Page 11 of The Perfect Obsession
“So what makes you think you’ve come so far then?”
“Because that wasn’t the only place I learned coping techniques,” she said.
“What does that mean?”
She was about to answer when she got a text from Captain Parker that made her sigh.
“What’s wrong?”Ryan asked.
“Parker says Chief Decker wants us to call him with an update on the Caroline Sheffield case.He promised her aunt an update and hasn’t heard anything new in hours.”
“That’s because we don’thaveanything new,” Ryan said, irritated.
“Agreed,” Jessie said, “But we have to be a little more diplomatic when we tell him that.I suggest we tell him that we’re starting fresh tomorrow and anticipate having some promising leads by then.”
“So you want to lie?”Ryan asked.
“I don’t want to disappoint the man, so I’m choosing to be optimistic.”
But even as she said it, she silently conceded that Ryan was right.It would be a lie.
They had nothing.
CHAPTER NINE
Ash Pierce pretended to be a normal person.
She was on the deck of the Airstream trailer that had been her home for the last month, watching the sun set.She was in Coastal Camper Canyon Park near Big Sur, with a spot overlooking the Pacific Ocean.She tried to connect to what she knew was a powerful, beautiful moment for so many people.But it didn’t take.
While streaks of orange, pink, and purple lit up the dimming sky, they did little for her.There were things that excited her, things she couldn’t discuss in polite company.
For example, she loved the sight of an exploding skull after she’d hit the intended target with a perfect head shot from long distance.She relished the sound of a bone snapping in someone designated for physical punishment.She delighted in the tears of a person who finally realized that all their pleading was fruitless and that very soon, their existence would be snuffed out.
But those weren’t things she could gab about at the park’s general store when she picked up extra pretzels or toilet paper.Not that she did much talking there anyway.That would defeat the purpose of staying at such an isolated location.She was here to stay hidden, not make friends.
That’s why anytime she left the confines of the converted glamping trailer—which was equipped with Wi-Fi, streaming services, and a private sauna built out back—She wore a disguise.She knew how to blend in.After all, prior to her time as a killer for hire, she’d done similar work for both the military and the CIA.The work had taught her to keep a low profile until the moment she had to act.One would never know what she was capable of, based on appearances.Hertiny's frame, short black hair, arched nose, and pale skin all suggested fragility.Ash wasn’t a big person.
But when she left the trailer, she wore a longish, blonde wig, sunglasses, and boots that made her appear about 4 inches taller than she was.She didn’t avoid conversations with other folks in the park, but she didn’t initiate them either.She was hoping to find that happy medium where she seemed pleasantly boring.The goal was to interact with her neighbors just enough to avoid drawing suspicion.Seeming like a shut-in would draw attention.So would being interesting.She wanted to steer clear of either scenario.
And it seemed to be working.She’s been here for a month, ever since the close call in L.A.After she’d had to eliminate the friendly limo driver who’d taken her past Jessie Hunt’s house multiple times, she’d barely escaped town on the bus that took her back to Palm Springs.
From there, she went to the storage unit that she paid for in cash, collected her limited belongings, put them in the old, beat up Toyota Corolla that she’d bought for $1200 in cash and also kept in the unit, and drove to the RV park, taking less-traveled, rural highways that were less likely to have traffic cameras which might ID her.
Once she set up shop in the trailer—which she also rented in cash—she got to work.When she wasn’t engaging in perfunctory interaction with other park dwellers, she was preparing.That meant long hikes in the nearby forest, which often turned into training runs to get her back to peak condition.It meant finding a spot where she could conduct target practice—using a silencer, of course—without other hikers stumbling across her.The last thing she needed was to eliminate inadvertent troublemakers and have to scramble to find a new base of operations.
When she wasn’t prepping outside, she was doing so inside.With the window shades pulled and music playing just loud enough to mask her activities, she did the hard work of preparation: sharpening her hunting blades, cleaning all her guns, keeping the bone saw oiled.
Other moments were spent on less rewarding tasks.She reviewed the grid details for Jessie Hunt’s neighborhood, her street, and what she could find out about her house.Unfortunately, most of the information was outdated.There were references to home renovations and upgraded security measures in municipal records databases, but Hunt had been careful to make sure that the particulars of the construction work were unavailable.
It appeared to have been wiped from the system entirely—a wise precaution that could only have been carried out with help from higher-ups.Considering that Hunt was notoriously tight with LAPD chief Roy Decker, it made sense that strings had been pulled to keep her info offline.
But that was okay.Ash had another way in.She’d discovered a clever tactic to infiltrate the life of Jessie Hunt, and by extension, Hannah Dorsey, Ryan Hernandez, and Kat Gentry.That last of those folks had been a thorn in Ash’s side over these last few months, one she was ready to remove for good.
It was the Gentry who had figured out that Ash had been hiding in Ecuador after she escaped the L.A.courthouse in a shootout.Gentry had also somehow gleaned that Ash had subsequently returned to the U.S..Gentry was the one who’d been hot on her heels, nearly catching up to her in Phoenix, in Las Vegas, at Joshua Tree, and finally in Palm Springs.In a few instances, Ash had only left a day or two earlier.
But the time for running was over.She was now in the planning stage.Next, she would go on the attack.It was just a matter of picking the perfect moment.One thing Ash knew for sure: it would be soon.
CHAPTER TEN
