Trunk Music - Michael Connelly [84]
“I’ll tell him. Listen, if you’ve got a spare body, there’s still one loose end bugging me.”
“What?”
“Tony’s girlfriend. She was a dancer at Dolly’s till she got fired by Lucky on Saturday. I still want to talk to her. She goes by the name Layla. That’s all I have. That and her phone number.”
He gave Felton the number and the captain said he’d have somebody check into it.
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, one other thing. You know Deputy Chief Fitzgerald out here, don’t you?”
“Sure do. We’ve worked cases together.”
“You talked to him lately?”
“Uh, no…no. Not in — it’s been a while.”
Bosch thought he was lying but decided to let it go. He needed the man’s cooperation for at least another twenty-four hours.
“Why do you ask, Bosch?”
“No reason. Just thought I’d ask. He’s been advising us from this end, that’s all.”
“Good to hear that. He’s a very capable individual.”
“Capable. Yeah, that he is.”
Bosch hung up and then immediately set about making travel arrangements for himself and Edgar. He booked two rooms at the Mirage. They were above the department’s maximum allowance for hotel rooms but he was sure Billets would approve the vouchers. Besides, Layla had called him once at the Mirage. She might try again.
Last, he reserved round-trip tickets for himself and Edgar out of Burbank. On the Thursday afternoon return he reserved one more seat for Goshen.
Their flight out left at three-thirty and got them into Las Vegas an hour later. He figured that would give them plenty of time to do what they had to do.
Nash was in the gatehouse and came out to greet Bosch with a smile. Harry introduced Edgar.
“Looks like you guys’ve got yourself a real whodunit, eh?”
“Looks that way,” Bosch said. “You got any theories?”
“Not a one. I gave your girl the gate log, she tell you that?”
“She’s not my girl, Nash. She’s a detective. Pretty good one, too.”
“I know. I didn’t mean nothing.”
“So, is Mrs. Aliso home today?”
“Let’s take a look.”
Nash slid the door of the gatehouse back open, went inside and picked up a clipboard. He scanned it quickly and flipped back to the prior page. After scanning it he put the clipboard down and came back out.
“She should be there,” he said. “Hasn’t been out in two days.”
Bosch nodded his thanks.
“I gotta call her, you know,” Nash said. “Rules.”
“No problem.”
Nash raised the gate and Bosch drove through.
Veronica Aliso was waiting at the open door of her house when they got there. She was wearing tight gray leggings beneath a long loose T-shirt with a copy of a Matisse painting on it. She had on a lot of makeup again. Bosch introduced Edgar and she led them to the living room. They declined an offer for something to drink.
“Well, then, what can I do for you men?”
Bosch opened his notebook and tore out a page he had already written on. He handed her the page.
“That’s the number of the coroner’s office and the case number,” he said. “The autopsy was completed yesterday and the body can be released to you now. If you are already working with a funeral home, just give that case number to them and they’ll take care of it.”
She looked at the page for a long moment.
“Thank you,” she finally said. “You came all the way up here to give me this?”
“No. We also have some news. We’ve arrested a man for your husband’s murder.”
Her eyes widened.
“Who? Did he say why he did this?”
“His name is Luke Goshen. He’s from Las Vegas. Have you ever heard of him?”
Confusion spread across her face.
“No, who is he?”
“He’s a mobster, Mrs. Aliso. And your husband knew him pretty well, I’m afraid. We’re going to Las Vegas now to get him. If all goes well, we will be coming back with him tomorrow. Then the case will proceed through the courts. There will be a preliminary hearing in municipal court, and then if Goshen is bound over for trial as we assume he will be, there will be a trial in Los Angeles Superior Court. It is likely you will have to testify briefly during the trial. Testify for the prosecution.”
She nodded, her eyes far off.
“Why did he do it?”
“We’re not sure