’t have done what he did if Joey Marks didn’t tell him to. Joey Marks is who we’d really like to get. And the more information I have about your husband and his business, the better the chance we have of getting to Joey Marks. So if there is anything you can help us with, now is the time to tell us.”
    He was silent and waited. She looked down at the now folded piece of paper in her hand. She finally nodded to herself and looked at him.
    “I know nothing about his business,” she said. “But there was a call last week. It came here on Wednesday night. He took it in the office and closed the door but…I went to the door and listened. I could hear his side of it.”
    “What did he say?”
    “He called the caller Lucky. I know that. He did a lot of listening and then he said he’d be out there by the end of the week. He then said he’d see the caller at the club. And that was it.”
    Bosch nodded.
    “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”
    “I didn’t think it was important. I…you see, I thought he was talking to a woman. The name Lucky, I thought it was a woman’s name.”
    “Was that why you were listening through the door?”
    She averted her eyes and nodded her head.
    “Mrs. Aliso, have you ever hired a private investigator to follow your husband?”
    “No. I thought about it but I didn’t.”
    “But you suspected he was having an affair?”
    “Affairs, Detective. I not only suspected, I knew. A wife can tell.”
    “Okay, Mrs. Aliso. Do you remember anything else about the telephone conversation? Anything else that was said?”
    “No. Just what I told you.”
    “It might help us with the court case, as far as questions of premeditation go, if we could isolate this call. Are you sure it was Wednesday?”
    “Yes, because he left the next day.”
    “What time did the call come in?”
    “It was late. We were watching the news on Channel 4. So it was after eleven and before eleven-thirty. I don’t think I can narrow it down any further.”
    “Okay, Mrs. Aliso, that’s good.”
    Bosch looked over at Edgar and raised his eyebrows. Edgar just nodded. He was ready to go. They stood up and Veronica Aliso led them to the door.
    “Oh,” Bosch said before he got to the door. “There was a question that came up about your husband. Do you know, did he have a regular doctor that he went to?”
    “Yes, on occasion. Why?”
    “Well, I wanted to check to see if he suffered from hemorrhoids.”
    She looked like she was about to laugh.
    “Hemorrhoids? I don’t think so. I think Tony would’ve complained loud and often if he did.”
    “Really?”
    Bosch was standing in the doorway now.
    “Yes, really. Besides, you just told me that the autopsy was completed, wouldn’t that doctor be able to tell you the answer to that question?”
    Bosch nodded. She had him there.
    “I guess so, Mrs. Aliso. The only reason I ask is that we found a tube of Preparation H in his car. I was wondering why it was there if, you know, he didn’t need it.”
    She smiled this time.
    “Oh, that’s an old performer’s trick.”
    “A performer’s trick?”
    “You know, actresses, models, dancers. They use that stuff.”
    Bosch looked at her, waiting for more. She didn’t say anything.
    “I don’t get it,” he said. “Why do they use it?”
    “Under their eyes, Detective Bosch. You know, shrinks the swelling? Well, you put it under your eyes and the bags from all that hard living get shrunk, too. Probably half the people who buy that stuff in this town use it under their eyes, not what it’s supposed to be used for. My husband…he was a vain man. If he was going to Las Vegas to be with some young girl, I think he would have done this. It was just like him.”
    Bosch nodded. He thought of the unidentified substance under Tony Aliso’s eyes. You learn something new every day, he thought. He would have to call Salazar.
    “How do you think he would have known about that?” he asked.
    She was about to answer but hesitated, then she just hiked her shoulders.
    “It’s a not-so-secret Hollywood secret,” she said. “He could’ve learned it anywhere.”
    Including from you, Bosch thought but didn’t say. He just nodded and stepped through the door.
    “Oh, one last thing,” he said before she closed it. “This arrest is probably going to hit the media today or tomorrow. We’ll try to contain it as much as possible. But in this town, nothing’s