Desert Star (Renée Ballard, #5; Harry Bosch Universe, #36) (35)

“We got lucky,” Ballard said.

“We did,” Troy said. “So we ran a basic urine cytology test on what we had, and it does show high levels of albumin and renal epithelial cells. These are clear signs of damage somewhere in the kidneys, bladder, or urinary tract. Most of the time it signals what is called clear cell renal cell carcinoma. This man likely had a tumor in one or possibly both kidneys, but of course we can’t be sure, since we don’t have him to examine.”

“Would he have known he had cancer?” Ballard asked.

“He would have eventually,” Troy said. “But we can’t tell what he knew from what we have to go on now.”

“Would it have been fatal?” Ballard asked.

“If untreated, yes,” Troy said. “But if caught early, it can be treated. And if it is contained in only one kidney, the damaged organ can be removed. After all, we have two.”

“What about transplant?” Bosch asked.

“That, too,” Troy said. “But people are not really considered for organ transplant in cases of cancer unless it’s caught super early. Transplant is normally considered where the kidneys are damaged by disease other than cancer. I should say here that I’m not an expert on this by any means. Most of what I’m telling you I researched last night.”

“We really appreciate this, Darcy,” Ballard said.

“We girls have to stick together, Renée,” Troy said. “No offense, Harry.”

“None taken,” Bosch said. “What could be the cause of this cancer?”

“Oh, well, now you’re opening up a whole can of worms,” Troy said. “Again, we have an unknown subject and know nothing of his life and experiences. This could be a hereditary predisposition, or it could have been some sort of toxic exposure. I know you’re trying to identify this guy. I would say that it could be somebody who worked in an industry where there was prolonged exposure to carcinogens. I know that doesn’t really help you, but it’s the best I’ve got considering what we do know—which is not much.”

“Well, we know a lot more than we did before this call,” Ballard said. “You said there’s further work you can do on this?”

“Just a deeper dive into it—more analysis on the specimen we have,” Troy said. “We may be able to narrow down exactly what this person’s illness was. But this time it won’t be quick. I would need to find an oncology lab and send it out. I have to make some calls later but likely it will be County-USC.”

“Really appreciate it, Darcy,” Ballard said again.

“You got it,” Troy said.

All three said their goodbyes and disconnected. Ballard took a drink of coffee and then asked Bosch what he thought of the new information.

“It’s good stuff but it’s sort of after-the-fact,” he said. “Dubose and his partner missed the chance to put together a list of people with kidney disease back at the time of the killing. I don’t see how we could do that now. So after we arrest the guy, we use it to tie him in. But we’ll already be able to do that with DNA.”

“So there’s no way at all to use this to identify him?” Ballard asked.

“That’s the hard part, because we don’t know when he sought treatment, or if he even did seek treatment. Maybe he never knew and got sick and died.”

Ballard nodded.

“What about you?” Bosch prompted.

“I just think there has to be a way to use this as a search tool,” Ballard said. “The others may have some ideas when we bring them up to speed.”

“Maybe Colleen can tell you whether the guy’s dead or alive.”

“Harry, please. It’s not funny. I don’t know what I’m going to do about her. I think I’m going to ask Lilia to take over the hereditary part of this.”

“But you said Hatteras was the best on your team.”

“She is, but I can’t have her disobeying direct orders. The psychic bullshit I can actually deal with. But when I tell her not to handle property and evidence and she does exactly that, then I have to do something.”

“I guess so.”

Ballard stood up, ready to go.

“Okay,” Bosch said. “I’m going to call Juanita Wilson. Do you have her contacts?”

“I have her number,” Ballard said. “I’ll text it to you.”

They left the interview room and returned to the pod. Hatteras, Masser, Aghzafi, and Laffont were all at their stations. Bosch guessed they were working multiple days because they knew how important this case was to the longevity of the unit. He sat down at his station and made the call to Chicago as soon as Ballard sent him the number for Juanita Wilson. The call was answered right away.

“Mrs. Wilson?”

“Yes.”

“My name is Harry Bosch. I’m with the Los Angeles Police Department cold case squad. You spoke with my colleague Renée Ballard yesterday.”

“Yes. Have you made an arrest?”

“Not yet, Mrs. Wilson, but we’re working very hard on the case. I wondered if I could ask you a few more questions.”

“Yes, of course. I’m just so thankful that there is still an investigation. I thought you people had given up.”