A Killing in China Basin

FIFTY-FIVE


On the way there la Rosa took a call from her roommate. She listened a moment and then said, ‘Karin, I’m going to put you on speaker phone. My partner is in the car with me. I want him to hear this.’

Karin the roommate, Raveneau knew only by name. He knew also she was an X-ray tech and someone la Rosa had known for years. She sounded level-headed.

‘Can you hear me OK?’

‘We can hear you,’ la Rosa answered.

‘You told me to watch, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘So there’s a white van two blocks down the street this morning – the same one I saw two days ago and I know, so what, there are a lot of white vans, but it did the same thing as two days ago. It pulled out as I walked toward it.’

‘How far away were you when it pulled out?’

‘That’s really why I’m calling. You know how I walk to the bus, right?’

‘Sure.’

‘I go down a block and then cross the street. Two days ago as I crossed the street it pulled out and drove away. I know, that’s a big so what, except that it did the same thing today and the way it pulled out was the same.’

‘Was the van alone or did it have a driver?’

Karin laughed. She had a light cheerful laugh and la Rosa chuckled.

‘That’s why you’re the cop,’ Karin said. ‘I couldn’t see.’

‘What kind of van?’

‘I went online and looked at vans. I think it’s a Dodge van, the kind with two doors in the back.’

‘Could you tell if it was a man or woman driving?’

‘No, it was faced away from me.’

Raveneau cut in. ‘Karin, this is Ben Raveneau, Elizabeth’s partner.’

‘Oh, hi, I’ve heard a lot about you.’

‘Yeah, but Elizabeth probably exaggerates. She’s builds me up too much.’

That got even more laughter.

‘I want to ask you about how the van pulls away and how far you are from it when it does.’

‘Well, that’s the whole thing, that’s why I called. It’s this weird thing where it’s about a block away facing down the street not toward me—’

‘So, on the right side of the street?’

‘Yes, and it does this kind of hitching motion, pulls out part-way and sort of stops and waits, and then goes forward.’

‘The camcorder,’ Raveneau said. ‘The hitch is so he can film down the street.’

‘What?’ Karin asked, and la Rosa answered her, saying, ‘Karin, we have an idea about who it might be.’

‘So I’m not crazy?’

‘Oh, you’re still crazy. This doesn’t change that.’

Karin laughed again, though this time much more subdued, and la Rosa said, ‘I’ll call you later.’

As the connection broke, Raveneau voiced it. ‘Heilbron is stalking you. You’re why he came in to confess. It wasn’t just to taunt us. He wanted to meet you. Remember how he knew it was your first week and all; you’re his target.’

‘We could be getting ahead of ourselves here.’

‘True.’