by Blake Pierce
“I wanted to thank you,” Jessie said.
“For what?”
“Your paralegal idea,” she said. “The guy we were after was one. If you hadn’t suggested it, we never would have known who he was.”
“Glad to help,” Hannah said. “You can mail my fee to…you know the address.”
“We’ll see,” Jessie said. “I hear AirPods are popular these days.”
Hannah smiled but seemed muted.
“What’s wrong?”
“What about the investigation?” Hannah asked. “I know you’ll get a pass for the interview today, what with being hospitalized and all, but they’re going to make you come in again at some point.”
“Maybe not,” Jessie said. “I don’t want to get your hopes up. But we think we can show the anonymous call was a fake. Captain Decker’s working on it.”
Hannah smiled more broadly.
“I’m glad,” she said. “I kind of like hating living with you.”
Jessie leaned over as far as she could and Hannah leaned in to meet her.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Jessie whispered loudly.
In that moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if all her concerns about Hannah lacking an empathy gene were just paranoia. The girl in front of her looked like a damaged but hopeful teenager, not a serial-killer-in-training. And yet, to her dismay, a kernel of doubt lingered.
There was a long silence interrupted by the occasional sniffle. Kat finally broke it.
“I was thinking of seeing what the vending machine had to offer. Anyone in?”
“I’ll go,” Hannah said, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.
“I was going to stay another minute,” Ryan said. “Then you can get some more rest. Do you mind?”
Jessie shook her head and Kat and Hannah started to file out. Before they left, Kat turned back around.
“Thanks for sticking by me when the chips were down, Jessie,” she said, with heartfelt emotion.
“Same to you,” Jessie said quietly.
When they were gone, Ryan sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi back.”
“So I was thinking,” he began. “You’re going to need some extra care and feeding while you recover, right?”
“That’s what the doctor told me.”
“I thought that maybe, if we lived together, it might make that process a little easier.”
Jessie stared at him, speechless.
“To be clear,” he said, “that was my quippy, beat-around-the-bush way of asking you to move in with me.”
“It was pretty clear,” she assured him.
“So what do you think?’ he asked, his brow furrowed in nervousness.
“That’s a pretty big step, Hernandez. Are you sure you’re up for it?”
He gazed into her eyes.
“Well, I love you and want to be with you as much as possible. So yeah, I think I am.”
Jessie gazed back at him for a long time without speaking.
“You’re kind of leaving me hanging here,” he finally said.
“I love you too,” she said. “But…”
“Uh-oh.”
“But I have two conditions. One, you would need to move in with me. I live closer to work and Hannah’s already registered at a good school for next year.”
“This is so romantic,” Ryan cracked.
“And two,” Jessie continued, “I’d have to check with Hannah to see if she’s cool with it. She’s my top priority right now.”
“I understand that,” he said, “which is why I already asked her if she had a problem with it.”
“You did? And what did she say?”
“She said that if we could come to some agreement on AirPods, she was open to it.”
“Seriously?” Jessie asked.
“No, not seriously,” he answered, smiling. “She said she wants you to be happy and if that does the trick, she’s all for it.”
Jessie smiled.
“Then I guess that’s a yes,” she said.
“I guess so,” he agreed, leaning in to give her a long, soft kiss.
They were interrupted by Daniel, who came in carrying a large bouquet of flowers.
“Oh,” he said, his face turning red. “I’m so sorry. I should have knocked but I was excited to give you these. They just arrived. Should I put them on the dresser?”
“Sure,” Jessie said. “Who are they from?”
Daniel looked through the flowers and pulled out a small envelope. He got a delighted smile on his face.
“It says ‘To Jessie, from Anonymous.’”
Despite the pain medication Jessie was on, she felt a sudden twinge in her gut. She looked over at Ryan, who wore a concerned expression.
“Can I see it?” she asked seriously.
Daniel brought the card over, confused at the reaction. She opened the envelope and read the note on the card. It was brief.
“Buck up. Be seeing you. Soon.”
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
(A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Nine)
“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”
--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR is book #9 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, which begins with The Perfect Wife, a #1 bestseller (and free download) with nearly 500 five-star reviews.
In an exclusive and wealthy neighborhood in Manhattan Beach, a new neighbor moves into a luxury home—only to be found dead soon thereafter. The case brings Jessie into another wealthy beach town, evoking bad memories of her marriage and forcing her to confront her own demons—while trying to unmask the lies of this seemingly perfect town.
Was the murder connected to an exclusive party for the elite?
Or is there an even more nefarious motive at stake?
Making matters worse, Jessie’s husband is now out of prison—and a potential threat to her once more.
A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR is book #9 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR
(A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Nine)
Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!
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 eight 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; and of the new EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series.
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.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)
DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)
CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)
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)
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)
