Page 31 of The Perfect Revenge
Jessie could see that Susannah didn’t love the idea.She probably feared that Borowitz would make a run for it once alerted to their presence.But that didn’t seem likely to Jessie.Nothing so far suggested that the man was a suspect.And he was staying here at the hotel with his young child.He had no reason not to cooperate.Still, she tried to find a compromise.
"That's fine," she said."But if he's not properly responsive to our request, we expect that you'll share his room number and take us directly to him.This is a very serious matter, and professional courtesy only goes so far.Fair?"
Of course,” he said, then turned to the still-seething receptionist.“Why don’t you take your break now, Chad?”
The guy clearly didn't want to leave without adding his two cents, but Grant's expression was stern, and the younger man relented.After he headed to the back, the manager picked up the phone and dialed a number just out of her line of sight.
“Mr.Borowitz, this is Grant, the front desk manager.There are several members of law enforcement here to speak with you.Should I send them to your room or would you prefer to meet them up here?”
He paused for a moment, listening to the voice on the other end of the line.
“In that case, I recommend the tea room.Just come up front and we’ll set up a table for you.”
Again, he listened.
“That’s fine, Mr.Borowitz.And please come quickly.Your visitors are anxious to speak with you.”He hung up and addressed them.“He’ll be here in three minutes.”
“Where’s the tea room?”Susannah asked.
“Right over there,” Grant said, pointing at a room just off the lobby that was filled with couches and banquettes.“It should afford you a little more privacy than talking out here in the main lobby.Would you like to wait there and I’ll bring Mr.Borowitz to you?”
“That’s okay,” Susannah said.“We’ll wait here with you.”
Two minutes later, a man Jessie recognized emerged from the hall.He looked much like the photos of him that research had provided, only wearier.Teddy Borowitz was 37, but looked a decade older than that right now.His curly black-gray hair was slightly unkempt.He wore jeans and an untucked button-down shirt.Jessie knew the man was some kind of crypto investor, but not much more than that.When he reached them, Grant took the lead.
“If everyone would please follow me to the tea room,” he requested.
He guided them to a large banquette, big enough to seat double their number.Once they all slid in, Grant left them with menus, which Jessie considered wildly optimistic of him.Once he left, she jumped right in.
“Thank you for the time, Mr.Borowitz,” she said.“I’m Jessie Hunt, a profiler with the LAPD.This is Detective Valentine.We’re leading the investigation into your ex-wife’s murder.First of all, we’d like to extend our sympathies on your loss.”
“Thank you,” he said begrudgingly, his eyes suspicious.“But I already talked to the officers who met me at the airport.I’m not sure what else you need from me.”
“We always like to follow up with our own questions, Mr.Borowitz,” she said.
“Okay, but can we please make it quick.I don’t want to leave my son for too long.”
“You left him alone in the room?”Susannah asked, aghast.
"Of course not!"he nearly spat."My fiancée flew into town early this morning.She's with him in the room.He's napping right now, but I want to be there when he wakes up."
“How is Devon doing?”Jessie asked, hoping to move past the speedbump.“This must be very difficult for him.”
A server came over to their table, but Susannah waved her off before she could say a word.Teddy looked like he might have liked to order something, but reluctantly returned his attention to Jessie.
“He’s not great,” he said.“He doesn’t know what happened to Maggie yet, but he keeps asking for his mommy.He’s upset that he didn’t get to say goodnight to her last night.He’s fixated on not having gotten a bedtime kiss.”
"We're really sorry to hear that," Jessie said with total sincerity.She remembered how hard it was to process her mother's death.Even though she'd been twice as old as Devon at the time and had watched her be slaughtered, back then, she sometimes thought it was just a bad dream.She didn't envy Borowitz, but that wasn't their priority right now."We want to let you get back to him as soon as possible, so we're going to be direct in our questions, okay, Mr.Borowitz.Please don't take offense at that."
“I’ll try not to.”
“What was your relationship like with Maggie after your divorce?”
“Why, do you consider me a suspect?”His tone was immediately belligerent and defensive.
“I didn’t say that,” Jessie said calmly.“But I told you we’d be direct.So please, how did you get along?”
He was quiet for a moment.When he replied, he was less agitated.
