Bosch is back, and this time he’s got a new partner.
The pair join forces to find out what happened to Daisy and finally bring her killer to justice.
But fans always finish eager to come back for more.
Credit: Amazon
Pre-order the book ahead of its Oct. 30 releasehere.
The man standing there looked concerned but not surprised.
He was in sweats and one hand was in the front warmer of the pullover hoodie.
Little, Brown and Company
Despite the loose clothing, Ballard could tell he was a “better living through science” guy.
He had the pronounced neck veins and hard eyes of a ‘roid rider.
His brown hair was slicked back over his head.
His green eyes were glassy.
He was shorter than Ballard but heavily muscled under the loose clothing.
“It’s Ted.
“I’m Detective Ballard, LAPD.
I would like to ask you a few questions.
Can I come in?”
Bechtel didn’t answer.
He stepped back to allow her room to enter.
She considered him to be a burglar at this point.
She didn’t want to give him the chance to add assault or murder to the list.
Bechtel reached over to shut the door after she entered.
“Can we leave that open, if you don’t mind?”
“A couple of my colleagues will be coming.”
“Uh, I guess so.”
She turned in the circular entry area to look at him and accept further direction.
But Bechtel just looked at her.
“You’ve come for the Warhols, right?”
She wasn’t expecting that.
She hesitated, then composed a response.
“Are you saying you have them?”
“I do,” he said.
“They’re in my study.
Where they’re nice and safe.”
He nodded as if to confirm a job well done.
“Can you show me?”
Bechtel led Ballard down a short hallway into a home office.
Sure enough, the three red lips prints were leaning against the wall.
Bechtel spread his hands as if to present them.
“I think those are Marilyn Monroe’s,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
Warhol used Marilyn’s lips.
I read it online.”
“I took them for safekeeping.”
Who told you to do that?"
“Well, nobody told me to do it.
I just knew somebody needed to do it.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, because everybody knew she had them in there and they were going to get stolen.”
“So, you stole them first?”
“No, I didn’t steal them.
I brought them over here for safekeeping.
To keep them for the rightful heir.
I hear she had a niece in New York who gets everything.”
“That’s the story you want to go with?
That this was some kind of neighborly act of kindness?”
“It’s what happened.”
“What do you do for a living, Mr.
I have a store down in the flats.”
“Do you own this house?”
“I rent.”
“How long have you been up here?”
No, four."
“How well did you know the woman who lived across the street?”
“I didn’t.
Just to say hello to.
That sort of thing.”
“I think at this point I need to advise you of your rights.”
Are you arresting me?"
He looked genuinely surprised.
“Mr. Bechtel, you have the right to remain silent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to an attorney to represent you.
If you’re free to’t afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.
Do you understand these rights as I have explained them?”
“I don’t understand.
I was being a good neighbor.”
“Do you understand your rights as I have recited them to you?”
“Yes, shit, I understand.
But this is completely unnecessary.
I have a business.
I didn’t do”
“Sit down in that chair, like.”
Ballard pointed to a chair that was against the wall.
She kept pointing until Bechtel reluctantly sat down.
“This is amazing,” he said.
“You venture to do a good thing and you get hassled for it.”
Ballard pulled her phone and speed-dialed the watch office.
Now she was facing a situation where she had to make a felony arrest without backup.
Her call wasn’t answered for six rings.
Finally, her call was answered by a voice she didn’t recognize.
“This is two-whiskey-twenty-five, where’s my backup?”
I don’t see that here on the board.
You sure you called for backup?"
“Yes, fifteen minutes ago.
And keep this connection open.”
Ballard barked the address into the phone, then refocused on Bechtel.
She would find out about the missing backup later.
Bechtel was sitting with both hands in the front pocket of his hoodie.
Bechtel complied but shook his head as though this whole thing was a misunderstanding.
“Are you really arresting me?”
Bechtel didn’t speak.
He seemed surprised by her knowledge.
“Yeah, there’s video,” Ballard said.
“Well, I had to get in there somehow,” he said.
“Otherwise, somebody else would’ve and then the paintings would be gone.”
“They’re prints, actually.”
I didn’t steal them."
“Did you take anything else besides the prints?”
“No, why would I do that?
I just cared about the paintings.
The prints, I mean.”
It was a long time to wait with a suspect not fully controlled.
“The district attorney’s office will decide whether a crime was committed.
But I will be arresting you.
I want you to kneel on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.”
Bechtel stood up but didn’t move any further.
“Kneel down, sir.”
“No, I’m not kneeling down.
I didn’t do anything.”
“You are under arrest, sir.
Kneel down on the ground and lace your”
She didn’t finish.
Bechtel started moving toward her.
He moved as if heading toward the door but then suddenly pivoted toward her.
Ballard tried to use his advantage against him.
The undercarriage was small and undeveloped.
“Don’t fing move!”
He groaned like a monster and attempted to rise, doing a push-up off the floor.
Ballard drove a knee into his ribs and he dropped to the floor again with anoof.
He struggled against the next one but Ballard had the leverage.
She pulled the wrists together against his spine and closed the second cuff around the left.
Bechtel was now controlled.
Ballard got up, exhausted but exhilarated that she had taken the bigger, stronger man to ground.
“You’re going to jail, motherfer.”
“This is all a big mistake.
Come on, this is wrong.”
“Tell it to the judge.
They love hearing bullshit from guys like you.”
“You’ll regret this.”
“Believe me, I already do.
But it doesn’t change anything.
You’re going to jail.”
