Page 47 of The Perfect Revenge
Jessie didn’t disagree.That’s why they had to come at it from another angle.She tried to think about what might have set Sienna Tropper off.It obviously had something to do with the surrogacies.But based on their conversation with family members of those murdered, nothing dramatically new had happened in any of the victims’ lives lately that might have piqued Sienna’s ire.What were they missing when it came to these women?
As she got in the passenger seat, Jessie had a thought.What if it wasn’t one ofthesewomen that set her off?What if it was another one?She turned to Susannah.
“We’ve been assuming that these three victims were the only ones that Sienna Tropper had failed pregnancies with because they’re the victims.But there’s no guarantee that they’re the only ones.If they were, she would probably have come home by now.What if she still has another potential victim in mind, maybe one she’s saving for last because that’s who initially set her off?”
Susannah was already calling research before Jessie had finished her thought.She barely waited for the call to connect before she started talking.
“Jamil, we need you to do a search—.”
"It's Beth, actually.Jamil is working on another project right now."
Jessie found that odd.What project could possibly take priority over their serial killer case.But that was a question for another time.Right now, they needed answers.
“Okay,” Susannah said.“Can you check Sienna Tropper’s financials to see if she took on any other surrogacy jobsafterMaggie Caldwell?”
“Hold on a second,” Beth said.They could hear her typing furiously and stayed quiet to let her concentrate.
"Actually, yes!"she said excitedly."She had one last client two and a half years ago, a woman named Shannon Mitchell.Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage as well.It looks like that was her last time doing this.I don't find records of any other clients."
“We need her address,” Jessie said.
“ASAP!”Susannah shouted as she punched the accelerator.
Jessie clutched the armrest for dear life as they tore down the street
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Rufus Harrington had just finished his rounds.
It was 6:47.Every hour on the fifteens, he did a security sweep of the house.He checked all the locks on the doors, scanned the exterior—front and back, and checked in with the nurse, Lenore, on Finn Anderton's status.There was no change.
He was just returning to his chair in the living room.From there, he had a clear view of the front door, the sliding rear door, the hallway that connected to the bedrooms, and the garage door at the end of the hall.He was debating whether to make a fresh pot of coffee, but decided against it.He could hold out a few hours longer until he might really need it.
Coffee wasn't his top priority anyway.He was supposed to check in with his boss at Security Analysis Services, Grover Nix, after every security sweep, and if he was more than five minutes late, Grover got antsy and would call him.Hoping to avoid that, Rufus started to compose a text saying there was no change.
He was about to hit “send” when Lenore called out for him.“Rufus, come quick!”
He unholstered his weapon and, wondering if he’d somehow missed something, immediately moved toward the bedroom where Finn was lying in a hospital bed.When he stepped into the room, he understood the urgency in Lenore’s voice.Finn Anderton’s eyes were open.
“When did he wake up?”Rufus asked.
“Just now.”
Anderton looked agitated.His gray eyes were wild, and his blond hair stuck to his forehead.He was stirring in the bed, but after ten weeks of inactivity, his muscles weren't responding, and he was clearly frustrated.He tried to open his mouth to speak, but only a gurgle came out.
“Finn,” Lenore said with preternatural calm, “you’re okay.You’ve been unconscious for two and a half months.That’s why your body isn’t doing what you want.It will return to normal soon.Just relax.You’re safe.”
That seemed to help, but only a little.Finn stopped trying to move but kept trying to talk.Only incoherent mumbles came out of his mouth.Rufus stepped forward, holstering his gun.
“Can you get him some water?”he asked Lenore before turning to Anderton.“Finn, don’t try so hard.Your voice will return in a bit.This is Lenore.She’s a nurse.My name is Rufus.”
Lenore stepped forward with a large cup of water and positioned a straw in Finn’s mouth.He tried to suck but couldn’t generate enough suction.
“That’s okay,” Lenore said.“Your throat muscles have been out of commission for a while.We should be going slow anyway so I’m going to spoon some water into your mouth to help with the dryness.”
While she did that, Rufus continued."I'm sure you've got a million questions, and I'm going to do my best to answer them in advance.Here's your situation.You may not recall this, but you were attacked with a knife in a UC Irvine parking lot.That was in early May.It's mid-July now.You've been unconscious this entire time.You were in the hospital for a while.But because you're attacker wasn't identified, once you were stable enough, you were transferred to a more secure location.This is a safe house.The U.S.Marshals moved you here, and Jessie Hunt, the sister of your friend Hannah, hired us to keep you safe and well-cared for.I work for a private security company that she's used in the past.Your parents know you're here and have visited you on multiple occasions.But we have to be careful in case your attacker is watching them.Other than a tight circle of people, no one knows where you are, and we want to keep it that way until we know who did this."
As he said that, Finn’s eyes went wide, almost pleading.
