Page 33 of The Perfect Crime

Grady’s toothy grin got even wider at the suggestion.Next to him, the tall guy’s giggling had turned into a full-on, hyena-like cackle.Grady, unbothered, let go of her arm and extended his hand to grab hers.That was the moment she’d been waiting for.

Without any hesitation, she turned and shot past the assembling throng, darting into the middle of the street.Once clear of grasping hands, she turned west and sprinted in the direction of 7thStreet, the intersection she hoped Kat had found her way to.

After about ten seconds, she glanced over her shoulder.Grady was nowhere to be found.But the tall, cackling guy was right there, only about five strides back and keeping pace.She faced forward again.In the distance, she saw Kat's car easing into the intersection.

Hannah figured she could make it to the passenger door and maybe even open it before the tall guy got to her, but she doubted she could get in and close it before he caught up.That’s when she decided she had to change her plan.

She was still a good twenty yards away from Kat’s car when she suddenly stopped and spun around.She dropped into a squat and launched her shoulders at the tall guy, whose eyes turned to saucers when he realized that he couldn’t stop his momentum.

Hannah slammed her hunched right shoulder into the man’s groin.His rapid movement and the force of her thrust sent him toppling over her.He did a somersault in the air before landing hard on his backside.He sat there, clearly stunned, before shaking his head from side to side, like he was trying to extricate cobwebs from inside his brain.

Hannah didn’t wait for him to get back up.Instead, she turned and continued her sprint toward the car.It was only then that she noticed that Kat had exited the driver’s door and was pointing a gun in their direction.

“I don’t think you’ll need that,” Hannah panted as she opened the passenger door and got in.Kat did the same.

“What the hell happened?”the private detective demanded.

“I’ll explain later,” Hannah said, looking over at the tall guy, who had managed to get to his feet and was still hobbling in their direction.“Let’s just go!”

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The crowd for the press conference was bigger than Jessie had expected.

It was being held on the steps of LAPD headquarters rather than at Central Station.Jessie understood the logic of it.Normally, she would worry about something like this creating a panic.But that was the risk that came with warning the public about a very real danger.The more pomp and circumstance the event had, the more media attention it would get and the more Angelenos that would be made aware of the threat they were facing.

They were already a little late.It was 11:07, but Chief Decker had been held up on a phone call and was just now making his way outside.As he approached them, Jessie realized that she hadn't seen the man in forever.She hadn't been there when he'd tried to broker a truce between Ryan and Captain Parker last month.In fact, the last time she'd spoken to him in person was before the new year.

Chief Roy Decker used to be Captain Decker—Parker’s current position—back when he ran Central Station.Prior to being bumped up to chief he’d been Jessie’s boss, and despite his outwardly surly demeanor, he one of the strongest advocates of HSS, and of her personally.

In some ways, he hadn’t changed much.He looked a decade older than his sixty-one years, with a face comprised primarily of craggy peaks and valleys.A few gray tufts of hair still allowed him to claim he wasn’t totally bald.And his sharp nose and beady, penetrating eyes still reminded Jessie of an eagle hunting its prey.But it was clear that being in charge of the entire department had taken its toll.He was more slouched, with tired eyes and somehow, an even more weathered energy to him than usual.

He walked up to her and gave something close to a smile.Next to her, Parker saluted.

“Good morning, Chief,” she said dutifully.

“Good morning, Captain Parker,” he said, before addressing Jessie, “and good morning to you, Ms.Hunt.”

“Good morning, Chief,” she said.“I assume it would be inappropriate to give you a hug, what with all the press in attendance?”

“It would,” he said, “but I appreciate the thought.Since I’m late, maybe we can save the heartfelt pleasantries for later and get going on this.Where’s Detective Hernandez?”

"Right here, Chief," Ryan said, from behind him."I was just conferring with the security contingent.I thought the roped-off area for the general public was too close to the stairs and asked them to move it back."

“Great,” Decker said, “so now that we’ve got the whole team here, let’s review the plan.We’re just sharing basic details on the murders.Nothing that could lead to copycats or prevent us from identifying the killer later.Forceful but calm warning to the public to be cautious and vigilant.That all sound good?”

“Yes, Chief,” all three of them said in unison.

“And I understand that Hunt will be front and center for this?”Decker confirmed.

“She described the case status to me earlier,” Parker said, “and I thought she had a good handle on it.Plus, her semi-celebrity status might get more eyeballs on this thing, which means more people kept safe.”

“I like that,” Decker said.“You good with it?”

“I guess I have to be,” Jessie said.

"I guess you do," Decker agreed without a trace of sympathy."Then let's get this thing started.I want it plastered on the noon news.Plus, I have another meeting at 11:30."

He nodded to the public information officer, who stepped to the podium and turned on the microphone.She tapped on it, making the speakers on either side of the stairs pop with static.The crowd quieted noticeably.

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