Page 39 of The Perfect Illusion

"Let me handle this," Brady said quietly to her as he positioned himself in front of the door. As Walters got closer, Brady held up his palms out in front of him and made a pantomimed pushing motion as if warding the man away with just the force of his will. Amazingly, it worked. For a moment at least, Walters stopped.

“You can’t go in there right now, Dr. Walters,” Brady said, his voice thick with sympathy. “We’re terribly sorry for your loss but there’s nothing you can do for her and our people need to do their work. Please come join me on the porch and we’ll try to help.”

“But I’m a doctor,” Walters pleaded. “I might be able to do something.”

"I'm afraid there's nothing to do, Dr. Walters," Brady said. "And I promise you'll get to see her soon. But this is a crime scene, and in order to catch the person responsible for your wife's death, we need to keep it secure for now. Plus, my colleague and I have some crucial questions for you. The best way that you can help Caroline right now is by helping us."

“Carrie,” Walters said mournfully.

“I’m sorry?” Brady asked.

“She went by Carrie,” Walters explained. Sharing that detail seemed to calm him slightly, as his eyes softened and his body untensed slightly.

“Carrie, then,” Brady allowed. “Let’s sit on the porch and talk about her.”

He guided Walters to an ornate metal bench on the porch and sat down beside him. Jessie joined them but remained standing.

“This is Jessie Hunt,” Brady said, motioning to her. “She’s our top criminal profiler. She’s working your wife’s case with me.”

“I’ve heard of you,” Walters said vaguely. “Why is that?”

"I handle cases like this, Dr. Walters," Jessie told him, not mentioning her minor celebrity status. "And I want to help get justice for Carrie. So we need you to focus on our questions now before you give yourself over to grief. It's the best way to find out who did this. Are you able to do that, sir?"

“I’ll try,” he muttered.

They were about to dive into the questions when they both got a text at the same time. It was from Jamil and read: Kenny Madrona is in Monaco for a Formula 1 race later this month. He’s been there for over a week.

Jessie glanced at Brady, who looked as frustrated as she felt. That was one more potential suspect to cross off their list. She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice as she spoke to Walters.

“Tell us about Carrie,” she said as she knelt down on the porch in front of the man, deciding that this might go better if Walters got a chance to say his piece before being pummeled with questions.

“I don’t know where to begin,” Walters said quietly, putting his head in his hands. “She’s been a blessing that I never thought I’d get again in life. She’s half my age but has so much more wisdom than me.”

“What do you mean?” Brady wondered.

“I used to be fixated on the rat race,” he explained. “Always wanting to do the most complicated surgical procedures, always looking to outdo my colleagues. That is until I met Carrie. She got me to return my focus to helping people, rather than battling for status.”

“How did she do that?” Jessie asked.

"In part, just by living her life," he answered. "You know she used to be a model before I met her. She's so beautiful. She could have kept doing that and raked in the money. But she wanted to be a teacher, to help children just starting out on their educational journey. So, even after we got married, she kept working at the same school, grinding away for mediocre pay and minimal recognition. She reminded me that it's about the people you're trying to help, not the accolades you achieve."

He was quiet for a moment, and Jessie was about to turn the conversation to more challenging topics. But then he went on.

“You know, when we first started dating, I think we were both surprised by our connection, especially with the age difference. But it all happened so fast. And she never asked me for a penny for herself, never indicated any desire to leave her job and eat bonbons on the beach. The only time she ever asked me to pay for something was to help set up a foundation to help underprivileged children get nutrition and reading assistance. I was the one who suggested she consider a more leisurely lifestyle.”

“Leisurely, how?” Jessie asked, deciding not to interrupt Walters’s flow. Maybe she could get the answers she needed in the course of normal conversation.

"It was selfish on my part, really," he said, sitting upright and fixing Jessie with a guilty stare. "I love traveling, especially adventure trips to more exotic locations. But with Carrie only getting a few months off each year, that was really challenging. So, I was pressing her to essentially retire at 25. In addition, I wanted kids. I was married once before, but it was never a priority for us. Now that I'm getting older, I wanted to add that element to my life. Plus, Carrie would make the most amazing mom."

Jessie noted that Walters continued to refer to his wife in the present tense. She didn’t correct him. Letting him have that illusion a little longer was harmless. He’d stop making the mistake once he saw her body.

“So did she agree to retire?” Brady asked.

"Eventually," Walters said. "She wanted to work a couple more years, then she agreed to teach as a substitute. That way, she could still help the kids but have a more flexible schedule."

Hearing the man talk about the parenting plans with Carrie that would never come to fruition made Jessie briefly think of her own situation. It wasn’t that dissimilar. In Ryan, she had a husband that, until recently, desperately wanted to have kids after never getting to with his first wife. And like Carrie, she was reluctant to give up her personal or professional autonomy when she was so passionate about the work she did. But it sounded like Carrie found a way to bridge that gap. Jessie wondered if she ever would.

“How did you two meet?” she asked.

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