Chapter summaries The Waiting Michael Connelly

The Waiting Chapter 36: Interviewing Jackie Todd and Following Prom-Riddles

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Chapter 36 Summary

Ballard returns to the office to find Colleen and Maddie have located 52 of the 66 seniors from the 1999 St. Vincent’s yearbook. They build an interview priority list topped by Rodney Van Ness (Mallory’s prom date), followed by Jacqueline Todd (best friend), Emma Arciniega (unlocated), and Nathan Hyatt (former student with indecent exposure arrest). Ballard and Maddie drive to Sherman Oaks to interview Jacqueline Todd, who now works as a television writer under the name Jackie Todd. Todd initially mistakes them for strippers sent as a birthday prank by her writing room colleagues. After clearing up the confusion, Ballard shows Todd a yearbook prom photo. Todd identifies Rodney Van Ness (with a beard) and Victor Best in the group shot, but notes Mallory is not in the photo. Todd recalls that Mallory never discussed the prom afterward and that her behavior changed before she left school. She provides contact information for Emma Sepulveda (formerly Arciniega). Afterward, Ballard and Maddie discuss the need to find Victor Best and Rodney Van Ness, suspecting something happened at the prom. Ballard also makes personal phone calls: an apology to FBI agent Gordon Olmstead for earlier rudeness, and a reassuring call to Dan Farley in Maui about her missing mother.

Key Events

  • Ballard reviews the senior locator chart; 52 of 66 students found.
  • Interview priority list created: Van Ness, Todd, Arciniega, Hyatt.
  • Ballard and Maddie travel to the Horace Heidt Estates to interview Jackie Todd.
  • Todd mistakes them for strippers; the misunderstanding is resolved.
  • Todd confirms Mallory was a friend at the “odd-fellows table.”
  • Todd says Mallory never talked about the prom and her behavior changed.
  • Ballard shows the yearbook prom photo; Todd identifies Rodney Van Ness and Victor Best.
  • Mallory is absent from the prom photo.
  • Todd gives Emma Sepulveda’s contact info in exchange for Ballard’s number.
  • Ballard apologizes to Olmstead and calls Farley for emotional support.

Character Development

  • Renée Ballard: Shows maturity by apologizing to Olmstead for her earlier temper, reflecting Dr. Elingburg’s feedback. Her phone call to Farley reveals vulnerability and the ongoing personal strain of her mother’s disappearance. In the interview, she demonstrates patience and strategic questioning.
  • Jackie Todd: A former outsider now working as a TV crime writer. She is wary but cooperative. Her bitterness about high school social dynamics and her immediate suspicion of the visit hint at unresolved feelings about the past.
  • Maddie Bosch: Observes and asks targeted follow-up questions (the “tell” about Mallory’s change). She agrees to share contact info with Todd, showing openness to building a relationship that may yield information.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs Actually Evidenced Here

  • Memory and Trauma: Todd’s inability to recall how she learned of Mallory’s death, and Mallory’s refusal to discuss the prom, point to suppressed trauma. The prom photo itself becomes a symbol of what is missing (Mallory) and what is hidden (the event).
  • Social Hierarchy and Outsider Status: The “odd-fellows table” motif underscores how class and popularity shape access to social events like the prom. Todd’s lingering resentment illustrates long-term effects of exclusion.
  • The Work-Life Balancing Act: Ballard juggles professional investigation with her mother’s missing-person case; her calls to Olmstead and Farley reveal the emotional toll of her dual roles.
  • Miscommunication and Assumption: Todd’s birthday-prank assumption contrasts with the serious police visit, highlighting how context shifts meaning—a recurring motif in detective work.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter advances the cold-case aspect of the Pillowcase Rapist investigation by tying Mallory Richardson’s story to the prom and to two specific male classmates, Rodney Van Ness and Victor Best. The absence of Mallory from the prom photo deepens the mystery. Ballard’s personal calls show emotional growth and reinforce the parallel between the two missing persons (Mallory and her mother). The interview with Todd provides the first direct witness account of Mallory’s changed behavior after the prom, strengthening the suspicion that a sexual assault occurred.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What is the significance of Jackie Todd’s initial confusion about Ballard and Maddie? Todd mistakes them for strippers sent as a birthday prank by her TV writing room. This momentarily delays the interview but also reveals Todd’s profession and her mindset—she expects playful, fictional scenarios. The confusion underscores the gulf between Todd’s creative world and the real police investigation, and it defuses tension before the serious conversation begins.

2. How does the “odd-fellows table” background inform our understanding of Mallory’s story? Todd describes the odd-fellows table as the place for nerds and outcasts. Mallory’s belonging to that group suggests she was socially vulnerable and not part of the popular crowd. This context makes her acceptance of a prom date from a senior more unusual and possibly coercive. It also explains why she may have been reluctant to speak about the prom afterward.

3. Why does Victor Best become a person of interest after this chapter? Todd identifies Victor Best as the friend standing next to Rodney Van Ness in the prom photo. Best was a senior who, along with Van Ness, was known to hang out in the arroyo and reportedly get high. His close association with Van Ness, combined with the fact that Mallory is absent from the photo, raises questions about what role Best may have played in whatever happened on prom night.

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