Jessie Hunt 13-The Perfect Impression by Pierce Blake

Author:Pierce, Blake [Pierce, Blake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Crime Thriller, Murder Investigation, Serial Killer, FBI Profiler, Police Procedural, California
Published: 2021-04-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jessie waited until they were alone to start yelling.

She led Detective Peters into the very Harbor Room where they’d conducted interrogations only hours earlier and began a new one, on him.

“Now I know why there are almost no cameras in this place!” she shouted. “It’s like one big key party!”

“Listen—” Peters began but Jessie cut him off.

“You knew all about it and never said a word. When Barksdale was talking about privacy and confidentiality for guests, you knew they were euphemisms and you let him do it. Worse, you let me waste valuable time going down dead ends when I could have been pursuing real leads.”

“It’s not that simple,” he protested. “You saw what the captain’s like. He’s more the head of a tourist bureau than a cop these days. He hates controversy, anything that reflects badly on the island. How do you think he’d react if I told some mainlander that the fanciest hotel in town is secretly a haven for wealthy Angelenos to get their rocks off with glorified escorts?”

“Is that really the main concern for you?” Jessie demanded. “If your boss is mad at you? What about the woman found with a knife in her chest?”

Peters jutted his lower lip out in a pout.

“There was no evidence that the hotel’s secrets had anything to do with this. I didn’t think it mattered.”

“Everything matters,” she told him.

He looked like he wanted to say something more but stopped himself. That was fine because she wasn’t done.

“Detective Peters,” she began, before changing tacks, “Colby, we are trying to catch a murderer here. Avoiding bad press is not the top priority. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. I get that you’re in a difficult position and I’m sure you’re not psyched to have an outsider come in and take over your investigation. But that’s my mission—to find the person who snuffed out Gabby Crewe’s life. Everything else is secondary to me.”

She considered leaving it there, but after a moment’s reflection, she decided she just couldn’t.

“And frankly, I’d love a little help. I’m a civilian profiler. I have no real authority here. You’re the detective. You’re supposed to be the hard ass who throws witnesses and suspects off their game with aggressive questioning so I can watch their reactions. At least, that’s how it’s worked for me in the past. But here I am, trying to both push their buttons and observe how they respond to being pushed, while you try to give them a soft landing. You have to decide what your priorities are here, Detective. Are you a cop or are you a publicist?”

He didn’t have a response to that. Instead he put his hands on the conference table and lowered his eyes. Jessie watched as he engaged in silent conversation with himself, muttering under his breath and shaking his head. Finally he looked up.

“I screwed up,” he admitted. “How do I fix it?”

“I’m not sure you can,” she told him, softening slightly. “But we don’t have much choice other than to press ahead.

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