Page 5 of The Perfect Prey

“Because the dogs hadn’t been let out yet,” Alonzo said.“The Hartleys keep the dogs in the mud room at night because they’re noisy sleepers—growling and whining in their dreams.They typically let them outside for a bathroom break first thing in the morning, which holds them off until they’re fed and walked a little later.But when Townsend arrived, the mud room door was closed.She opened it to find that both dogs had had accidents.That had her concerned because she said the Hartleys would never forget to let the dogs out.”

“Never?”Susannah pressed.

“Not according to her,” Alonzo assured her.“She said they viewed their pets as their children.Even if they were planning to sleep late, they’d set alarms to let them go out.So she called out to them from down the hall.When they didn’t answer, she went down there.The bedroom door was open, and she found them as they are now.”

Susannah turned to Jessie.

“You want to take a look at the bodies now?”she asked, well aware of her partner’s preference to save that for last.Jessie nodded.Sergeant Alonzo led them over.The crime scene technicians collectively stepped out of the way all at once, like the parting of the Red Sea.

What Jessie saw when they moved was even more disturbing than usual.Both people were lying on their backs on the enormous bed.They had been stripped naked.There were no obvious signs of trauma on either of them.Cynthia’s head rested on a pillow.Her arms were spread out at her sides, perpendicular to her body.Her legs had been spread into a “V”.

Richard’s head was at the foot of the bed.He was posed the same way.The bottoms of his feet were pressed against his wife’s so that their legs formed a diamond shape.All of that was odd enough, but the strangeness was enhanced exponentially by the fact that, as Captain Parker had mentioned to Jessie on the phone earlier, they were both wearing elaborate masquerade ball masks.

Cynthia’s was variations of pink and purple with glitter and streamers hanging off it.It took Jessie a moment to realize that the glitter was actually comprised of dozens of tiny diamonds.She leaned in closer and noted that the streamers appeared to be satin.She guessed that the mask was worth thousands of dollars.Cynthia’s blonde hair was spread out on the pillow under her, and her eyes, hazel and glassy, were visible through the holes in the mask.

Richard’s mask was equally elaborate, though less jewelry-festooned.There was one ruby at the tip of the mask’s nose.It appeared that the facial features had been carved out of ivory.His closely-cropped dark hair was hidden behind the mask, and his eyes—deep brown—were also open.Jessie wondered if the killer had forcibly opened both victims’ eyes after killing them.

“Do we think the masks were on when they died or put there afterward?”she asked, looking over at the medical examiner, who she knew well.

Kelvin Soto, a smallish Latino man in his forties with brown hair parted neatly to the side, stepped forward.His work manner was as meticulous as his personal grooming, which she appreciated.She was also thankful that he’d held back until then, allowing them to get a sense of the scene on their own.

“Obviously everything I say at this point is preliminary,” he warned, “but I’m assuming that they were placed there after death.”

“Why do you say that?”Susannah asked.

“Primarily because, based on our visual examination so far, we can’t find the cause of death.There’s no obvious damage to either body, and there’s no blood, which makes me think the answer will be under those masks that we have yet to remove.And if whatever killed them was done above the neck, it was probably done without the masks on.Also, you might notice that for both victims, the masks are slightly off-kilter.The most logical explanation for that is that something underneath is causing it.My money would be on hematomas pressing against the side of the masks, possibly caused by blows to the forehead.Once CSU has had a chance to review the masks fully, we’ll remove them and find out for sure.”

“Okay,” Jessie said, turning to Sergeant Alonzo,” I assume photos of the scene have already been taken?”

“They have.”

“I’d like to get those to our research people ASAP,” she replied.“I’m wondering if the way that they’re posed is significant in some way.”

“Significant how?”Alonzo asked.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted.“It could be nothing, but if this is designed to recreate a famous photo or work of art, our people will figure it out.”

She knew that HSS’s head of research, Jamil Winslow, and his sole staffer, Beth Ryerson, were probably waiting anxiously in their office, itching to dig into the case.This project would make them happy.

“In the meantime,” Susannah said, “we’ll need access to their phones and any other available tech—desktops, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, etc.We’re going to have to check on all their friends and co-workers, or I guess since he was retired, former co-workers.It’s time to dive into who would want to kill the Hartleys and why they’d do it like this.”

“We’ll gather everything and have it brought directly to Central Station,” Sergeant Alonzo promised.

“Thanks,” Jessie said.“And please have your officer bring Olivia Townsend to the station as soon as they drop off the dogs.”

She’d been impressed with how Alonzo handled the scene in most regards, but there was one exception.She would have preferred that an officer would have removed the dogs on their own and that Olivia Townsend have been kept here.

Now, they would have no choice but to talk to Townsend at the station.Had it been Jessie’s decision, she would have opted to interview her here, when the situation and the woman’s emotions were more raw.By the time she got to the station, Townsend would have had time to regroup, which was good for her well-being, but bad for a profiler who was trying to ascertain the witness’s credibility.

Still, there was no point in crying over spilled milk at this point.If Jessie was any good at her job, she should still be able to dig into Olivia Townsend’s psyche.

That was Jessie’s thing, except, of course, when it came to herself.

CHAPTER THREE

Jessie regretted her earlier patience.

It was taking longer than expected to get Olivia Townsend to Central Station.Apparently, she’d had a meltdown at the doggy daycare center, and the EMTs were called.The officer with her took her to the hospital as a precaution.Jessie was mildly suspicious about the meltdown, and considered meeting Townsend there, but ultimately chose not to.

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