The call was answered by a receptionist and Bosch simply asked for Alex White. There was a pause at first.

“I don’t seem to have an Alex White on the employee list. Are you sure you want Cosgrove Tractor?”

“Well, this is the number he gave me. How long have you been in business?”

“Twenty-two years. Please hold.”

She didn’t wait for his reply. Bosch was placed on hold while she presumably handled another call. Soon she was back.

“We don’t have an Alex White. Can anyone else help you?”

“Can I speak to the manager?”

“Yes, who should I say is calling?”

“John Bagnall.”

“Hold please.”

John Bagnall was the phony name used by all members of the Open-Unsolved Unit when they were working phone plays.

The call transfer went through quickly.

“This is Jerry Jimenez. How can I help you?”

“Yes, sir, this is John Bagnall and I am just checking an employment application that says Alex White was an employee of Cosgrove Tractor from two thousand to two thousand four. Is that something I can get confirmed?”

“Not through me. I was here then but I don’t remember any Alex White. Where did he work?”

“That’s just the thing. It doesn’t say specifically where he worked.”

“Well, I don’t see how I can help you. Back then I was sales manager. I knew everybody who worked here—just like now—and there was no Alex White. This isn’t that big an operation, you know. We’ve got sales, service, parts, and management. It only adds up to twenty-four people, including myself.”

Bosch repeated the phone number Alex White had called from and asked how long the dealership had had it.

“Since forever. Since we opened in nineteen ninety. I was here.”

“I appreciate your time, sir. Have a good day.”

Bosch hung up, more curious than ever about the Alex White call of 2002.

Bosch lost the rest of the morning to his prescheduled semiannual weapon qualification and policy training. He first sat through an hour of classroom work where he was updated on the latest court rulings pertaining to police work and the LAPD policy changes that resulted. The hour also included reviews of recent police shootings with discussion of what went wrong or right in each incident. He then made his way to the range, where he had to shoot in order to keep his weapon qualification. The range sergeant was an old friend who asked about Harry’s daughter. It gave Bosch an idea for something to do with Maddie over the weekend.

Bosch was crossing back through the parking lot, heading to his car and thinking about where he would grab lunch, when Alex White called him back from Modesto with information on his tractor purchase. He told Bosch that he had become so intrigued by the out-of-the-blue call that morning that he quit his golf game after just nine holes. He also noted that his score of fifty-nine was also a factor in the decision.

According to the accountant’s records, White had purchased the tractor-mower at Cosgrove Tractor on April 27, 2002, and picked it up May 1, the tenth anniversary of Anneke Jespersen’s murder and the same day someone claiming to be Alex White had called the LAPD from the dealership number to inquire about the case.