Page 49 of The Perfect Deception
“That you were aware of?”
He paused for a few moments.“In that stretch when I got obsessed with Miriam Spaulding, I’m embarrassed to say that I wasn’t paying close attention to what was going on with Vanessa.I might have missed the signs.”
“Do you remember if Vanessa, in the time between discovering your fixation on Miriam and her supposed suicide, ever blamed anyone other than you for what happened?Did she mention any of the victims’ names?”
There was another long pause in which Jessie wondered if Winston had returned to the silent nodding or head-shaking.She was about to prod him when he answered, his tone anguished.
“I do remember her saying once that she wished we’d never met Elise Prager.She said that if it wasn’t for her, our lives would still be normal.”
A surge of adrenaline shot through Jessie’s entire body.She suddenly realized why Prager might not be answering her phone and turned to Devery.
“Turn on the siren and punch it.We need to get to Elise Prager’s ASAP!”
As Devery did both, Ryan’s voice came over the speaker.
“We’ll meet you there.Don’t go in until we get there.We’re only ten minutes away.”
“We’re less than half that far,” she said, shaking her head even though Ryan couldn’t see her.“And we can’t wait.We need to check on Prager’s welfare.Don’t worry—I’ll be fine.Devery is with me.Just send the cavalry.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
Jessie had Devery shut off the siren a half mile from Prager’s place.If Vanessa Winston was there, she didn’t want to give the woman any warning that they were close.
They came to a stop one house down from Prager’s Colonial Revival mansion, so as not to be seen through the front windows, then went the rest of the way on foot.
“Remember,” Jessie said as they ran toward the house, “our first priority is securing Elise Prager’s safety.Arresting Vanessa Winston is secondary.And if she is there, make every effort to capture her without using lethal force.”
Devery nodded and unfastened his holster, his nervous fingers fumbling slightly.As Jessie did the same, she heard her words and wondered if that last directive was directed more at herself than at Devery.She hadn’t truly tested how effective her violence-curbing strategies were under real duress.Now she might be about to have the chance.After everything she’d done to prepare herself for this moment, ithadto go well.If it didn’t, she wasn’t sure that she could ever be helped.
They arrived at the same front door that Jessie brought coffee and muffins to twelve hours ago, which felt like an eternity.She immediately noticed that the door was slightly ajar.Considering that when she and Ryan came here this morning, Prager had multiple locks on the door, this was not a great sign.
“Remove your weapon,” she instructed Devery.“I’m going to push the door open and you go in first.I’ll be right behind you.”
Even though he was technically the law enforcement officer, she had way more experience than him in situations like this and felt no compunction about giving the orders.Based on his quick nod, he didn’t seem to mind either.
She pushed the door open slowly and Devery sidestepped into the foyer.She followed.They stood there for moment, listening for any voices or other sounds that might suggest an altercation.Hearing nothing, they eased forward.
“All the prior victims were found in the main bedroom, so I’m going to go upstairs to check that out,” Jessie said quietly.“You can continue to search the first floor.”
Devery, to her surprise, shook his head vigorously.
“I’m sorry, Ms.Hunt, but Detective Hernandez texted me after your call.He specifically told me not to let you put yourself in harm’s way.If I permitted you to go up there, I’m pretty sure that he’d have me killed.Why don’t you search the downstairs and I’ll go up?”
“He had no right to put you in that situation!”Jessie was furious.
“But he did.So please don’t make it worse.You stay down here.I’ll call you up once I’ve assessed the situation.”
There wasn’t time to argue anymore.“Fine.But stay alert.I said that Prager’s safety was our top priority but that’s not entirely true.Yours is.Don’t put yourself at risk.”
“Got it.”He was already starting up the stairs.
As she watched him go, Jessie knew in her heart that Ryan was right.She was rusty.She was exhausted.She’d had a head injury two months ago.And she had a proclivity to release her fury in unhealthy ways, to put it mildly.But it still didn’t feel great to have her husband pull rank.
Though she wasn’t happy about being relegated to downstairs duty, Jessie did her best to stay focused.She headed along the same long hallway as this morning until it opened into the giant living room where they’d questioned Prager.There was no one there.
She moved into the adjoining kitchen and breakfast room.Those, too, were empty.She was about to check out what looked like a banquet hall just off the kitchen when she noticed that the door from the breakfast room to the outside patio was open just a bit.
She glanced out, scanning the patio, the pool, and beyond that, the backyard guest house.Though she couldn’t be sure, she thought she saw movement behind a cream curtain in the front window.
