Desert Star (Renée Ballard, #5; Harry Bosch Universe, #36) (40)

“I’ll be happy to sit down with you after the walk-through.”

“Then please lead the way.”

They entered the archive and Ballard slowly led the group by the rows of shelved murder books and told them the somber statistics and facts that they already knew, since it had been their pressure on the police department that resulted in the Open-Unsolved Unit being reborn.

Eventually, they came to the pod and Ballard introduced each of the investigators on the team and explained what his or her specialty was. She also pointed to Bosch’s empty spot and noted that their most experienced investigator was in the field, not mentioning that he had extended the field to Chicago.

As she made the introductions, she saw Hastings come up behind the chair where Ted Rawls sat and briefly put his hands on his shoulders. That, plus the fact that Rawls had conveniently arrived at the pod just minutes before Pearlman, confirmed what Ballard already knew: Rawls was tight with Hastings and, by extension, Pearlman. Hastings most likely gave Rawls the same heads-up she had gotten. And he probably got the first call.

The councilman asked a few questions of the investigators, primarily for the video camera, and then Hastings said it was time to move things along.

“The councilman’s schedule is very tight,” he said. “And I know he wanted a few minutes alone with Detective Ballard to get an update.”

Ballard wheeled Bosch’s desk chair around to her pod and invited Pearlman to sit down. Hastings stood a few steps behind them, ever on watch, while Ford and Aguilar engaged Hatteras in a discussion of her role as the team’s investigative genetic genealogy specialist.

While Ballard was worried that Hatteras might start talking about her empathic feelings, she shut out the distraction to focus on her briefing with Pearlman.

“Before I tell you where we are with the investigation, I want to start with a couple questions,” Ballard said. “You don’t remember a young woman named Laura Wilson having any involvement in your 2005 campaign, correct?”

“Yes, that’s what I told Nelson,” Pearlman said. “I don’t remember the name and I don’t remember an African American woman among our volunteers back then. Now I have major support in the Black community, but that first election was, well, not very well-thought-out or executed.”

Ballard opened the Laura Wilson murder book, where she had placed one of the actress’s 8 x 10 headshots with her résumé printed on the back side. She handed the photo to Pearlman.

“That’s Laura Wilson,” she said.

Pearlman took the photo and Ballard studied him for a reaction as he looked at it. She saw no recognition in his eyes and then Pearlman slowly shook his head.

“So sad,” he said. “She was beautiful, but no, I don’t recognize her.”

“Who ran your campaign back then?” Ballard asked.

Hastings stepped in close to the pod and leaned down to speak quietly.

“I thought this was going to be an update from you,” he said. “Not a Q and A. The councilman has to get back to City Hall in an hour.”

“I’m sorry,” Ballard said. “That was my last question, and then I can bring you up to speed.”

“Let’s just proceed with the update,” Hastings insisted.

“It’s all right, Nelson,” Pearlman said. “I wouldn’t call it much of a campaign, but what there was of it was run by our friend Sandy Kramer.”

“Kramer no longer works with you?” Ballard asked.

“No, he left politics a long time ago,” Pearlman said. “Last I heard, he was selling tuxedos in Century City.”

“Do you still have a number for him?” Ballard asked.

“I’m sure we could dig one up for you,” Pearlman said. “I’ll have Nelson look in the old Rolodex. Now, how close are you to cracking this case and bringing some justice to my sister and my family?”

Ballard didn’t tell Pearlman everything about their progress but provided enough details for him to know that the case had the most important thing going for it: momentum.

“We have several irons in the fire and it’s my hope that we will be able to identify a suspect soon,” she concluded.

She knew as soon as she said it that she had just made a political promise and that there would most likely be retribution if she didn’t deliver on it.

“This is good to hear,” Pearlman said. “I look forward to that phone call. I’ve been waiting many years for it.”

Hastings came back to the pod and put a hand on Pearlman’s shoulder, a wordless reminder that they were on the clock. The councilman ignored it and asked another question.

“So, the campaign button,” he said. “Is that just a coincidence? Because it’s sort of weird, you know?”

“Well, we can’t dismiss it yet,” Ballard said. “We have actually located the button and we’re going to see what it brings us. That’s where my in-the-field detective is at the moment.”

“Fantastic,” Pearlman said. “Let me know about that. Meantime, do you have everything you need here? What can I do?”

“I appreciate that, Councilman,” Ballard said. “The one thing I’ve found since we started over here is that we need secured storage. We bring in evidence and property from the old cases and have no place to secure it. We’ve been using the second interview room for some storage, and, of course, this is a police facility, so things should be pretty safe, but most squads have a place to keep things locked up and secure.”