The Black Box

in ’ninety-one and in L.A. a year later.”
    “Got it.”
    “Good. Thanks, David.”
    “You know, Harry, you don’t have to call me by my first name if it makes you uncomfortable. I’m used to you calling me by my last name.”
    Chu stared at his computer screen as he said it.
    “It’s that obvious, huh?” Bosch said.
    “It just sort of sticks out,” Chu said. “You know, after all this time of just calling me Chu.”
    “Well, I’ll tell you what. You find me what I’m looking for and I’ll call you Mr. Chu from now on.”
    “That won’t be necessary. But do you mind telling me why we’re doing these searches? What’s it have to do with Jespersen?”
    “I’m hoping everything.”
    Bosch then explained the new theory of the case he was pursuing, that Anneke Jespersen was on a story and had come to L.A. not because of the riots but because she was following someone in one of the California National Guard units that had been deployed the previous year to the Persian Gulf.
    “What happened over there that made her follow the guy?” Chu asked.
    “I don’t know that yet,” Bosch said.
    “What are you going to do while I’m working this angle?”
    “I’m going to work another. Some of these guys are already in the murder book. I’ll start there.”
    Bosch got up and rolled his chair back over to his desk. He sat down and opened the Jespersen case’s original murder book. Before he could start looking through the witness statements, his phone buzzed.
    He checked the screen and saw it was Hannah Stone. Bosch was busy and had some newfound momentum. He normally would have let the call go to voice mail, but something told him he should take it. Hannah rarely called during his work hours. If she wanted to talk to him, she would text first to see if he was able to talk.
    He took the call.
    “Hannah? What’s up?”
    Her voice was an urgent whisper.
    “There’s a woman in the waiting room from the police. She said she wants to interview me about you and my son.”
    Her whisper was tight with fear verging on panic. She had no idea what was going on and Bosch realized it was logical that she be interviewed. He should have warned her.
    “Hannah, it’s okay. Did you get her card? Is her name Mendenhall?”
    “Yes, she said she was a detective with police standards or something. She didn’t give me a card. She just showed up without calling first.”
    “It’s okay. It’s the Professional Standards Bureau and she just needs to ask you what you know about me meeting Shawn the other day.”
    “What? Why?”
    “Because my lieutenant made a beef about it, basically saying I used company time for personal reasons. Look, Hannah, it doesn’t matter, just tell her what you know. Tell her the truth.”
    “Are you sure? I mean, are you sure I should talk to her? She said I didn’t have to.”
    “You can talk to her but just tell her the truth. Don’t tell her what you think might help me. Tell her only the truth as far as what you know. Okay, Hannah? It’s not a big deal.”
    “But what about Shawn?”
    “What about him?”
    “Can she do anything to him?”
    “No, Hannah, there’s nothing like that. This is about me, not Shawn. So bring her into the office and answer her questions only with the truth. Okay?”
    “If you say it’s all right.”
    “I do. It is. No worries. I’ll tell you what, call me back after she leaves.”
    “I can’t. I have appointments. They’re going to stack up because I have to talk to her.”
    “Then make it quick with her and then call me when you catch up on your clients.”
    “Why don’t we just have dinner tonight?”
    “Okay, that sounds good. Call me or I’ll call you and we’ll figure out where to meet.”
    “Okay, Harry. I feel better.”
    “Good, Hannah. I’ll talk to you.”
    He disconnected and went back to the murder book. Chu interrupted from behind, having heard Bosch’s half of the conversation with Hannah.
    “So they aren’t letting up on that,” he said.
    “Not yet. Has Mendenhall scheduled you for an interview?”
    “Nope, haven’t heard from her.”
    “Don’t worry, you will. If anything, she seems like a pretty thorough investigator.”
    Bosch went to the front of the murder book to find and reread the statement from Francis John Dowler, the California National Guard soldier who found Anneke Jespersen’s body in the alley off Crenshaw. The report was a transcript of a telephone interview conducted by Gary Harrod of the