Page 36 of The Perfect Revenge
“Her name is Denise Monroe.She was an intake specialist until I let her go four months ago.We discovered that she’d engaged in identity theft.I guess I have to say allegedly.She wasn’t convicted.”
“What did she do?”Jessie asked.
“At least three clients had their information used to make purchases, all within days of her doing the intake.She had access to not just them, but our entire client database and their payment methods.A detective even came out and investigated.He said that while Denise was the prime suspect, he didn't have enough to take it to prosecutors.We were about to put her on probationary status, but then a separate client reported that someone had called them, trying to blackmail them in order to keep their surrogacy quiet."
“Did it work?”Susannah asked.
“No.While some folks like to keep their visits with us private, this woman had no such concerns.She tried to keep the caller on the line while her husband called the police.It kind of worked.They traced the call to a payphone, which I didn’t even know still existed.But this one was about a mile from where Denise lives, in Malibu.”
“Did your client recognize it as her voice?”Jessie asked.
"No, it was a male.But he referenced details that the client claimed she shared in her intake interview.And to make her even more suspicious, it just so happens that Denise is living in sin."
"I'm sorry," Jessie said, perplexed."I don't follow."
Mulligan looked annoyed that she even had to explain.
“Denise is living with her boyfriend, so that might explain the male voice.And I wouldn’t expect much of a moral compass from an unmarried couple living together.”
This interview had taken an unexpected turn.Jessie was inclined to move past the lecturing comments, but Susannah apparently was not.Coincidentally, she had recently moved in with her older, surfer cop boyfriend.
“So you think that because they aren’t married but are living together, that makes them more likely to commit criminal acts?”Susannah’s tone dripped with derision.
“It doesn’t make themlesslikely,” Mulligan shot back.
Jessie jumped in before things escalated.
“Did the detective investigate them for attempted blackmail?”
"Yes," Mulligan said huffily."But the call wasn't recorded, so there was no voice analysis.Plus, there aren't any cameras near that payphone.He said that despite his suspicions, there was no case.But I'd had enough.I fired her that day.And the next week I had detailed background checks done on everyone else on staff.They all came back clean."
“We’d like to review their files nonetheless,” Jessie said.“But we’ll definitely start with whatever you have on Denise Monroe.”
“It would be my pleasure,” Mulligan said.“And if you pay her a visit, say hi to the trollop from me.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Jessie decided that she probably wouldn’t pass along Mary Mulligan’s message.
As they pulled up in front of the complex that was listed as Denise’s Monroe’s address, she had to double check its accuracy with Jamil.She’d been expecting that Monroe would live in some rundown complex in Malibu proper.But like Maggie Caldwell, it appeared that Monroe lived right on the beach.In this case, the home was three stories high.Jamil’s text came back before she even got out of the car.
Monroe’s boyfriend is Ranger Callister.His father is a record executive and gifted the house to Ranger on his 21stbirthday.That is where he shoots his influencer videos.
“Seems like we’ve got a live one?”Susannah said when Jessie showed her the text.
“Anything I need to know?”Officer Harper Devery asked as he got out of the patrol car he’d parked behind them.
They had initially suggested that Devery stay at Elite Family Services to scan and send employee files to HSS research.But when two additional officers showed up, he’d pleaded with them to let him join them for the Monroe questioning.
“If these two are into identity theft and blackmail, who knows what else they’re capable of,” he’d pointed out at the time.“Wouldn’t it help to have a uniformed officer around as a precaution?”
Jessie could sense the kid’s enthusiasm and took professional pity on him.Standing there with hisboyish demeanor and brown hair parted neatly to the right, he reminded her of an overeager puppy.His cheeks were flushed with excitement, and his eyes were wide with the anticipation of someone who hadn’t yet dealt with the awful things that he’d eventually see on the job.
“Here’s what you need to know,” she said in answer to his question.“This place belongs to Denise Monroe’s boyfriend, whose name is apparently Ranger Callister.”
“Oh wow, is he the kid of Cason Callister, the music producer?”
“How do you know that?”Susannah asked, clearly surprised.
