Page 22 of The Perfect Revenge
“That’s interesting,” Susannah said.Jessie agreed.
“And there’s more,” Jamil added with a dramatic flair that was rare for him.“They had the same doctor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
They pulled up in front of Dr.Andrew Brennan’s Beverly Hills home at 6:24.
Jessie stretched after getting out of the car.Her whole body ached from a long night of hunching over a conference room table, studying paperwork that had mostly proved useless.
But now she had a real lead, and it had given her a jolt of energy.As they approached Brennan's front door, she briefly reconsidered whether this was the right move.Beth had informed them that even on a Saturday, Brennan's fertility clinic was open for a half-day, starting at 8 a.m.But neither Jessie nor Susannah wanted to wait that long to talk to him, so they'd come straight here.
“I think it’ll be better to talk to the guy outside of the comfort zone and authority that comes with his office,” Susannah had insisted on the way over.
Jessie agreed but worried that outside of the location that justified their questions, the man might clam up completely.It was too late to worry about that now.
Susannah rang the bell, and they took a step back to wait.Jessie gave the house a once-over.It wasn't as imposing as the Sterling's Brentwood mansion but it was still impressive.Two stories high, it was modern, with odd angles jutting out and an exterior comprised of dark wood and gray metal.The door opened to reveal a friendly-looking woman in her early forties.She had short, brown hair, a warm smile, and wore a thin robe over shorts and a "USC" t-shirt.A giant mug of coffee was nestled in her hands.
“A little early for the Avon lady, don’t you think?”she asked playfully.
Jessie smiled despite herself.“Sorry to disappoint.”
“Are you related to Andrew Brennan?”Susannah asked, uninterested in small talk.
“If you call being married to him for thirteen years ‘related,’ then I guess you could say we are.I’m Carly.Mind telling me what this is all about, ladies?”
“We’re with the Los Angeles Police Department,” Susannah said flatly, holding up her badge and ID.“We need to speak with your husband about a case we’re working on.”
The smile on the woman’s face didn’t disappear completely, but it definitely hardened.
“Did he do something wrong?”she asked quietly.
Jessie thought it was interesting that Brennan's wife would jump to that conclusion, but didn't comment on that.
"We think he might have information that could be valuable to our investigation," she said quickly."We know this is unusual, but I assure you, we wouldn't come to your home at this hour on a Saturday morning unless it was important.May we come in?"
Carly Brennan paused, though for less time than Jessie would have expected under the circumstances.
“Come in,” she said, holding the door open for them.“Andy’s in the kitchen.But please keep your voices down.The kids are still asleep.”
They followed her up a short flight of steps into a large atrium with domed glass windows for a roof, and then through a hallway that led into the kitchen.Standing at the breakfast bar, sipping coffee, and scrolling through his phone was Dr.Andrew Brennan.
He looked surprisingly similar to the photo on his clinic website, which Jessie guessed was about five years old.His blond hair now had hints of gray, and his face was slightly more weathered, but in general, he hadn't changed that much.He was square-jawed and good-looking, though he gave off a far more severe energy than his wife.
“Honey, we have guests,” she said, as if they were hosting a dinner party.“They’re from the law enforcement community.I’m sorry, I didn’t get your names.”
Brennan’s head popped up at the words law enforcement and Jessie thought he might spill his coffee.Susannah took the lead.
"I'm Detective Valentine, and this is Ms.Hunt."
“Wait,” Carly Brennan said excitedly.“Are you Jessie Hunt, the profiler?”
“I am.”
“I’ve seen you on the news.I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you.I blame it on how early it is.This must be serious if you’re involved.”
“I’m sorry,” Andrew Brennan said, looking confused.“What exactly is going on?”
"Dr.Brennan," Jessie said, "in the course of working our current case, your fertility clinic was mentioned, and we'd like to ask you a few questions we hope will clear some things up."
