Dark Sacred Night (Harry Bosch Universe #31)(78)

Bosch looked at Ballard through the fencing.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “Did you send the helicopter up here?”

“Yeah,” Ballard said.

Bosch nodded his thanks.

“I’ll be right back,” Ballard said.

Sisto was standing in the clearing, his back to the shed and maintaining a watch. Ballard passed by him on her way to the road down to the vehicles.

“Did you clear the other structure?” she asked.

“All clear,” he said.

“I’m going to need you in a few to twist off a lock.”

“I’m ready. Is he okay?”

“He will be.”

“Great.”

As she was heading down the fire road, her phone regained service and a text from Rourke came through. She was checking in and wanting an update. Ballard called her and told her to continue to stand by. As soon as Bosch was free, they would need to make a decision on what to do: set up a trap for his captors should they return, or clear out and proceed in another way.

She retrieved the crowbar from her city car’s roadside emergency kit, grabbed the rover out of the charging dock, and headed back up the fire road. Halfway up she heard the rat-a-tat sound of a dirt bike behind her. She turned and saw a rider on a lime-green bike come to a stop on Coyote Street and look up at her. He was wearing a matching helmet with a darkly tinted visor. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the rider turned the wheel and walked the bike into a U-turn before taking off.

Knowing that the first option of waiting for the return of the captors was now moot, she called Rourke on the radio and ordered the airship back into flight. She asked Rourke to circle the compound as a backup measure, keeping an eye out for the lime-green dirt bike.

Ballard was out of breath from hustling up the hill to the shed. She handed the crowbar to Sisto like she was passing a baton and he took it inside the shed while she trailed behind. She bent over and put her hands on her thighs and watched as Sisto threaded the crowbar through the loop on the cage door. He then turned the bar and the loop popped off its weld points. He opened the door and Ballard came over and joined Lourdes in carefully helping Bosch out and lowering him to his feet on the dirt floor. Lourdes opened a pocket knife and cut the bindings off his hands and feet.

“Standing up feels good,” he said.

He painfully tried a few steps, putting an arm around each woman’s neck.

“I think we need an RA, Harry,” Lourdes said.

“No, I don’t need that,” Bosch protested. “I can walk. Just let me…”

He dropped his arms from them and hobbled toward the doorway on his own. The sound of the airship off in the distance was coming closer.

“Call them off,” Bosch said. “These guys might be coming back. We can take them then.”

“No, I blew it,” Ballard said. “They know we’re here. Lime-green dirt bike?”

Bosch nodded.

“Yeah, him.”

“He saw me when I went back for the crowbar. Saw the cars.”

“Shit.”

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

Bosch walked out into the clearing and looked up at the sun. Ballard watched him. She guessed that during the night, he might have come to the grim conclusion that he’d never see the big orange ball again.

“Harry, let’s go get you looked at and get some stitches on that cheek,” Lourdes said. “Then we’ll go over gang books and draw warrants for every one of the motherfuckers you identify.”

Ballard knew that the SFPD must have extensive photo books of known members of the SanFers. If Bosch made IDs of those who had revealed themselves to him during the night, then they could make arrests.

“I don’t think they were SanFers,” Bosch said. “I think Tranquillo called in the eMe for this. Probably made sure all of his boys had alibis for the night.”

“And Cortez never showed up?” Lourdes asked.

“Nope. I think he was coming by today. With his dogs.”

Bosch turned to Ballard.

“How did you find me?” he asked.

“Your daughter,” Ballard said. “The tracking app on your phone.”

“Did she come up?”

“No, I told her to stay away from the house.”

“I have to call her. They took my phone and crunched it.”

“You can use mine as soon as it gets service.”

Lourdes pulled her phone and checked it, then held it up.

“Two bars,” she said.

She handed Bosch the phone and he punched in a number. Ballard only heard his side of the conversation.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m okay.”

He listened and then continued in a calming voice.

“No, really. I got a little roughed up but no big deal. Where are you?”

Ballard read the relief on Bosch’s face. Maddie had listened to her and stayed away from the house.

“My phone got crunched, so if you need me, call this number for Detective Lourdes,” he said. “You can also call Detective Ballard. You have that number, right?”

He listened and nodded, even though his daughter wouldn’t see it.

“Uh, no, she’s gone now,” he said. “She left a couple days ago. We can talk about that later.”