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Back Desert Star Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ALSO BY MICHAEL CONNELLY
  3. DEDICATION
  4. PART 1
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. PART 2
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Let me start by saying this is a nonreferral referral. You can’t say I tipped you to the case.”

“I understand.”

“I need to hear you say it.”

“It’s a nonreferral referral. If I move forward with whatever it is you’re about to tell me, your involvement ends with this call and I will not reveal it to anyone. Good?”

“Good.”

“Then talk to me. I have to get ready for court.”

“Olga Reyes. LAPD case number zero-nine-dash-zero-four-one-eight. You should write it down. She was murdered in 2009. Her boyfriend, Jorge Ochoa, was wrongfully accused and convicted of murder.”

“A habeas case. You know how hard a habeas case is?”

“But you’ve gotten innocent men out. Harry told me.”

“Yeah, once in a blue moon.”

“This is a blue moon, then. Ochoa is innocent, and the LAPD and the D.A.’s Office know it. They’re sitting on it because of the recall election.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Are you still there?” Ballard asked.

“I’m here,” Haller said. “Go on.”

“I run the Open-Unsolved Unit. You heard about the Ted Rawls case?”

“Of course. I also heard it was Harry who was on one side of that gun fight. I’ve left him five messages this week, but he hasn’t called me back.”

“He probably didn’t get them. His phone is still in evidence. Anyway, Ochoa was convicted of killing his girlfriend. It was a slam dunk DNA case. Only he didn’t kill her. Rawls did.”

“So the shorthand is, you found evidence linking Rawls to Olga Reyes and the D.A.’s sitting on it.”

“You’re good.”

“Good and pissed off. This guy Jorge is where now?”

“Corcoran.”

“Okay, what do I subpoena? Who do I subpoena?”

“You subpoena me and all evidence related to the Olga Reyes case. I gave you the number. We found items missing from the Reyes crime scene in a dumpster behind Rawls’s business office. He had just dumped it when he saw that Harry was watching him. The rest you know from the news.”

Haller made a slight whistling sound, then spoke.

“What’s the evidence?”

“Her nightgown and a bracelet Jorge gave her. I went to see his mother and she confirmed the bracelet.”

“That’s how I get into this. I go see the mother, sign her up, and take it from there. Nobody will ever know the tip came from you.”

“I appreciate that. Also, we have the murder weapon, a hammer. Rawls kept it all. You can match the hammer to the autopsy report.”

“You’re putting this on a silver platter for me. You got the mother’s name and address handy?”

“As soon as I’m off the road, I’ll send them to you.”

“Okay, then. I think I’m good to go.”

“Thank you for doing this.”