by Blake Pierce
t h e p e r f e c t s e c r e t
(a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 11)
b l a k e p i e r c e
Blake Pierce
Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising fourteen books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the new ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising three books (and counting); and of the ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising three books (and counting).
ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
Copyright © 2020 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright George Mayer, used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)
GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)
GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)
LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER
ALREADY GONE (Book #1)
ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)
ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)
EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)
DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)
CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)
MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)
CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)
MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)
ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES
LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)
LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)
LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)
LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)
LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)
LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)
LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)
THE AU PAIR SERIES
ALMOST GONE (Book#1)
ALMOST LOST (Book #2)
ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)
ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES
FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)
FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)
FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)
FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)
FACE OF FURY (Book #5)
FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)
A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)
THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)
THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)
THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)
THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)
THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)
THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)
THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)
THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)
THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)
THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)
THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)
THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)
THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)
CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES
NEXT DOOR (Book #1)
A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)
CUL DE SAC (Book #3)
SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)
HOMECOMING (Book #5)
TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)
KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES
IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)
IF SHE SAW (Book #2)
IF SHE RAN (Book #3)
IF SHE HID (Book #4)
IF SHE FLED (Book #5)
IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)
IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)
THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES
WATCHING (Book #1)
WAITING (Book #2)
LURING (Book #3)
TAKING (Book #4)
STALKING (Book #5)
KILLING (Book #6)
RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES
ONCE GONE (Book #1)
ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)
ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)
ONCE LURED (Book #4)
ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)
ONCE PINED (Book #6)
ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)
ONCE COLD (Book #8)
ONCE STALKED (Book #9)
ONCE LOST (Book #10)
ONCE BURIED (Book #11)
ONCE BOUND (Book #12)
ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)
ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)
ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)
ONCE MISSED (Book #16)
ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)
MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES
BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)
BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)
BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)
BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)
BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)
BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)
BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)
BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)
BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)
BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)
BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)
BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)
BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)
BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)
AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES
CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)
CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)
CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)
CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)
CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)
CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)
KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES
A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)
A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)
A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)
A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)
A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
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CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
He wasn’t supposed to be there.
Under normal circumstances Cord Mahoney would never have come near this part of the mansion. But the guest house where he was crashing was clear across the estate and he knew he’d never make it in time.
He’d tried every guest bathroom he could find in the house, but at a party with more than five hundred revelers, they all had long lines. So he’d snuck up to Jasper’s private wing, the one area that was off limits to guests, which meant it was also the one area with an available toilet.
Even in his drunken, uninhibited state, part of him worried that Jasper would kick him out of the guest house he was letting him stay in if he found him up here. It wasn’t a ridiculous concern. Jasper Otis was a notoriously volatile guy, and as a billionaire dozens of times over, he could afford to be.
But when you have to go, you have to go. That’s how Cord found himself stumbling past the mahogany doors into Jasper’s private wing and clumsily tiptoeing through the man’s massive bedroom toward the closed door that he desperately prayed hid a bathroom. If it didn’t, he was going to be reduced to using a trash can.
He pushed open the door, turned on the light, and almost cheered out loud when he saw the toilet. He hurried over and relieved himself just in time, though his aim wasn’t perfect because of his unintentional swaying. Then he moved to the sink to wash his hands. As he dried them off, he glanced in the mirror and saw the large shower behind him. It was about the size of a sauna and even had a marble bench built into the back wall.
Then he noticed something else. At first, he doubted what he was seeing, maybe because the room was spinning slightly. But when he squinted, it was still there. Lying on the shower floor near the bench was a woman, wearing just a bra and a long, black skirt with a slit up the side. She looked like she’d passed out. That wouldn’t have stunned Cord. Jasper’s parties were infamous for all kinds of wildness: live bands, endless booze, copious amounts of drugs, bikini-clad young women, and occasional orgies. So seeing a half-naked woman crashed out in a shower stall wasn’t as shocking as some might think. Seeing her like that in Jasper’s shower was.
Cord called out to her quietly to see if he could rouse her, but she didn’t respond. She was lying on her back, which could be a choking hazard if she threw up, so he peeked through the glass to make sure she hadn’t. He saw nothing other than a reasonably attractive woman in her early forties. She was no bikini girl, but at Jasper’s parties, it took all kinds.
He did notice that her head was bent at an awkward angle that would leave a nasty ache in her neck when she woke up. He decided that the gentlemanly thing to do was to shake her slightly so she could readjust her position. So he opened the glass door, bent down, and gave her a gentle jostle on her shoulder. Her skin was wet. He looked down and saw that her clothes were too, along with the shower floor. He gave her another little shove. She didn’t react—at all.
That’s when Cord noticed that she wasn’t breathing. Panic welled up inside him but he managed to force it down long enough to remember the CPR training from his junior lifeguard days. He got out his phone, dialed 911, put it on speaker, and rested it on the shower bench. Then he moved beside her and prepared to start compressions.
He was about to press down on her chest for the first time when he noticed something else. Her neck wasn’t just bent awkwardly. It was lolling to the side sloppily, as if there was nothing supporting it. If he didn’t know better he’d think it was broken.
It was just as the 911 operator came on the line that he realized it was. That’s when he began to scream.
CHAPTER ONE
Jessie Hunt officially gave up on sleep at 5:10 a.m.
She’d been awake since four anyway and there didn’t seem to be any point in lying in bed, especially today. So she got up and quietly made her way out to the kitchen to start the coffee.
Jessie’s half-sister, Hannah, wasn’t an early riser under any circumstances, but certainly not on a Sunday morning. And since she’d just started her senior year of high school, weekends were especially precious to her. Jessie did her best to be respectful of that, if for no other reason than to keep the peace.
It was easier to avoid accidentally waking anyone up since the big move. It had been a month since they’d left the apartment of Jessie’s best friend, Kat, and started to settle in at the house Jessie had inherited from her mentor and friend, Garland Moses. There was lots more space and the walls were thicker.
The new house had an added benefit. As a one-story home formerly occupied by a long-widowed senior citizen, it was already well-designed for people with mobility challenges. That was a major plus considering that Jessie’s boyfriend, LAPD Detective Ryan Hernandez, was coming home today.
Nearly six weeks after being stabbed in the chest by Jessie’s ex-husband and four weeks after being taken out of a medically induced coma and removed from a ventilator, he’d been given approval to leave the hospital. Jessie’s excitement when Dr. Badalia gave her the news was tempered by his warning that the hardest part of Ryan’s recovery had yet to begin.
He would need multiple daily visits from a nurse to help out and evaluate his progress, in addition to daily physical therapy. Dr. Badalia had suggested a full-time, in-home nurse for a few months but Ryan had balked at the idea. Jessie didn’t want to make him feel powerless so she’d consented to his wishes. But she worried that even with all the equipment she’d had installed, including handrails, bath and toilet accessories, and help buttons in every room, she might still not be prepared for the responsibility.
Caring for a wheelchair-bound thirty-two-year-old man who might have cognitive impairment was a challenge on its own. Doing that while simultaneously raising a seventeen-year-old who was still recovering from seeing her adoptive parents murdered felt borderline insurmountable.
But it wasn’t all darkness. Kat had been an amazing friend, offering her place as a safe haven after Jessie and Hannah couldn’t return to the condo where Ryan had been stabbed. She’d also been a shoulder to lean on and someone to vent to, even as she was trying to keep her own fledgling private investigator business running.
Another good distraction for Jessie was work. After officially leaving her job as a criminal profiler for the LAPD, she had been teaching a weekly forensics seminar at USC, her alma mater. She was supposed to instruct a full-on class in the subject when the fall semester began a week from Monday.
In addition, she’d come to an informal agreement with her former boss, Central Station Police Captain Roy Decker. If time permitted, she’d offer her services as a profiling consultant on major cases. She’d already worked on two as part of the arrangement, one involving the death of a faded movie star and just last week, the murder of an abducted oil heiress.
But with Ryan’s arri
val later today and classes picking up in a week, she doubted she’d be able to help out much on the law enforcement front going forward. And if Hannah’s reaction when Jessie told her she’d be expected to help out with Ryan—cursing under her breath—was any indication, just keeping her head above water was going to be job enough.
Her cell phone rang and she quickly silenced it. Even before looking at it, she knew that at this hour, the call could only be from one of two places. She was relieved to see it wasn’t the hospital.
“Hey, Captain,” she said. “A little early to be calling on a Sunday morning, don’t you think? The sun’s not even up.”
“Sorry, Hunt,” he replied, maintaining the last name formality even though she was no longer an employee. “You know I wouldn’t reach out like this unless it was a big deal.”
“Whatever it is, I’m think I’m going to have to take a pass on this one. I start teaching in a week. More importantly, Ryan leaves the hospital this afternoon.”
“I know,” he said. “That’s why I need to see you this morning. Please—don’t say no until you’ve heard what this is about.”
Jessie wanted to say no. With everything going on at home, she didn’t need the extra responsibility. And yet, she couldn’t help but be curious. She relented slightly.
“See me? Can’t you just fill me in over the phone?”
“No. This one’s pretty sensitive. Can you be in my office in an hour, just to hear me out? Trust me—it’ll be worth your while.”
Jessie knew he was playing her. Captain Decker understood just which buttons to push to pique her interest. And it was working.
“This better be good,” she warned, though she knew he wasn’t intimidated.
He had her hooked.
*
As Jessie entered the station, she noticed that it was deathly quiet.
That wasn’t a shock at 6:04 on a Sunday morning, but it was still unsettling to walk past the deputy desk sergeant, who was reading a magazine because there was no one in the lobby. It was odd not to hear the standard sounds of phone chatter and keyboard typing that usually filled the bullpen. Jessie passed the half dozen people sitting forlornly at their desks and headed for Decker’s office.
