I said, Was it Amy? If it was, she was too smart for them, which is what drew their attention. Pike said, They couldn’t ID the source. Meaning what? Jon smirked. Meaning the crap on these boards is us...
I said, Pretty. Yes. She is. You had to be seeing her, when, before you knew me? His eyes never left the picture. I knew you, but I was still on the job. I remember Joe dating back then, but the relat...
I love L.A. It's a great, sprawling, spread-to-hell city that protects us by its sheer size. Four hundred sixty-five square miles. Eleven million beating hearts in Los Angeles County, documented and n...
I left through the front door just like the Koreans, nodded at the officers the way strangers do, and mumbled something about the heat. Spurlow nodded back and Lange ignored me, but the red-haired guy...
I leaned against the fence and crossed my arms and stared at her. After a while she looked over and said, Why are you staring at me? Because I am the Lord High Keeper of the Knowledge of Right and Wro...
I glanced at the address. He lives in Palm Springs? Somewhere in L.A., I think. His family has the house in Palm Springs, or it might belong to a friend, but I don’t really know. Krista hasn’t told me...
I followed them out. The street at the end of the walk was jammed with media people and broadcast vans and uniformed cops trying to clear a path. Hernandez and Flutey flanked Jonathan and we crossed u...
I fingered through Amy Breslyn’s file and skimmed her corporate bio by the hazy glow of the street light. Her corporate portrait showed a round woman with light brown hair, pale skin, a soft face, and...
I felt a stir of hope. Computers and smartphones left a number trail as distinct as tracks in the snow each time they touched the Internet. One of these numbers was assigned by providers but one was h...
I drove back to Belmont Pier, parked in front of a shop that sold whale-watching tickets, and used a pay phone there to call Lou Poitras. He said, Bubba, you really take advantage. Funny. Your wife sa...
I don’t think it’s safe. What if they’re waiting for me? Elvis would wave us away. How does he know? Pike didn’t bother answering. He was already missing the silence.
I blinked at the black man. Are you the Syrian? Boy, I’m from Compton. The man ain’t here. We gonna search you again, and get you back on the road. Why do you have to search me again? Coz that’s the w...
Hey, we’ve got this guy, Dan! He’s ours! Dan Tomsic stared at her with the disdain he reserved for shitbirds, defense attorneys, and card-carrying members of the ACLU. He said, It’s easier to cut off...
Hello. Barkley was wearing a silk short-sleeved shirt that showed his belt bulge. The frowning man was tieless in an expensive charcoal sport coat. Pike was wearing a sleeveless grey sweatshirt, jeans...
He snuggled closer, spooning into her back, both of them staring at nothing. Jack wondered what she was seeing. Krista
Familiar was good. Unfamiliar was bad. A soft scuffing came from beyond the old female’s crate. Maggie instantly lifted her head, and cocked her ears toward the sound. She recognized human footsteps,...
Cole was still working on the car when a dark green Lexus stopped across his drive. Cole straightened, and was surprised to see Pike and a young woman with ragged hair and big sunglasses get out. The...
Chen hated it when Pike did that—appearing from nowhere as if the freaky psycho had stepped through a hole in the smog. Only an asshole did stuff like that, sneaking up and scaring people, and Chen ha...
Button’s face was blank as Pike approached, but a deep line cut Futardo’s brow. Pike wondered what she was thinking. Button’s jacket was already off in anticipation of the coming heat, and his hands w...
Bud grew irritated. Now waitaminute, goddamnit—this isn’t only about the girl. You dropped five bodies in two days. You think, what, Pitman can tell LAPD, Hey, it’s all right, our civilian killed thos...