39

39

THE FULL TEAM was there for the meeting when Ballard entered at nine, coffee and computer bag in hand. She put both down on her desk and immediately went to her usual spot in front of the whiteboards.

"Okay, let's get started," she said. "We've got a lot going on."

"How was the water?" Masser asked.

Ballard looked at him, surprised, then realized her hair was the giveaway. It was still wet.

"It was nice," she said. "But too short."

She waited to see if there were any questions from the others. There weren't.

"Okay, let's go with old business before we see where we are on the Pillowcase and Black Dahlia cases."

Ballard turned to look at the whiteboards.

"Tom, you have an update on Shaquilla Washington?" she asked.

"I do," Laffont said. "We got a genetic match to a man who is twenty-two years into a twenty-five-to-life sentence at Soledad. Gerald Grover, a gangster, formerly from Inglewood."

"Well done," Ballard said. "You take it to John Lewin?"

"I did and he's going to file charges," Laffont said. "Grover was probably counting on parole in the next few years, but that won't happen now. He's never getting out."

"Beautiful," Ballard said. "Did you talk to the victim's family?"

"Not yet," Laffont said. "Waiting on John. I don't want to make the call until charges are in place."

Ballard nodded approval. She walked over to what they called the scoreboard. It had been part of a sign for keeping track of consecutive days without injury on the manufacturing floor of the aerospace firm that previously occupied the center. It had been salvaged from the debris left behind when the company moved out and the LAPD moved in. Ballard flipped the number indicating the cases solved since the inception of the unit from 41 to 42, and the team seated behind her applauded, as was the routine.

"Okay," Ballard said as she turned back to the group. "Anybody else? Paul?"

Masser reported that the interview with the now-cooperating Maxine Russell was still being negotiated by her lawyer and Lewin. Ballard decided not to flip over another number yet.

Ballard then went to new business and reported that she and Maddie Bosch were heading downtown after the meeting to present the Black Dahlia evidence to Carol Plovc at the district attorney's office. She also said she was awaiting approval from command staff for a trip to Las Vegas to track down and interview Rodney Van Ness with the hope of getting closer to the Pillowcase Rapist.

"Everyone has done great work on these cases," she said. "But let's keep digging. Thank you."

As soon as the meeting ended, Colleen Hatteras got up from her pod and worked her way around the raft to Ballard. Before she could speak, Ballard beat her to it.

"Colleen, I was thinking you might want to come downtown with Maddie and me," she said.

Hatteras pulled up short with surprise.

"What?" she said. "Are you kidding?"

"No, I think it would be helpful for you to be there," Ballard said. "To explain how we found Elyse Ford's family. You up for that?"

"Of course I am."

"Good. Get your files. We have an eleven o'clock appointment with Carol. We're going in five."

Hatteras hurried back to her pod, leaving Ballard smiling in her wake.