Page 19 of The Perfect Deception
“Yes sir,” she said.Her eyes were like saucers as she stared at his badge.
“We’ll need his room number.”
The young woman nodded and checked her screen.“He’s in room 1103.But I think he’ll be back down soon.He asked me to have the concierge make a noon reservation for two at Cordy’s.”
“What’s that?”Jessie asked.
The receptionist pointed behind them.“The hotel bar.”
Sure enough, across the expansive lobby was a fancy-looking bar with its name etched on the wall by the entrance in elaborate cursive script.Jessie looked at the time.It was currently 11:49.They wouldn’t have to wait long.
“Thanks,” Ryan said and they retreated to a loveseat in the corner of the lobby where they had a clear view of both the elevators and the bar.
“Do we want to check in with the ladies?”Jessie asked once they’d settled in.
“Sure.”Ryan dialed Susannah Valentine’s number.She picked up before the first ring was complete.
“Please tell us that your guy is less boring than ours,” she pleaded.
“What’s so boring?”Jessie asked.
Karen took that one.“After the funeral home, Maplewood went to a cemetery.It looked like he was checking on the plot for Olivia.Then he drove to a house in Sherman Oaks.According to Beth, it’s his sister’s residence.I’m guessing he’s planning on spending the night with her family rather than go back home.He hasn’t left the house in the last ninety minutes.”
“After the night he had, I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s asleep,” Ryan ventured.
“Yeah, well, I hate to be this person,” Karen said, “but that case paperwork is still sitting on my desk.I can leave it a little longer but I don’t want Captain Parker getting on my ass about it.”
“Give it another half hour,” Ryan instructed.“If he hasn’t come out by then, call for a squad car to take your place.Just make sure they keep their distance.The last thing we need is for him to know he’s being watched.”
After they hung up, Jessie slumped back into the loveseat.It was extremely comfortable and the events of the last half-day were starting to take their toll on her.She was just starting to drift off when Ryan’s words snapped her eyes open.
“Since we’ve got a few minutes, maybe you can update me on how you’re doing.You crashed so early last night that we didn’t really get to catch up.”
“What do you mean?”
He gave her a knowing half-smile.“Jessie, you’ve been gone for two months at a private Italian retreat, trying to get a handle on the rage that was consuming you.We spoke sparingly that whole time so you could stay focused.I’m just curious as to how that experience was for you.And I’m wondering how that fits with the events of the last twelve hours.I mean, your anger tended to be focused on the perpetrators of the crimes we investigated, and you just saw two women murdered overnight.How’s all that sitting with you?”
Jessie wasn’t sure where to begin or how much to tell him.She thought about the endless hours of therapy she’d gone through, both group and individual.She recalled the long walks around the small town, sometimes hours-long, during which she tried to make sense of things.
She also considered the advice she’d gotten right here in Los Angeles, hours before she killed Rachel Thompson, that resonated with her more than anything she’d learned in Taormina.All of it was too much to share in a hotel lobby while waiting for a person of interest to appear.
“It’s too early to tell,” she said, knowing that wouldn’t come close to satisfying him.
To Ryan’s credit, after a brief moment of obvious frustration, he moved on.
“Okay.Did you have any issues with your head while you were gone?”
She shook her head forcefully, as if to prove it was doing okay.“No.I felt fine the whole time I was there.Then again, the closest I got to putting myself in physical danger was when my legs gave out during a challenging yoga pose in one of their classes.So the noggin hasn’t really been put to the test of late.”
She hoped her quippy response might set him at ease but he didn’t smile.
“Hopefully it won’t be,” he said.“And with any luck, we can get some clarity in the next few months about whether we’re moving forward on the parenthood front.”
It might have been psychosomatic, but Jessie’s head suddenly began to pound.
“Ireallydon’t want to talk about that right now, Ryan.I need to focus on my mental health before I even consider a conversation about that topic.”
“Fair enough.”He held up his palms in a sign of surrender.“Maybe we can talk about the young person you alreadyhaveexperience raising.”
