Page 38 of The Perfect Prey

“Afternoon Delight.”

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

They didn’t have long to get ready.

Jessie would have preferred to keep Valentina Russo at the police station.They still wanted her to meet with a sketch artist, although that no longer took precedence.A higher priority now was to have her provide more particulars of how these events functioned.

But she couldn’t stay.They had to let her leave so that she could prep the event without drawing unwanted attention.That didn’t stop them from having her get on speakerphone and walk them through what they needed to do to prepare.When they hung up, it was time to get to work.

According to Russo, the event was supposed to start at 2 p.m.That’s why Jessie was hurrying to squeeze into the extremely tight, little black dress that she’d selected from the Vice unit’s wardrobe room.Funny how it could be appropriate for either working the streets or attending a cocktail party.In this case, it seemed to be the perfect fit for something in between.

If they were going to make progress in finding out who killed the Hartleys and Evelyn Channing, getting into this party was crucial.And if they were going to get inandmake convincing guests, they had to look the part.That was why she was currently wriggling into an outfit that she would never wear in real life.

“How do I look?”Susannah asked from across the room.

Jessie looked up.Her partner was far less averse to wearing revealing outfits than she was.In fact, she reveled in it.And this was no exception.She was wearing a bright red spaghetti strap bare midriff club dress that looked like it had been painted on her.She appeared satisfied with it.

“Terrible,” Jessie teased.“What about me?”

“You’re a real snack,” Susannah told her.“I think you’ll be very popular at the orgy.”

“Just the words I was hoping to hear when I woke up today,” Jessie replied.“Are you sure none of the bruises I got in that death match with the poisoning killer two weeks ago are visible?”

“From where I’m standing, I don’t see any,” Susannah said.“They must have all healed.So what’s our plan when we get to this place?”

“Well, Valentina said we could swing by to get two of the extra masquerade ball masks she has,” Jessie reminded her.“It’s a good thing there were a few that didn’t meet the clients’ specifications, or we’d be out of luck.”

“Should we be worried about that?”Susannah said.“What if they notice and we get called out?”

“I’m hoping that the folks who allow us physical entry to a darkened sex club won’t be as fastidious about the details of the masks as the people who gave Russo the design instructions.My guess is that they’ll be looking at other parts of us than our faces.”

“Fair enough,” Susannah said.“So she’s having a town car pick us up and drive us to the spa, right?”

“Yes,” Jessie reconfirmed.“She said it’s the driver she trusts the most.He’ll do what he’s told and won’t ask us questions.But when we get there, we’ll still have to go in without our phones.And I don’t know about you, but there’s no place to hide my gun on this outfit.”

“Maybe I can still bring my cuffs,” Susannah suggested, only half-joking.“They probably wouldn’t bat an eye.”

“It’s not a totally crazy idea,” Jessie conceded.“If we find a credible suspect, we might need them.”

“How are we going to know the proper criteria for a credible suspect at a dark sex party where everyone is wearing masks and letting their inner Caligula out?”

“I don’t know,” Jessie admitted.“Maybe we look for someone who’s overly energetic, to the point of aggression.Or someone who seems really into choke play.”

Susannah stared at her, openmouthed.Even for someone as comfortable in her body as she was, this seemed like a lot.

“I have to say, I did not have ‘sex party on a Monday afternoon’ on my BINGO card today.Now, if it was a Wednesday evening—that would be a different story.”

“I’m glad you’re so chill about this,” Jessie said.“Frankly, I’m super uncomfortable.The only saving grace is that Ryan is home, hopefully sleeping, rather than here with us right now.He wouldn’t be enthused.”

Hearing herself say that, her heart sank as she remembered that Ryan probably wasn’t sleeping at all.He was more likely preparing for the meeting with the adoption counselor, which she had forgotten about and realized she wouldn’t be able to attend.She had to let him know.

“Heshouldbe enthused,” Susannah told her.“You look super-hot in that dress.”

“Right back at you, Detective Valentine,” Jessie said, pretending that everything was fine.“But for now let’s dispense with the mutual admiration society and figure how we’re going to catch this guy before he kills another party guest.”

“Let’s do it!”Susannah said enthusiastically.

“Great,” Jessie said.“Just give me five minutes.I have to make a quick call.”

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