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“He probably had a nice nap too,” Ballard said. “What’s he doing?”
“Talking to the guy from the RV in front of the van,” Bosch said. “They look like they’re very familiar with each other.”
“Why not? They’re neighbors. They’ve probably been camped out there for months, nobody from the city doing a thing about it.”
“What do you think the average house on the beach here goes for? A couple million?”
“Easy. Probably double that.”
“It must make them so happy to have these people out here.”
“Harry, that’s a heartless way to describe the unhoused.”
“I guess I’m not woke.”
“You, not woke? Shocking.”
Ballard knew Bosch wasn’t heartless. But like many in Los Angeles, he was losing patience and empathy as he watched the city he loved slide into chaos because of a problem the government and its citizens seemingly had no solutions for.
They lapsed into an uneasy silence as Ballard thought about the price of the double-wide she had bought a block off the beach in Paradise Cove last year. She had needed all of the inheritance from her grandmother and the proceeds from the sale of her house in Ventura to buy into what was known as the most expensive trailer park in the world.
Still, she didn’t regret it. The sunsets alone were worth the price of admission.
“So what’s the plan?” Bosch finally asked.
“No plan,” Ballard said. “I’m going to watch and wait. If I get a shot at that van, I’ll take it. But this is my thing. You don’t have to stay, Harry. Thank you for your help.”
“No, I’m cool. I want to know what this guy’s up to. I just thought you might have to bail for a hot date and I was going to say I would stay on watch.”
“A hot date?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day. I thought maybe—”
“Uh, no, no hot date. You’re my date if you’re staying.”
“Happy to. I wish I had flowers.”
An hour of intermittent banter went by. Ballard checked on Pinto again and sent a message to the day-care center informing them that he would likely be staying overnight.
The sun dropped behind the ocean. The badge buyer was seen in and out of the van, mingling with people from the other vehicles parked along the street. Ballard and Bosch took turns using the public restrooms on the beach, and eventually their cover became strained as beachgoers left with the sun. Soon the Defender stood out as one of the last few cars in the lot.
“We gotta move,” Ballard said. “We’re sitting out here in plain sight.”
“Where to?” Bosch asked.
“That’s the thing. I don’t see a better angle on the van. We could cross the street and park, but we wouldn’t have eyes on it.”
“So maybe we stick here.”
Ballard considered not moving.
“Tell you what,” she said. “I’m going to take a walk over there, see what I can see and hear.”
“You sure?” Bosch asked. “If he sees you, you’re burned as far as any walk-bys tomorrow or after.”
“I got some things here that will help with that. I’m going to go.”
“Your call.”
