A Killing in China Basin - Kirk Russell [68]
Time to check out the night. He left the TV on low and killed the other lights in the house. He watched from a window for a while, then went out the back and to the van. He had a bike in the van, chained so that it stood up. For three days he’d been home and not seen the inspectors, though their cards were in the door. He only kept la Rosa’s card. He had four of hers now and cleaned out an Altoids tin to store them in. Four of her in the little tin box. Four was his lucky number. Of course, if it was really her she would need a bigger box and he’d have to take the bike out of the van for the box to have room. Then he’d be chillin’ with Inspector Elizabeth la Rosa. Driving around or maybe he would drive somewhere special with her that wouldn’t get figured out for a very long time. He drove sort of dreaming of what that would feel like.
He liked the way it felt to think of it, but it was still crazy what he’d done going to the Hall of Justice that morning instead of going to work. He couldn’t believe he did it. But this dude, Stoltz, he knows in his head what he’s doing while he’s doing it, talking to the press, getting filmed, knowing he’s going to be on TV and be famous. He’s got a plan, Heilbron thought. I read the man. Definitely has plans. That’s what I have to do, plan every detail, every small thing just like working on the cars. It’s in the really small details. You have to get everything just right. Plan it, dude. Plan it carefully. Get it right.
Heilbron turned at the next corner. If Stoltz was able to pull something off, then he’d have to also. He thought about that as he drove downtown.
FORTY-EIGHT
‘Hey,’ Celeste said, ‘where are you?’
‘Just getting home.’
‘Want to go back out instead? I just finished this wine thing at the Four Seasons and I’ve got a room here tonight and an expense account for dinner.’
Tonight the elevator seemed louder than usual and he could barely hear her as he rode up. Even if he went back out he needed to feed the cat first. He got out of the elevator and climbed the stairs to the cool air of the roof. Horsetails of cirrus clouds fanned into moonlight.
‘Let me feed the cat and then I’ll meet you there. I’ll probably be half an hour. Is that OK?’
‘I’ll be in the bar.’
He called for Visa and heard a meow, but it took a while to figure out where it was coming from. When he did, he wasn’t sure how to get Visa out.
Soon after he’d moved here, the owner, Mr Han, had hired a contractor to install iron braces that connected the roof framing to the brick parapet, a city earthquake bracing requirement. In March it had rained almost every day and there were leaks in and around where the contractor had worked, so Han was up on the roof innumerable times arguing with the contractor, and finally the contractor built a temporary plywood contraption over one of the seismic braces that leaked the worst.
Somehow Visa had gotten inside that plywood box and Raveneau felt around in the darkness for the opening the cat crawled through. When he found it, Visa still wouldn’t come out. But a can of food did the trick and he left Visa eating.
By the time he got downstairs again to his car he was running late to meet Celeste. To head toward the Four Seasons he needed to make a U-turn, but ahead of him a car a few blocks down pulled away in a manner that made him curious. He followed it intending to turn around soon, but closed in a little when it became obvious the driver didn’t want him catching up.
So now the cop in him kicked in and he stayed with it, an old Ford Taurus, one of the SHO cars, the faster model. It swung left, the driver tapping his brakes as he rolled through a stop sign, and then picked up speed. He went right with his tires squealing. As Raveneau neared, he swung hard on to the 101 ramp and gunned it on to the southbound freeway, Raveneau following but not gaining. When the Taurus broke right at the 280 split Raveneau picked up his cell and called the SID team leader.
‘How