Page 40 of The Perfect Deception
She was the one who had arranged for Finn to be stealthily removed from the hospital, making sure it happened when Hannah was napping downstairs in the cafeteria.She called in the favor from Murph and his team of Marshals, advising them on the timing of the removal, on what they should tell hospital personnel and the security guard on duty, and how to leave the facility without being spotted.
She had also advised them to wipe the security footage from their visit, knowing that Hannah would immediately look at it to check on Finn’s status.Jessie was the reason that Hannah found what she called an information “black hole” when she researched how Finn left the hospital and where he went.
She asked Murph to convince the Anderton family to go along with the “hospice” cover story—even when speaking with Hannah—but instead take him to a Marshal-approved safe house, with a full-time nurse and private security from a firm that Jessie had used in the past.She paid for the whole thing.
It had worked.The general public—and hopefully whoever stabbed Finn—was led to believe that he was at death’s door, slowly withering away in a private hospice.That way, the attempted killer wouldn’t feel the need to go after Finn, worried that he might be able to identify them.And since Hannah wasn’t regularly at Finn’s bedside—and didn’t even know where it was—she was no longer a potential inadvertent target.
Unfortunately, to make the hospice transfer story believable, Hannah had to buy it too.And that meant making her think someone she cared about was near-death, and that she wouldn’t ever be able to say goodbye to him while he was alive.Jessie felt terrible about it, but she knew it was too big a risk to tell the truth.Hannah would insist on seeing Finn, and if the killer was watching her, it could put both of them at risk.
There was another plus to keeping her sister in the dark, other than protecting her physically.Until Finn was moved, Hannah had spent all her free time with him at the hospital.Her studies were suffering, and according to Ryan, so was her mental health.
Removing Finn from her presence, even under false pretenses, allowed her a chance to reset, to breathe a little.It had apparently worked, as her grades rebounded for the last few weeks of the spring quarter and she seemed more upbeat.Jessie felt bad for “forcing” Hannah’s recovery.But it was better than the alternative.
“Anderton’s condition hasn’t changed much,” Murph said in answer to her question.“His vitals are all good.The scans show brain activity.But he has yet to regain consciousness.According to the doctors, he’s basically been the same as he was since we removed him from that hospital five weeks ago.”
“Do they think he’ll ever recover?”
“The doctor who visited him on Tuesday updated me afterward.He said the kid could wake up tomorrow or he could continue to slowly wither away.There’s a chance that our cover story—that he’s in hospice, just waiting to die—could end up being a reality.”
Jessie felt a pang in her chest.She knew that one way or another, Hannah was in for more pain.It could be because her friend finally passed away.Or it might be when she learned that her own sister had been involved in an elaborate plan to keep that friend, and the truth about him, from her.
“Can I ask you a question, Jessie?”
“Yes,” she said apprehensively.
"How long do you intend to keep this going?I can justify the use of the safe house for a while longer because Anderton is still credibly in danger.But how much longer canyoujustify it?This must be costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars, with both the nursing care and the private security.”
“I can afford it.And it’s worth it to keep both of them safe.”
“I understand that you’re committed at this point.But I should warn you, one of my guys caught your sister attaching a GPS locator to the car of Finn Anderton’s mom.Clearly, she was trying to track her movements, hoping to locate Finn’s location.Of course, we take the family to visit him in Marshal vehicles and use evasive maneuvers, so the locator won’t help.But my point is, Hannah’s going to figure this out at some point.She’s just too smart.Maybe you should tell her before she does.”
“Maybe,” Jessie conceded, though she was too tired and conflicted to think about it now.“Just keep me in the loop, all right?I want to know if there is any notable change in his status, good or bad.”
“Of course I will.But for now, you let me worry about Anderton.You focus on your case.And get some sleep when you can.”
“Thanks Murph.”After Jessie hung up, she was tempted to take his advice right then and there and settle in on the loveseat near the back of the conference room.But before the temptation got too strong, she got a call.It was Ryan.
“Where are you?”
“Why?”she asked, answering his question with one of her own.“What’s going on?”
“We need you back in research.There’s a problem.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
“We can’t trust her data.”
Jessie thought that Jamil sounded morally offended as he made the accusation.
“What do you mean?”
She looked around the research room and noted that everyone assembled—Jamil, Ryan, Beth, and Hannah—was staring at Elise Prager, who was sitting in a chair in the corner, apparently done with her morning nap.
“Tell her,” Jamil instructed Prager.
The woman looked both sheepish and defiant.When she spoke, her words were a quiet mumble.
“I didn’t get that,” Jessie told her.
