Page 5 of The Perfect Illusion

“Short version: the case he’s working doesn’t need a profiler so I was available and he wasn’t,” she told him. “Maybe we can save the longer version until after you’ve read me in on—you know—this whole murder scene thing?”

“Of course,” he said, not at all put out by her reticence. “You want to see the body?”

“Give me the details first,” she requested, “then we can review the scene, and finally the body.”

"You got it," he said, "although it's the body that made me think this case was HSS-worthy. Anyway, our victim's name is Patricia Hollinger. Thirty-two years old. Married to real estate magnate Robert Hollinger, 62, who discovered the body. She's a former beauty pageant type. Was Miss Orange County or something. Runner-up in the Miss California pageant a while back. Gave up the pageanting life and settled down a couple of years ago. She was supposed to go to some charity gala last night, but she obviously didn't make it."

Jessie nodded and glanced into the bathroom, where she saw three sets of high heels resting on the floor next to her.

“Looks like she hadn’t finished getting ready for the night,” she noted.

“Nope,” Brady agreed.

“How did someone get in the house and all the way up here without her noticing?”

“I think we have an answer for you on that,” he said, “We checked the home security footage and the housekeeper left just after 6 P.M. last night. The video shows someone hiding in the bushes to the right of the door. They shoved something that we later determined to be putty into the hole in the door frame’s strike plate so that it wouldn’t completely close. Once the housekeeper was gone, they entered the house. They left again the same way about fifteen minutes later.”

“Any identifying features on the person?” Jessie asked.

"Nothing that leapt out to me," Brady said. "We were going to forward the footage to your research team, but I'm not optimistic. The person wore all black, including a bulky sweatshirt with a hoodie that makes gauging their real height and weight challenging. They wore a mask, as well as gloves. As you can see, CSU is checking for prints and DNA, but whoever did this appears to have planned ahead to avoid leaving any evidence behind."

“Okay,” Jessie said, impressed with his thoroughness. Sometimes she forgot that Brady’s slovenly appearance and puppy-like enthusiasm didn’t extend to his investigative technique, which might explain why Ryan had so much affection for him. “Please do still send everything to Jamil and Beth. Who knows what they might uncover?”

Jamil Winslow was the head of HSS's two-person research department, and Beth Ryerson was his deputy and sole employee. Together they made a pretty incredible team that been essential to solving multiple cases. If anyone could glean a hidden detail from the footage, it was them.

“Will do,” Brady said. “Now is it ‘look at the body’ time?”

“Almost,” she assured him. “Just a few quick questions first.”

“Go for it,” Brady said, again wiping at the accumulated perspiration on his head.

“You said the killer got in right after the housekeeper left. Have you spoken to her yet?”

"No," Brady conceded. "Today is her day off and Robert Hollinger asked to be the one to break the news to her. Apparently, she's older and has been with him forever. He's worried that she'll have a breakdown."

“Well, then we’ll need to have him call her over here ASAP,” Jessie said. “There’s already one news van outside. This story will probably be on the noon newscast. Besides, if she—what’s her name?”

“Rosa Montero.”

“It’s possible that Rosa was the last person besides the killer to see Patricia Hollinger alive,” Jessie noted. “She might have valuable insight into the victim’s state of mind just prior to her death. Where is the husband now?”

"He's in the backyard with an officer," Brady said. "He's the one who found her and called it in. You're the profiler, but to my eye, he seemed legitimately messed up by the whole thing."

“Have you questioned him yet?”

“No, I wanted to wait until you were here so we could do it all in one go,” Brady said. “But we should get to him soon. He’s been cooling his heels back there for close to an hour now.”

“Okay, then I guess I should check out that body,” Jessie told him.

"Right this way," Brady said, motioning to the divan in the corner that Jessie had been scrupulously avoiding until now. As they approached, the CSU techs and the medical examiner stepped out of the way.

What Jessie saw in front of her was enough to cause a barely stifled gasp.

CHAPTER THREE

Despite her best efforts, Hannah Dorsey blushed at the question.

“You’re making more of it than there is,” she insisted to Lizzie. “It’s just a study session over coffee.”

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