Forty Thieves Read Free

investigated immediately and for a long time afterward. But now they’ve frankly admitted that their progress has stalled. They haven’t found a new lead in several months. They have no open avenues left to pursue.”
    “I’m sorry,” said Millikan. “I’m not the one to help you. I’ve been retired from the police force for years. I teach now, and my academic responsibilities keep me very busy.”
    “I understand,” said Hemphill. “I’ve been warned that you wouldn’t consider getting involved in a case. But Iwonder if you could do me the favor of giving me the name of someone else.”
    Millikan didn’t permit his face to reveal anything, but he felt the urge to know more. “Was the victim a friend of yours?”
    “No,” Hemphill said. “I never met him. We both worked for the same company, Intercelleron, but in different capacities. His name was James Ballantine. This is not personal. I’m acting on the orders of the board of directors. Because he was one of our own, they’ve taken an interest from the beginning. Now they’d like to continue the investigation.”
    “Ballantine. The name is familiar, but I can’t quite place—”
    “He was the man who was found in a storm drain during the big rainstorm last spring.”
    “Of course,” said Millikan. He remembered the case from the newspaper accounts. “I read about it at the time.” He paused, but asked the question anyway. “Where does the victim’s family stand?”
    “The board decided that it should act on the wife’s behalf, but confidentially and without involving her at this stage. She has two children, whom she’s raising alone. The company didn’t think it was fair to involve her in this.”
    Millikan nodded. “You’re doing the right thing, sort of.”
    “Sort of?”
    “In not getting her involved in an expensive investigation or giving her false hopes.”
    “I don’t know if they are false. Are they?”
    “The Los Angeles Police Department has more than its share of murders, which is why it also has some of the best homicide detectives in the world. An independent murder investigation is fine. But ultimately, the case belongs toLAPD homicide. They’re the only ones who can compel witnesses, or make an arrest. They have sole possession of any physical evidence that exists, any crime scene photographs and notes, and so on. To be honest, they’re good at everything except sharing.”
    “I can see why you feel a private investigation is an unlikely solution.”
    “And I can see you’re still intending to try it,” said Millikan.
    “It’s not my choice,” said Hemphill. “The board has decided, and set aside the funding, and so on.”
    “What am I missing? You said it’s not personal. Are they expecting a lawsuit? Is there something he was responsible for that’s disappeared?”
    “I honestly don’t know,” Hemphill said. “And I wouldn’t be too surprised if they didn’t know either. I think they’re trying to do the right thing, but none of them really knows how. I think that the only thing they’re sure of is that they shouldn’t just let it go.” Millikan was silent for a moment.
    Hemphill said, “I know I’ve used up more of your time than I should have. If you could just give me a recommendation—a name will do—I promise not to bother you further.”
    “All right,” said Millikan. “I’ll tell you what the other people you consulted should have. There are about a dozen honest agencies with competent staffs, experienced and well trained. They’ll do the footwork, and so on. For your money you’ll get a very slick, attractively printed report that proves they’ve done their job and looked under all the rocks. Or you can skip that and go to the final step.”
    “The final step?”
    “Hire the agency where cases like this sometimes get solved—the cases where the trail is cold and time has passedand none of the evidence has ever added up to anything. Those cases are their specialty.