Page 54 of The Perfect Betrayal

Jessie thought about it for a moment.

“I don’t think we can chance sneaking anyone over there,” she said. “This is a big boat. Monica Silver might have alreadyseen it. I think the element of surprise is gone. Plus, that sailboat left last night. If Cisco was in control of the situation, his beacon would still be on. If she’s even still there, we have to assume that she’s in charge. If he’s not already dead, we don’t want to do anything to expedite that outcome.”

“So what, we ask to come aboard and try to talk her down?”

This was the conversation that Jessie had been dreading since soon after they departed King Harbor. But she knew it was inevitable.

“Not ‘we,’” she said. “Just me.”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded, stepping back and glaring at her.

When she responded, she tried to sound as sympathetic to his ego as she could.

“I know your department has jurisdiction, Detective,” she told him gently, “but think about this. If Cisco’s not already dead, he’s probably got some kind of weapon pointed at him right now. And it’s being pointed at him by a woman who believes he, along with a bunch of his buddies, did something terrible to her sister,. Do you really thing that some alpha male coming onboard to talk her down is going to work?”

He paused to consider her words.

“I’ll temper my style,” he said. “You can take lead and I’ll be there for support. Okay?”

This situation was playing out just like the one last night with Oliver Stanton. And just like that time, she was going to have to impose her will on a guy who viewed himself as an investigative badass. She didn’t relish the next few moments, but lives were at stake, and she had to hold firm.

“Still not okay,” she replied. “Just your very presence could set her off. She believes—with good reason—that a group of men harmed her sister. Three years ago, a male police officer dismissed her concerns. Now another male cop shows up,belatedly, to take her into custody. How do you think that's going to go?"

“So what do you want me to do if she lets you onboard alone, just stay over here and twiddle my fingers, hoping she doesn’t shoot or stab my partner? It’s not like we can put a sharpshooter out here in case she loses it. With the waves and the distance, if she makes a sudden move, you or Cisco might end up taking the bullet.”

“I appreciate the concern,” Jessie said, impressed with his seeming sincerity, “but we both know it has to be me going solo. And we also know that I have to go unarmed. If she finds me with a weapon, it’ll ruin any chance of building a rapport with her. I’ll do my best to talk some sense into her. And if that doesn’t work, well, I know how to take care of myself.”

Before Riddell could reply, one of the ship’s officers stepped outside and waved at them.

“The captain says it’s time. They’ll be able to see us by now. And in about sixty seconds, they'll hear us, even with the engines cut. If you want to talk to her, now's the time."

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

Jessie finished rowing the short distance between the boats in the dinghy she'd been given and tied it off to the ladder that extended off the Bodacious Tata. As she gripped the rails and started up, she still wasn't sure how she'd managed to get on board.

“Monica,” she had called out over the speaker not ten minutes ago, “This is Jessie Hunt with the Los Angeles Police Department. We know why you’re out here. We know what Joel Cisco did. And we want to get justice for Heather. But for that to happen, you have to let me come over there and talk with you. I’ll come over alone and unarmed. I want to help.”

She hadn’t really expected it to work but somehow it had. After twenty seconds that felt like sixty, a hand had extended from the companionway of the boat, waving her over. It had all happened so suddenly that the Coast Guard crew barely had time to strap her into a life jacket before dropping her into the dinghy and pointing her toward her target, the ladder.

She was just reaching the top of it when a female voice called out.

“Take off the life jacket and lift up your shirt so I can see that you don’t have a weapon.” Jessie did as instructed.

“Now walk backward toward the stairs.”

She did that too. As she moved, she noticed a red wig lying in a heap on the deck.

“Now come down, still facing backward.”

The voice was much clearer now. It was hard to be sure, but from her tone, Monica Silver sounded very much in control of herself. There was no panic in her voice, and she spoke with authority and confidence. When Jessie reached the bottom of the stairs. Silver gave another instruction.

“You can turn around now,”

When Jessie did, she clenched her jaw so that she wouldn’t visibly react too strongly to whatever she was about to see. Sure enough, it wasn’t pretty.

Joel Cisco was facing her, tied to a chair that was bolted to the floor. He was wearing loose khakis and a light blue short-sleeved button-down shirt. Both were covered in blood. The shirt had been cut open to reveal Cisco's chest, which had several gashes across it.

Jessie looked at his face. If not for the many photos of him that she’d seen, she might not have recognized him. His face was also covered in blood, a result of several cuts that were still seeping, including one on his forehead and on each cheek. His mouth was stuffed with a dishrag. His brown eyes were wild with fear.

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