Page 23 of The Perfect Deception
“Be that as it may, we’re glad you’re here.We’d like to start by understanding a little better how well you knew the Dominiks.”
“You don’t have to be coy, Detective,” she purred.“In addition to what happened to Cassandra, Michael told me about Olivia Maplewood’s murder.I know that each wife was found in the other one’s bed.So, I assume you want to know how I knew both couples?”
He looked surprised by her directness.Jessie hoped he’d follow suit.He did.
“Yes, but not just with your charity connections.Mr.Dominik seemed particularly agitated when you met and we’re wondering if there’s a reason for that.I can’t imagine that, in the wake of Cassandra’s death, he was thinking about charity galas.”
“You’re quite right,” she said.“I met both couples through my charity work but that’s not how I know them best.Michael was upset because he fears his wife’s death is somehow connected to another arrangement we have.”
Jessie’s mind immediately filled with a variety of potential scenarios.Was Dominik having an affair with Prager?Were they involved in some kind of financial mismanagement?Did they all engage in neighborhood drug-fueled key parties that had left bruised feelings?She bit her lip, waiting for the answer.
“What arrangement is that?”Ryan was showing much more restraint than Jessie would have.
Prager grinned.When she leaned across the table, her words came out in a delighted whisper.
“It’s quite scandalous.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jessie waited for Elise Prager to continue but she seemed to enjoy lingering in this moment, where she knew something valuable that they didn’t.Jessie looked down at the table between them and gulped hard, hoping to swallow her exasperation.She’d promised Ryan that she wouldn’t go right at Prager, but it was becoming an increasingly difficult promise to keep.
“We’re waiting with bated breath.”Amazingly Ryan managed to mix mild sarcasm and charm as he said it.
“Well, then, I won’t make you wait any longer,” Prager told him.“In addition to my charity work, I run a little side project that I like to call ‘life swapping.’Ever heard of it?”
That could mean any number of things but Jessie refrained from saying so.
“Explain it to us,” Ryan requested.
“Of course.I help facilitate swaps for couples that are interested in injecting a little excitement into their sometimes humdrum lives.That means that these couples temporarily exchange lives, including homes, routines, and most intriguingly, spouses.”
“This is a thing?”Jessie asked, unable to keep silent any longer.
“Everything is a ‘thing,’ Jessie.You should know that by now.Is it really that shocking that these folks, all quite wealthy and often bored, might enjoy the thrill of stepping into someone else’s life for a little while?”
It wasn’t.Jessie had encountered far more unusual arrangements, ones that were inherently dangerous and illegal.This might not seem to meet that threshold on its face.But now she finally had a potential motive.No matter how innocuous this kind of agreement appeared, it involved the tender feelings and fragile egos of multiple people, some of whom might not be prepared for how it hit them emotionally.It was also telling that neither husband mentioned anything about this.
“So you’re saying that the Maplewoods and Dominiks engaged in one of these life swaps?”she confirmed.
“Not just once,” Prager said, looking way more delighted by all of this than felt appropriate considering two people were dead.“They swapped twice.”
“Explain how that worked.”Jessie noted that Ryan refused to engage the woman in her desire to be as gossipy as possible.He just wanted the facts.
Prager seemed to sense this—at least a little bit—and made an attempt to calibrate her tone.“In many ways, it’s as simple as it sounds.The first time the wives swapped.They switched houses and followed the routine of their new home.The second time around the husbands made the transition.In both cases, other than their jobs, they’d exchange responsibilities and perks.Everything from the mundane—going to a different dry cleaner, driving a different car, and eating different meals—to the more titillating, was on the table.”
“To be clear, are you saying that they switched sexual partners when they did these swaps?”Jessie asked.
Prager offered her a condescending smile.“I don’t honestly know the answer to that.It was between the couples.I gave them general guidelines but they chose the specific rules.If they just wanted to play house, that was up to them.If they wanted to play doctor too, well, you’d have to ask them about that.”
“We will,” Ryan assured her.“But for now let’s stick with you.You said this was a side project for you.What does that mean exactly?Did you get paid?Were there other couples doing this too?”
Prager paused before replying.It appeared that she was trying to determine how to answer without revealing too much.
“Let me answer this way.Yes, there were other couples.I hope you understand that they are counting on my discretion.I shan’t be revealing the names of anyone not involved in a double murder.”
Jessie was slightly tempted to butt in and tell Prager that she would share whatever info they needed or face the consequences.But since the woman was being generally forthcoming, she held back.Prager continued.
“As to your first question, I was indeed paid to facilitate the swaps, although I consider the amounts nominal.The payments were primarily to cover administrative costs.My role was to take the profiles these folks had given me and find the most compatible matches for them.Sometimes that meant some unconventional pairings.It didn’t always pan out.But the more I worked at it, the better I got.It’s a pretty smooth process now.”
