“That would be you, buddy,” Steve said, but he gathered up the files and left.
Jim went back to his report. He took his time, in no rush to get home. And even at night, there was a steady bustle in central command.
Fifteen minutes after Steve left, dispatch called him at his desk.
“I’m off-duty,” he answered. “Just working late. I think Ham’s on call.”
“Detective, I was asked to contact you. Two officers have a DB in Discovery Park who matches the description of your shooter from this afternoon. White, male, five foot eleven, approximately one sixty. Single gunshot wound to the head. They’ve secured the scene, coroner en route. Please advise.”
This just got a whole lot more interesting. Maybe he really would clear two cases by tomorrow. He sure as hell hoped so, because dragging this investigation out was in no one’s best interest.
“Tell them I’m on my way.”
***
Matt was sitting in his dining room with a glass of wine reading over memos, reports, briefings, and plea agreements. The Sacramento County District Attorney’s office did far more than simply prosecute criminals. They worked hand-in-hand with the police in each of the six cities within the county, plus the Sheriff’s Department. Over 400 professionals worked within his organization, and he had a Chief Deputy District Attorney as well as an Assistant District Attorney to run the two primary divisions. Each of them had six people report to them who ran their own units, including an accredited crime lab that served all law enforcement in the county. Sacramento County had nearly one and a half million people and Matt worked six days a week, ten-to-twelve hours a day. It could be grueling, but he loved his job. Everything he’d done, from military service to law school to staff prosecutor to even running for State Senate had led him to this position.
Fortunately, he had a professional and extremely competent staff to help the institution run smoothly. The only thing he truly missed was prosecuting cases himself. He had too many other responsibilities that preparing for and prosecuting a trial wasn’t on his to-do list.
His cell phone rang and he noticed that it was nearly midnight. He grabbed the line.
“Elliott.”
“It’s Dean. Sorry it’s so late.”
“I’m still up. You got my email?”
“I don’t think I understand. Did Alex say that Hart wasn’t the target of the shooter?”
“Correct. She believes that his assistant, Eric Huang, was the target.”
“What do the police say?”
“I haven’t seen the final report, but so far they can find no reason that Huang would be a target. Alex walked the detective through the scene and noted that the shooters vantage point was blocked if Hart was the target, but his assistant Huang would have been in the line of fire.”
“I’ll run the guy, but truthfully, when a politician is shot at, he’s usually the target.”
“I trust her instincts.”
Dean didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’ll see what I can find out. What did Alex say about helping us?”
“She’s sleeping on it.”
“That sounds like a no.”
“She’ll do it.” Matt didn’t feel good about it, but he suspected he knew Alex better than she thought he did. She might not like the idea, but she would help because she was in a unique position to help. “But it’s a long shot.”
“Matt—you’re not going to like this, so I’m going to be blunt. If we can’t find a solid connection between Hart and Rykov before the primary election, we’re shelving the investigation. I’ve spent far too much time working this case when we have so little evidence.”
Matt’s jaw tightened. He understood why Dean had to manage his limited resources, but he didn’t like it. “I have one thing that may change your mind,” Matt said.
“It’s not my mind you have to change. It’s my boss. Our budget is as tight as yours.”
“I asked to be copied into forensics reports for this investigation, and a couple hours ago the ballistics report came back. The gun used today matches a gun used to kill a Russian prostitute three years ago in the Arden area.”
“Can you get me a copy of that report?”
“I’ll email it now. John Black was the lead detective.”
“Black—good. I know him. Worked with him on a couple of investigations.”
Matt had known that, but didn’t say anything. He was counting on Black being able to keep the investigation moving forward with or without the FBI. “That ballistics report connects Hart to the Russian community.”
“It’s tenuous, but it’s definitely better than nothing. I’ll talk to Black tomorrow, check into this Eric Huang fellow, and call you.”
“Thanks, Dean. I mean it.”
“Matt—it’s hard to let things go when you know that some bastard is getting away with a major crime and you can’t prove it. But you need to prepare yourself that there might not be enough evidence against Hart.”
“There is enough on Travis Hart,” Matt said, “the question is, are we good enough to find it.”