Beto Orestes was the Inyo County investigator who first responded to the call about bodies being found in the desert eight years before. The grim discovery led to a unique partnership between Orestes and Bosch and their departments. The crimes committed against the Gallagher family were Los Angeles–based but the bodies were found in Inyo County. While the LAPD took the lead on the case, the crime scene investigation was headed by Orestes and run by his department. An ancillary investigation went into why this spot in the desert was chosen and whether it was completely random or possibly a decision that could help identify and link a suspect. It didn’t lead to a conclusion but it was thorough, and Orestes had impressed Bosch with his commitment to the case.

As the weeks and then months went by, Inyo County’s involvement grew less and less. Orestes’ superiors viewed it as an L.A. case inconveniently located in their jurisdiction. Orestes was handed other investigations and responsibilities. Meantime, Bosch was also taken off full-time status on the investigation and given other unsolved cases to pursue until he retired. As the two departments pulled back, and the Open-Unsolved unit was disbanded, the Gallagher Family case fell through the cracks between them.

“I called to check on you about a year ago and they told me you were retired,” Orestes said. “Now I find you in the rock garden we made all those years ago.”

“I’m back on it, Beto,” Bosch said. “I thought I should start here.”

“They take you back?”

“On a voluntary basis.”

“Well, anything I can do, you know how to get me.”

“I do.”

Bosch stood up and dusted off his pants. He was done here. Orestes reached down and picked one of the flowers.

“Hard to believe something so beautiful can exist in this place,” he said. “And people say there is no God. You ask me, there’s God right there.”

He turned the stem between his fingers, and the flower turned like a pinwheel.

“You know what that is?” Bosch asked.

“Sure,” Orestes said. “This one’s called the desert star.”

Bosch nodded. He wasn’t convinced that it was God on earth, but he liked that.

They started back toward their vehicles.

“What about McShane?” Orestes asked. “He poke his head up somewhere?”

“Not as far as I know,” Bosch said. “But I haven’t started to look again. I will today.”

“What’s ‘on a voluntary basis’ actually mean, Harry?”

“The cold case unit is run by one sworn officer, and the rest are part-timers and volunteers.”

“You know, you always struck me as the kind of guy who would do it even if they didn’t pay you.”

“Yeah, well, I guess so.”

They got to the road and Orestes studied Bosch’s old Cherokee.

“That thing going to make it?” he asked. “I got five gallons of water if you want to top off the radiator.”