car lot here in MP and Chang works for him.”
Bosch understood the procedure. Tao had pulled the van over but with no probable cause to search it or to arrest Chang, he was reliant on Chang’s volunteerism. They filled out a field interview card with information he provided and checked the back of the van after being given permission.
“And what, he just volunteered that he was in the Brave Knife triad?”
“No,” Tao said indignantly. “We noted his tattoo and the ownership of the vehicle. We put two and two together, Detective.”
“That’s good. Did he have a DL?”
“He did. But we already checked that address tonight. It’s no good. He moved.”
Bosch glanced back at Chu in the backseat. This meant that if the address on Chang’s driver’s license had been correct, they probably would have already encountered the suspect without Bosch.
Chu looked away from Bosch’s stare. Bosch checked himself and tried to stay cool. If he blew up on them, he would lose all cooperation and the case would suffer for it. He didn’t want that.
“You have the shake card with you?” he asked Tao.
Tao handed a 3 × 5 card out the window and across to Bosch. Harry put the overhead light on and read the information handwritten on the card. Since field interviews had been challenged repeatedly over the years by civil rights groups as unwarranted shakedowns, the information forms filled out by officers were universally referred to as “shake cards.”
Bosch studied the information on Bo-Jing Chang. Most of it had already been relayed to him. But Tao had conducted a very thorough field interview. There was a cell phone number written on the card. It was a watershed moment.
“This number is good?”
“I don’t know about now—these guys dump phones all the time. But it was good then. I called it right on the spot to make sure he wasn’t fucking with me. So all I can tell you is that it was good back then.”
“Okay, we have to confirm it.”
“You’re just going to call the guy up and say, how ya doin’?”
“No, you are. Block your ID and call the number in five minutes. If he answers, tell him you’ve got a wrong number. Let me borrow the binocs and, Davy, you come with me.”
“Wait a minute,” Tao said. “What are we doing fucking with the phones?”
“If the number’s still good we can go for a wire. Give me the glasses. You call while I’m watching and we confirm, get it?”
“Sure.”
Bosch handed the shake card back to Tao and took the binoculars in return. Chu got out of their car, came around to Bosch’s ride and got in.
Bosch pulled out onto Garvey and headed toward Club 88. He scanned the parking lots, looking for a place to get close.
“Where were you parked before?”
“Up there on the left.”
He pointed to a lot and Bosch turned in, circled around and killed the lights as he pulled into a space that was facing Club 88 across the street.
“Take the glasses and see if he answers his phone,” he told Chu.
As Chu zeroed in on Chang, Bosch studied the entire view of the club, looking for anyone who might be looking out the window in their direction.
“Which one is Chang?” he asked.
“He’s at the left end, next to the guy in the hat.”
Bosch picked him out. But he was too far away for Harry to make any confirmation of Chang as the man in the video from Fortune Liquors.
“You think it’s him or you just going with Tao’s ID?” he asked.
“No, it’s a good ID,” Chu said. “It’s him.”
Bosch checked his watch. Herrera should’ve made the call. He was growing impatient.
“What are we doing, anyway?” Chu asked.
“We’re building a case, Detective. We confirm that number, then we get a warrant for a wire. We start listening to him and we find things out. Who he talks to, what he’s up to. Maybe we hear him talk about Li. Maybe we don’t and we spook him and we see who he calls. We start closing in. The point is, we take our time and do it right. We
Bosch understood the procedure. Tao had pulled the van over but with no probable cause to search it or to arrest Chang, he was reliant on Chang’s volunteerism. They filled out a field interview card with information he provided and checked the back of the van after being given permission.
“And what, he just volunteered that he was in the Brave Knife triad?”
“No,” Tao said indignantly. “We noted his tattoo and the ownership of the vehicle. We put two and two together, Detective.”
“That’s good. Did he have a DL?”
“He did. But we already checked that address tonight. It’s no good. He moved.”
Bosch glanced back at Chu in the backseat. This meant that if the address on Chang’s driver’s license had been correct, they probably would have already encountered the suspect without Bosch.
Chu looked away from Bosch’s stare. Bosch checked himself and tried to stay cool. If he blew up on them, he would lose all cooperation and the case would suffer for it. He didn’t want that.
“You have the shake card with you?” he asked Tao.
Tao handed a 3 × 5 card out the window and across to Bosch. Harry put the overhead light on and read the information handwritten on the card. Since field interviews had been challenged repeatedly over the years by civil rights groups as unwarranted shakedowns, the information forms filled out by officers were universally referred to as “shake cards.”
Bosch studied the information on Bo-Jing Chang. Most of it had already been relayed to him. But Tao had conducted a very thorough field interview. There was a cell phone number written on the card. It was a watershed moment.
“This number is good?”
“I don’t know about now—these guys dump phones all the time. But it was good then. I called it right on the spot to make sure he wasn’t fucking with me. So all I can tell you is that it was good back then.”
“Okay, we have to confirm it.”
“You’re just going to call the guy up and say, how ya doin’?”
“No, you are. Block your ID and call the number in five minutes. If he answers, tell him you’ve got a wrong number. Let me borrow the binocs and, Davy, you come with me.”
“Wait a minute,” Tao said. “What are we doing fucking with the phones?”
“If the number’s still good we can go for a wire. Give me the glasses. You call while I’m watching and we confirm, get it?”
“Sure.”
Bosch handed the shake card back to Tao and took the binoculars in return. Chu got out of their car, came around to Bosch’s ride and got in.
Bosch pulled out onto Garvey and headed toward Club 88. He scanned the parking lots, looking for a place to get close.
“Where were you parked before?”
“Up there on the left.”
He pointed to a lot and Bosch turned in, circled around and killed the lights as he pulled into a space that was facing Club 88 across the street.
“Take the glasses and see if he answers his phone,” he told Chu.
As Chu zeroed in on Chang, Bosch studied the entire view of the club, looking for anyone who might be looking out the window in their direction.
“Which one is Chang?” he asked.
“He’s at the left end, next to the guy in the hat.”
Bosch picked him out. But he was too far away for Harry to make any confirmation of Chang as the man in the video from Fortune Liquors.
“You think it’s him or you just going with Tao’s ID?” he asked.
“No, it’s a good ID,” Chu said. “It’s him.”
Bosch checked his watch. Herrera should’ve made the call. He was growing impatient.
“What are we doing, anyway?” Chu asked.
“We’re building a case, Detective. We confirm that number, then we get a warrant for a wire. We start listening to him and we find things out. Who he talks to, what he’s up to. Maybe we hear him talk about Li. Maybe we don’t and we spook him and we see who he calls. We start closing in. The point is, we take our time and do it right. We
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