Page 45 of The Perfect Crime

“I thought of that,” Jessie said, “It’s almost like he’s intentionally drawing attention to himself.That would make sense if the next victim is on his personal list, and he wants an alibi while Blackwell does the deed.Maybe he wants traffic cameras to catch him speeding or running red lights nowhere near where the next killing occurs.”

Before Ryan could offer a response, they saw Forrester round a corner they both recognized well.This stretch of the Westlake neighborhood was well-known as a spot where rich suburbanites would drive up in their cars to secure illegal pleasures, whether it be drugs or sex.

Rather than go down the street that Forrester had taken and put a spotlight on themselves, they drove just past it.As they did, they saw that the man had parked his car and was getting out.Jessie was stunned by the casual cockiness of the man, who seemed to have no concerns about leaving his shiny Lotus unattended around here.

“This guy is either after some garden variety illicit fun, or he wants us to think he is,” Ryan said as he quickly pulled over to the side of the street.“But there’s only one way to find out.”

They both jumped out and crossed the street as quickly as they could without actually running.By the time they reached the intersection, they could see Forrester wending his way among the throngs.

There were at least a dozen prostitutes working the sidewalk, but the man seemed uninterested, passing by without glancing at any of them.The sidewalk was crowded, and Jessie and Ryan had to step into the street briefly to avoid getting stuck.

This sort of scene was nothing new.Though the area was generally known for being a hotbed of illicit activity, the actual block where drugs and people could be bought changed regularly.It was a game of whack-a-mole, as a new location emerged, became popular for the night, only to have the cops get wind of the spot and come shut things down.

Jessie wondered how Forrester knew where to go.Was he a regular visitor to this kind of bazaar, who had just gotten a tip on the location and rushed out before it got shut down?Or was this all part of some ruse to keep them guessing while his theoretical partner in crime engaged in something far darker?

She pulled up the hoodie on her jacket as she darted in and out of the crowd.She didn’t want Forrester to look back and see her.Plus, she knew that she probably stuck out like a sore thumb, and she didn’t need anyone recognizing her from today’s press conference or her past TV appearances.

Ryan had pulled out a baseball cap and wore it low over his face.He wasn't as immediately recognizable from the news as she was, but based on his general bearing, he was pretty easily pegged as a cop.They didn’t need everyone scattering because they sensed the enemy was among them.

Forrester stopped about thirty feet ahead of them and began speaking to a swarthy-looking guy intentionally standing in the shadows.They made a quick exchange that Jessie thought included cash and a baggie.But it all happened so fast that she couldn’t be sure.

“Turn around,” Ryan admonished her under his breath.

Without questioning why, she did as he instructed.Ten seconds later, Forrester walked past them back in the direction from which they’d all come.

“Sorry to be so brusque,” Ryan said, “but I could tell the transaction was over and that he’d be heading back.”

“Do we think he was securing the poison?”Jessie asked.“This isn’t the kind of pharmaceutical expert I figured he’d go to.”

“It’s definitely not,” Ryan said as they fell into step well behind Forrester.“I recognized the guy he was doing business with.He goes by the name Philly Pat.He’s a well-known dealer.Mostly traffics in heroin and cocaine.He definitely doesn’t have access to the kind of chemicals that our killer used.My guess based on his behavior this morning—Daniel Forrester is a bit of a coke fiend.That makes more sense than the alternative.”

"So you think he was just in the market for some run-of-the-mill blow?"Jessie asked as they finally cleared the multitudes.

They stopped moving there as Forrester got back in his car and drove right past them.He never even looked their way.

“It’s starting to make more sense than him being part of some elaborate murder trade,” Ryan said as they returned to his car, jogging now that they were out of Forrester’s sight.“We should see where Blackwell was headed in such a hurry before jumping to any conclusions, but I have a feeling that Forrester’s crimes may be more mundane than we hoped.Either way, I’m going to call in reinforcements to break up tonight’s street action.”

"Should we try to catch up to Forrester?"she wondered as they ran across the street.Cars were speeding by, and she had to move so fast that she nearly collided with a big dude in a black hoodie, leaning drunkenly against the fence near their car.

"Hey, clear out of here," Ryan ordered the guy irritably."That is unless you want to get taken in for public drunkenness."

The guy offered a sloppy salute and turned around, walking down the sidewalk away from them.

They got in the car.Ryan sighed as he started it up.

“To answer your question, I think we can have officers sit on Forrester’s house to see if he does anything,” he grumbled as he took a sip of his coffee.“I’m starting to feel like we’re just spinning our wheels here.”

“I know what you mean,” Jessie agreed, “but let’s check in with Susannah and Sam before we get too down.There’s still a chance that Blackwell is our guy.”

But even as the words came out of her mouth, Jessie doubted them.If Forrester was just a cokehead out for a fix and not part of some elaborate dual murderer plan, then the chances that Blackwell was involved dropped dramatically.

And that meant their killer was still out there, possibly poisoning someone right now.The thought made her shiver.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Hannah was losing her patience.

She’d already let Kat chastise her for her bad judgment multiple times today.She was starting to regret agreeing to crash at the woman’s apartment tonight.

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