The Black Box

with it at eleven-fifteen.”
    “For real?”
    “For real.”
    Sargent led him to a workstation that was mainly a padded stool and a high table that was littered with gun parts and barrels and several evidence bags containing bullets or handguns. Taped to the wall over the table was the Times headline:
    “PISTOL PETE” MAKES STATE’S CASE
    AGAINST ALLEGED MOB HIT MAN
    Sargent put Bosch’s package down front and center on the table, which Harry took as a good sign. Bosch looked aroundto make sure nobody else could see him trying to work Sargent. They were the only ones in the unit so far.
    “So what do you think?” Bosch said. “I bet after you guys moved down here you haven’t had a pepper steak from Giamela’s since forever.”
    Sargent nodded thoughtfully. The regional lab was only a few years old and it consolidated the crime labs of both the LAPD and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Office. The LAPD’s gun unit had previously been located at the Northeast Station up near Atwater. The go-to place up there was a sub shop called Giamela’s. Bosch and whoever his partner of the moment was would always stop there, even scheduling “gun runs” around lunchtime, and often taking their take-out subs into the nearby Forest Lawn Memorial Park to eat. Bosch once had a partner who was a baseball fanatic and always insisted that they make a stop on gun runs to check Casey Stengel’s grave. If it was not properly trimmed and weeded, he would personally alert the caretakers to the problem.
    “You know what I miss?” Sargent said. “I miss their meatball sub. That sauce was kick-ass.”
    “One meatball sub coming up,” Bosch said. “You want cheese on that?”
    “No, no cheese. But can you get the sauce on the side in a cup or something? That way it won’t get soggy.”
    “Good thinking. I’ll see you at eleven-fifteen.”
    Deal done, he turned to leave the unit before anything changed Sargent’s mind.
    “Whoa, wait, Harry,” Sargent quickly said. “What about the ballistics matching? You need that, too, don’t you?”
    Bosch couldn’t tell whether Sargent was angling for a second sandwich.
    “I do, but I want the serial number first because I can go to work with that while the ballistics stuff gets done. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ve got the match there. I have a witness who’s IDed the gun.”
    Sargent nodded and Bosch started again for the door.
    “See you later, Pistol Pete.”
    Bosch went to his computer as soon as he got to his desk. He had set an alarm at home for 4 A.M. to check for email from Denmark, but there had been none. Now, as he opened his email, he saw a message from Mikkel Bonn, the journalist he had talked to.
    Detective Bosch, I have spoken with Jannik Frej now and I have these answers in bold to your questions. Do you know if Anneke Jespersen flew to the United States to pursue a story? If yes, what was the story about? What was she doing here? Frej said she was on a story involving Desert Storm war crimes but it was her practice not to reveal fully her stories until she was sure. Frej does not know exactly who she was seeing or where she was going in the US. His last message from her was that she was going to LA for the story and she would report on riots if the BT would pay her separately. I asked many questions on this point and Frej insisted that she told him she was already going to LA onthe war story but would report on the riots if the newspaper would pay. Does this help you?
    What can you tell me about her destinations in the United States? She went to Atlanta and San Francisco before coming to L.A. Why? Do you know if she went to any other cities in the USA? Frej does not have answers here.
    Before her U.S. trip she went to Stuttgart, Germany, and stayed in a hotel near the U.S. military base. Do you know why? This was the start of the story but Frej does not know who Anneke went to see. He believes there may have been a war crimes investigation unit at the military base there.
    The email seemed to be of little help. Bosch leaned back restlessly in his seat and stared at the computer screen. The barriers of distance and language were frustrating. Frej’s answers were tantalizing but incomplete. Bosch had to compose a response that led to more information. He leaned forward and started typing.
    Mr. Bonn, thank you for this. Is it possible for me to speak directly to Jannik Frej? Can he speak English at all? The investigation is gathering speed and this particular