Page 29 of The Perfect Revenge
Deep down, Ash knew that the heat from law enforcement was just an excuse to accelerate her plans.She’d been in hiding for almost two months now.That was long enough.She was tired of being the prey.She was ready to start hunting again.
That’s why, wearing a disguise to avoid detection by city cameras, she had taken a bus from Palm Springs to the main bus station near downtown L.A.From there, she caught a city bus to the Biltmore Hotel in the heart of downtown.That’s where she’d requested that the limo pick her up.
She’d used one of her fake identities to book the ride.The driver, Manny, arrived right on time.A black-suited heavyset guy in his forties with a well-trimmed beard and a warm smile, he quickly rounded the hood to greet her.
“Ms.Smith?”he asked as he stopped in front of her.
“Yes,” she said with a smile and a manufactured Southern accent.“I’m Kerry Ann Smith.I assume you’re Manny?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he confirmed as he opened the door for her.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”She hopped in.“And please call me Kerry Ann.”
Once they were both in their seats and buckled in, he looked over his shoulder.
“My understanding is that you want to tour the Mid-Wilshire district of town,” he said.“Did you have any particular locations you wanted to check out?”
"Actually, I'm here scouting the area because my husband might be relocating for work.I want to get a sense of the neighborhood and maybe even make note of a few homes on the market.We don't need to stop at any of them or get out.I'll probably just take photos.But as long as we're in the area, feel free to show me some of the sites I should be aware of.Richard and I are from Mobile, Alabama, and moving to such a big city is going to be a real culture shock for us."
“Well, I’m happy to show you around,” Manny said.“That area has everything from great museums to the La Brea Tar Pits.Plus there’s Little Ethiopia, which has some fantastic restaurants.We can visit it all.And while we do, please make sure to partake of some of the goodies back there.There’s champagne on ice and a charcuterie board in the mini-fridge.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Ash said, laying on the accent even thicker than before.
As they made their way west, Manny told her about how he’d moved up from being a rideshare driver to a taxi driver, and now this.He mentioned that his wife was a seamstress and that their daughter was about to enter high school.He was a real peach, as Kerry Ann Smith would probably say if she really existed.
After getting a tour of some of the sites, including LACMA, The Peterson Automotive Museum, and the Academy Museum, which apparently had lots of Oscar-related stuff, she got down to business. She gave Manny the addresses of several houses she knew were for sale in Jessie Hunt’s neighborhood, including one at the far end of her street.
"Now, when we drive by, don't slow down too much, Manny," she instructed."I don't want the folks in these neighborhoods to get nervous because some limo is cruising around.After all, these might be my future neighbors!Just drive normal."
“Do you want to roll down your window, Kerry Ann?”he asked.“With the tinting, you might not get the best photos.”
“That’s okay.I just need to get a general feel for the homes.Besides, I’m loving the A/C!”
She didn't tell Manny the real reason she kept the windows up.There were multiple police vehicles in the neighborhood, and she didn't want any attentive officers to catch sight of hitwoman Ash Pierce driving around the area.
And there were definitely a fair share of those officers.She counted two patrol cars roving the neighborhood.That felt excessive for a low crime area in the middle of the afternoon.But Ash suspected they were there for another reason: to keep an eye out for her.
Her suspicions were confirmed when they reached Jessie Hunt’s street.She noticed multiple surveillance cameras set up on telephone poles within sight of the house.Those had clearly been added for extra security.There was also a patrol car parked two houses down and across the street from Hunt’s house, where the officers had a clear view of anyone who might approach.
However, they didn’t look twice at the limo that drove casually by.And they certainly couldn’t see her, behind the tinted window, taking photos of the house and of them.
As she evaluated the situation, Ash had to concede that trying to take out Hunt or her sister here might prove too challenging a task.Even merely loitering in the neighborhood in the hopes of seeing Kat Gentry when she came to visit could be too risky.She might need a new plan.But before giving up on the idea, she wanted to make another pass.
Once they reached the end of the street, Ash gave a new instruction.“I want to come back to the neighborhood to check out a few more places, but maybe we can stop by that Little Ethiopia area first and you can point out some of your favorite restaurants.”
“My pleasure,” he said.
Ash wanted to make one more pass on Hunt’s street, but not right away.A limo passing by twice in a short time might draw attention.If she waited an hour, the officers likely wouldn’t notice.Maybe a different patrol car would even be assigned by then.
“Have you been to any Ethiopian places before?”Manny asked.
Her focus was still on the photos she was taking as she answered.
“I actually went to one not too long ago that I really liked called Adina’s Ethiopian.”
“Is that in Mobile?”he asked excitedly, “because I know a great place in Palm Springs with that same name.”
Ash’s finger froze in the middle of taking a photo.Then she sighed.
