Page 28 of The Perfect Revenge
Two hours later, things weren’t looking so great.
The geolocation data was the first disappointment.Neither Brennan’s vehicle nor his phone ever came anywhere close to where either woman was killed.That alone didn’t give him an ironclad alibi.He could have gotten to their homes without using his car or a rideshare.But it wasn’t promising.And Beth was currently reviewing his location data to see if she could verify his status in other ways.At this point, Jessie wasn’t holding out hope for anything that would implicate him.
And the information they’d gleaned from the fertility clinic records was, at least so far, equally uninspiring.Susannah voiced aloud what was becoming increasingly clear.
“It doesn’t seem like either woman had success with Dr.Brennan.”
Jessie had come to the same conclusion.“Yeah, it looks like Veronica Sterling went through two rounds of treatment without success.Maggie Caldwell stopped after one attempt.And in each instance, they haven’t seen Brennan in nearly five years.This feels more and more like a dead end.”
Jamil spoke up.
“We’ve been so focused on the Brennan angle that I haven’t had a chance to pore over either victim’s financials in great depth.We know that each of them had a child, so perhaps they attempted treatment with other doctors.”
"Or maybe they pursued adoption," Susannah offered."We never asked Veronica's husband about that, and we have yet to even speak to Maggie's ex."
Susannah was right.So far, the fertility treatment connection was the only thing tying the two women together.To see if that lead was worth continuing to pursue further, they would need to talk to both men about how they had their children.Jessie wasn't thrilled about the prospect, as the subject was raw for her.
Though she and Ryan had kept it quiet, the question of children was personal for them.Since late last year, Ryan had made it clear that he was interested in expanding their family.It was a bone of contention.Jessie had expressed reservations about putting her body through a pregnancy, especially in light of the multiple on-the-job injuries she’d suffered in recent years.She wasn’t sure she could physically handle the demands.
Just as important, she wasn't sure she even wanted too.Getting pregnant would put her out of commission for several months.And right now, she was in a good place professionally, at least as far as her bosses knew.To them, she was the premier criminal profiler for the LAPD's most celebrated unit.
Of course, they weren't taking into account the multiple head traumas that led her to have brain surgery last fall.Nor were they aware of her bloodlust issue, which had led to a woman's death and two months in an Italian recovery center.And they also didn't know about the miscarriage.
Those closest to her knew about it, including Ryan, Kat, and Hannah.But few of her other colleagues were aware that three years ago, Jessie was pregnant with the child of her then-husband, a sociopathic killer named Kyle Voss.Nor were they aware that he had secretly poisoned her to induce that miscarriage.She only discovered that fact herself when he admitted it just before attempting to kill her.Needless to say, her experience with pregnancy wasn’t exactly positive.
So she and Ryan had talked about adoption.Jessie was more intrigued with that option for several reasons.First, from a self-interested perspective, her body would escape the rigors of pregnancy.Second, if they adopted a child who was closer to toddler age than newborn, daycare would be an option, allowing Jessie to continue to work with less disruption.
Lastly, Jessie had been an orphan and held a special place in her heart for her adoptive parents.After her serial killer father murdered her mother in front of her when she was six and subsequently disappeared, she was put in the foster care system before being saved by a New Mexico couple.She wondered if she could perhaps do the same for a child in need.
But that possibility was short-circuited when Ryan began to get cold feet.He said that until they were sure that Jessie had control over the violence of her emotions, bringing a child into their home felt irresponsible.She couldn’t disagree.
So they were in a holding pattern, which allowed Jessie to avoid thinking about the whole issue.But it looked like she’d have to confront at least part of it for this case.She kept her ambivalence to herself for now.
Nor did she mention the small detail that was needling at her.Based on what they’d uncovered in the clinic records so far, there was no obvious reason for Andrew Brennan to be so secretive.Two women had visited him for fertility treatment.It hadn’t worked out.That was hardly unusual.And yet he’d fought tooth and nail when authorities tried to get the records.
Why?What reason could he have to be so obstinate when it didn’t seem to serve his interests?Jessie doubted it was because of his deep commitment to HIPAA regulations.She had a theory, though she doubted she’d be able to prove or disprove it by talking to Brennan again.But there was someone who might have some answers; someone that Susannah had noted they’d yet to speak with.
“Let’s go have a word with Teddy Borowitz,” she said.“The guy dumped his wife and moved out of town, leaving her to raise their son alone.I feel like he might be a soft target for some aggressive questioning.Maybe we even bring Devery along for extra intimidation.”
That last line was delivered with a bit of sarcasm.Devery was Harper Devery, a newly minted uniformed officer at Central Station.Intimidation wasn’t exactly his forte.The kid was an eager beaver who had on more than one occasion said that he’d love to eventually join the HSS unit.That kind of promotion might be tough for a rookie, but Jessie was happy to throw him a bone when he could actually be of help.
“You know that I’m all in for aggressive questioning,” Susannah said.“But I thought we’d already pretty firmly established that Borowitz was in San Francisco when Maggie Caldwell died.”
“That’s not what I want to talk to him about.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ash Pierce took a sip of champagne.
She wasn’t a big day drinker, or really much of a drinker at all.But this was a special occasion.
As she settled into the backseat of the limousine, with its plush seats and tinted windows, she allowed herself to enjoy the moment.Yes, this was serious business but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun with it.And driving through Jessie Hunt’s L.A.neighborhood was fun.
For the first time since returning to the country after escaping from police custody, she was back in Los Angeles.She’d bounced around Southern California and the southwest in general, trying to steer clear of law enforcement that might be able to identify her.
But recently things had changed.First, she’d gotten a windfall from her latest hit job, taking out a Palm Springs wife who was cheating on her billionaire husband, along with her golf pro lover.But with the extra income came increased scrutiny.Despite her best efforts to stay anonymous, she knew that law enforcement in general, and Kat Gentry in particular, might eventually figure out that the hit was her work.
If it became common knowledge that she was back in the area, the search for her would intensify.That meant that she had to be proactive in pursuing her goals, specifically destroying the lives of everyone Jessie Hunt loved.At the top of her list were Gentry and Hunt’s sister, Hannah Dorsey, who were responsible for her incarceration and nearly for her death too.
