Page 31 of The Perfect Crime

He broke into a huge grin.Apparently that answer satisfied him.

“Is that all?”she asked, “because I really have to head back.”

“I guess so,” he said, the frown starting to return before something else popped into his head.“Hold on, I wanted to tell you something.Guess who I’ve been seeing when I go in the prison transport bus for my court appearances?”

She shrugged.“I’ve put so many people in this place that the choices are limitless.You’ll just have to tell me.”

“You old gal pal, Ash Pierce,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.“Should I say ‘hi’ from you?”

“That’s okay,” Jessie replied, unamused.

“No?”he asked, clearly happy to be getting under her skin.“Or maybe I should ask her out.What do you think?We could share slices of toast in the courthouse holding pen before we’re sent to our assigned courtrooms.”

“Listen,” Jessie said, leaning in to make her seriousness clear, “This shouldn’t be a concern of mine, considering that you tried to murder me and have my loved ones killed.But you once tried to warn me about an attempt on my life, so I’m going to give you a piece of advice.Steer clear of Ash Pierce.You don’t want to be on her radar.If she knew that we were on speaking terms, she might try to kill you just for that.”

She stood up to go, noting that she didn’t seem to have extinguished his intrigue with the professional assassin.She decided that she’d done all she could.If Pierce gutted him on the bus ride to court, it wouldn’t be on her conscience.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Hannah tried not being a back seat—or in this case, a side seat—driver.

It was hard because she thought that Kat was much too close as she trailed Rex Stiller.

“I can feel your anxiety,” Kat told her, “but you can relax.This guy isn’t going to notice that we’re behind him.Hell, he couldn’t even keep his wife from suspecting that he’s having an affair.Do you really think that a manager for a trucking company suspects he has a tail?”

Hannah had to acknowledge that it was a fair point.So far, in the day and a half that they’d been following him, Stiller hadn’t given any indication that he thought anyone was aware of his existence, much less following and recording his movements.

He’d picked his nose in public, repeatedly scratched both his backside and his crotch while waiting in line for coffee and ate one meal as if he were feeding at a trough.He didn’t strike Hannah as the kind of guy concerned with who saw him or when.

“I hear you,” she said, “but I always like to err on the side of caution.It’s not like he’s going to peel out in his Kia Sorrento and leave us in the dust.I just don’t want him to notice that the same car with two chicks in it has been behind him as he’s driven all around downtown running errands.”

“Okay,” Kat relented, “If it will make you feel better, I’ll pull back a car length.”

“Thank you,” Hannah said as they pulled onto 6thStreet.“Hey, we’re getting into a kind of sketchy area here.The worst part of Skid Row is just another block south of here, right?”

‘Yes, but I seriously doubt that’s where he’s headed,” Kat said.“He’d get eaten alive over there.”

But only seconds later, Stiller turned right onto San Pedro Street and slowed to a crawl.

“I stand corrected,” Kat said.“We may have a problem here.While he might not notice someone trailing him on a crowded street, having just one other car behind him around here will stick out.”

The problem was exacerbated when someone pushing a shopping cart stopped right in front of Kat’s car as she tried to turn right.The man had a long straggly beard and hair that covered most of his face, but Hannah was able to see him smile mischievously, as if they were involved in a game that only he understood.

Up ahead, Stiller’s car was still moving, weaving carefully in and out of the crowds of people who milled about the street.So far, no one was playing the shopping cart traffic game with him.

“This is the first unconventional thing that he’s done in two days, and it looks like he’s going to get away,” Hannah said.“I’m just going to get out and follow him.He’s moving so slow that I should be able to catch up to him.”

She opened the door and jumped out.

“Hannah, no!”Kat called out.“You can’t go walking around here on your own.Some of these folks aren’t in the best headspace.”

“I’ll be okay,” Hannah said, not sure she believed it.“Just drive around to the other end of the street and I’ll meet you there.”

She closed the door before Kat could object and moved over to the edge of the street.She couldn’t walk on the sidewalk because it was fully consumed by tents and other makeshift structures.Feeling eyes on her, she zipped up her jacket and pulled the hoodie over her head.

Up ahead, Stiller was still maneuvering through traffic.He was pretty adept at it, moving at about five miles an hour, often veering in wide arcs to steer clear of any human or constructed obstructions.No one seemed to be giving him the hard time that Kat had gotten.

Hannah tried to keep pace, walking as quickly as she could without drawing more attention to herself.By and large, she kept her head down to avoid making eye contact with anyone who might take offense, only looking up periodically to track Stiller’s whereabouts.

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