Vol I Part 97 (1/2)
”Okay, what did you do next?” Belk said.
”It occurred to me that in the time it had taken her to call me and for me to pick her up and get back to Hyperion, he could have gone out and gotten another victim. So I knew there was a good chance there was another woman up there in danger. I went up. I ran up.”
”Why didn't you call for backup?”
”First of all, I did not believe there was time to wait even five minutes for backup. If he had another woman in there, five minutes could mean her life. Secondly, I did not have a rover with me. I couldn't make the call even if I wanted to -”
”A rover?”
”A portable radio. Detectives usually take them on a.s.signment. Problem is, there are not enough of them to go around. And since I was going home I didn't want to take one because I wasn't coming back until the next evening s.h.i.+ft. That would mean one less rover available during the next day.”
”So you couldn't radio for backup. What about a phone?”
”It was a residential neighborhood. I could drive out and find a pay phone or knock on somebody's door. It was about one A.M. A.M. and I didn't think people would open their doors quickly to a single man claiming to be a police officer. Everything was a question of time. I didn't believe I had any. I had to go up by myself.” and I didn't think people would open their doors quickly to a single man claiming to be a police officer. Everything was a question of time. I didn't believe I had any. I had to go up by myself.”
”What happened?”
”Believing someone was in imminent danger, I went through the door without knocking. I was holding my gun out.”
”Kicked it open?”
”Yes.”
”What did you see?”
”First of all, I announced myself. I yelled, 'Police.' I moved a few steps into the room - it was a studio apartment - and I saw the man later identified as Church standing next to the bed. It was a foldout bed from a couch.”
”What was he doing?”
”He was standing there naked, next to the bed.”
”Did you see anyone else?”
”No.”
”What next?”
”I yelled something along the lines of 'Freeze' or 'Don't move' and took another step into the room. At first he didn't move. Then he suddenly reached down to the bed and his hand swept under the pillow. I yelled, 'No,' but he continued the movement. I could see his arm move as if his hand had grasped something and he started bringing the hand out. I fired one time. It killed him.”
”How far away from him would you say you were?”
”I was twenty feet away. It was one big room. We were at opposite sides of it.”
”And did he die instantly?”
”Very quickly. He dropped across the bed. The autopsy later showed the bullet entered under the right arm - the one he was reaching under the pillow with - and crossed through the chest. It hit his heart and both lungs.”
”After he was down, what did you do?”
”I went to the bed and checked to see if he was alive. He was still alive at that point, so I handcuffed him. He died a few moments later. I lifted the pillow. There was no gun.”
”What was there?”
Looking directly at Chandler, Bosch said, ”Great mystery of life, he had been reaching for a toupee.”
Chandler had her head down and was busy writing but she stopped and looked up at him and their eyes locked momentarily until she said, ”Objection, Your Honor.”
The judge agreed to strike Bosch's comment about the mystery of life. Belk asked a few more questions about the shooting scene and then moved on to the investigation of Church.
”You were no longer part of that, correct?”
”No, as is routine I was a.s.signed desk duty while my actions in the shooting were investigated.”
”Well, were you made aware of the results of the task force's investigation into Church's background?”
”Generally. Because I had a stake in the outcome, I was kept informed.”
”What did you learn?”
”That the makeup found in the bathroom cabinet was tied to nine of the victims.”
”Did you ever have any doubts yourself or hear of any doubts from other investigators as to whether Norman Church was responsible for the deaths of those women?”
”For those nine? No, no doubts at all. Ever.”
”Well, Detective Bosch, you heard Mr. Wieczorek testify about being with Mr. Church on the night the eleventh victim, s.h.i.+rleen Kemp, was killed. You saw the videotape presented as evidence. Didn't that raise any doubts?”
”It does about that case. But s.h.i.+rleen Kemp was not among the nine whose makeup was found in Church's apartment. There is no doubt in my mind or in anybody's on the task force that Church killed those nine women.”
Chandler objected to Bosch speaking for the rest of the task force and the judge sustained it. Belk changed the subject, not wanting to venture any further into the area of victims seven and eleven. His strategy was to avoid any reference to a second killer, leaving that to Chandler to take a swing at on cross-examination, if she wanted to.
”You were disciplined for not going in with backup. Do you feel the department handled the matter correctly?”
”No.”
”How so?”
”As I explained, I did not believe I had a choice in what I did. If I had to do it again - even knowing I would be transferred as a result - I would do the same thing. I would have to. If there had been another woman in there, another victim, and I had saved her, I probably would have been promoted.”
When Belk didn't immediately ask a follow-up question, Bosch continued.
”I believe the transfer was a political necessity. The bottom line was, I shot an unarmed man. It did not matter that the man I shot was a serial killer, a monster. Besides, I was carrying baggage from -”
”That will be fine -”
”Run-ins with -”
”Detective Bosch.”
Bosch stopped. He had made his point.