Page 11 of The Perfect Accomplice

“Maybe we start outside,” Jessie suggested. “I’d like to get a clear sense of the nature of the crime before our impressions are complicated by the assistant’s perspective.”

“Sure thing,” Cutter said. “I’ll take you out there.”

They followed the sergeant through the living room, past a mantle with a collection of photos that Jessie assumed were of Erin Podemski’s family, friends, and even her dog. There were also multiple copies of her book on various shelves in what looked to be French, German, and what Jessie thought was Russian. They moved into the kitchen, where a door led to the pool deck.

As Cutter opened the sliding door for them, they were buffeted by the wind, which cut straight through Jessie. She zipped up her jacket, noting that it felt much colder back here than it had out front. Cutter directed them to a chaise lounge chair, where a crime scene photographer was taking close-up pictures of Erin Podemski’s neck.

“Give us a minute, Joe,” Cutter requested.

The photographer stepped away, and for the first time, Jessie got a clear view of the victim. Erin Podemski was lying in the chair, slumped over to her right. She was wearing black sweatpants and what looked to be a purple cashmere sweater. She had on UGG slippers. Her skin was pale with small blisters, common among the dead after about twelve hours. It was 10:08 a.m. right now, which helped explain the coroner's preliminary time of death of 6 p.m. to midnight.

Her face was partially obscured by her black hair, but her eyes were open and showed red dots, clear signs of petechial hemorrhaging, common in strangulation victims. Jessie didn’t see any fingernail marks, but the woman’s neck was covered in abrasions and deep indentations, likely from the murder weapon. Jessie already knew from information provided by Jamil on the drive over that the woman was 28 years old. In person, that looked about right.

Jessie took a moment to close her eyes before proceeding. Oftentimes, it was easy to focus on the minutiae of the crime scene and the body at the expense of the victim's humanity. She had to guard against that.

But in this case, it wasn't hard. Erin Podemski was a woman who had clearly been relaxing by her pool when her whole world was suddenly upended. The fear and panic she must have felt in the moments before she died made Jessie' heart ache. No matter how many times she saw a situation like this, it was gutting. The day that changed, Jessie knew she was in trouble.

She opened her eyes, took a deep breath and resumed studying the woman in front of her. Podemski had a pleasant, modestly attractive face, which seemed to be devoid of any surgical enhancements. She was about five foot five and slim. She didn’t look like she would have had the strength to fight off an attacker, although it appeared that in this instance, she might have been surprised by her assailant before she could mount any defense.

“Her assistant said she found her lying upright in the chair,” Cutter said quietly. “She shook her shoulder, hoping she might just be sleeping. That’s when she slumped over like that.”

“Maybe now’s a good time to talk to the assistant,” Jessie said. “I’m not sure there’s much more to learn out here right now.”

“I’ll take you there,” Cutter said, leading them back inside.

“Have you already interviewed her?” Ryan asked.

“Only briefly to get the basics,” he said. “We didn’t want to ask any leading questions, so she’s been on ice—poor phrasing— since then.”

“What can you tell us about her?” Jessie asked.

"Name is Nicole Fleetwood but she goes by Nikki," Cutter answered as they passed through the living room and through a door leading to the bedroom wing. "She's twenty-two; got out of college last May. Has been working here for just a few months. She's pretty shaken up, or was when I last saw her."

He stopped at a closed door with an officer posted out front.

“What does that mean exactly—'pretty shaken up?’” Jessie asked.

"I mean that after she got over the initial shock of the situation and we got her in the bedroom, she broke down in tears and couldn't speak another intelligible word."

Jessie looked over at Ryan and could tell he was thinking the same thing. With what appeared to be a serial killer on the loose, they couldn’t afford an incoherent witness.

CHAPTER SIX

Jessie let Ryan take the lead as they prepared to enter the bedroom. She wanted to focus her attention on the witness's demeanor.

“Let’s see what we’re dealing with,” he said to the sergeant.

Cutter nodded and turned to the officer guarding the door.

“Is Medina still in there with her?” he asked.

“Yes, Sergeant,” the officer said.

Cutter turned to Jessie and Ryan. “I left her with Officer Medina. I always like her on my detail because she’s great at calming down upset witnesses.”

He opened the door to the bedroom. It was nicely appointed with a full-sized bed and a plush ottoman, an oak dresser with a polished silver-framed mirror above it, and a small balcony with two patio chairs. Jessie noted that everything was immaculate but characterless. The art on the walls—all seascapes—was intentionally bland, the vase had inoffensive fake flowers, and there were no personal touches to speak of. It was clearly intended as a guest room that could safely appeal to anyone.

Sitting on the bed, facing the balcony and the view of the canyon were Officer Medina and a pale blonde woman with a shawl wrapped over her shoulders. They both turned around at the sound of footsteps entering the hardwood-floored room.

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