Page 39 of The Perfect Obsession
Jessie glanced down at Amanda’s feet and noticed for the first time that one of her feet had come out of her house shoe.She imagined it coming off in the struggle as the woman fought to survive.
Jessie looked away, feeling more than sympathy.There were the familiar stirrings of rage starting to churn in her gut.As soon as she recognized them, she made a point to acknowledge them and shut them down before they became too powerful.
But as that faded, she noted another unexpected emotion rising in her chest.There was a hint of shame, as if she were partly responsible for the woman’s death.Maybe she should have pushed harder for the Krantzes to go to a hotel right away.As soon as she left this house, she would double-check that all the other Thornfield friends had really done the same by now.Foot-dragging could be deadly.
Of course, if Alexander Krantz was the killer, that was all moot.Amanda wouldn’t have been safe anywhere, and the others were no longer in danger.
But unlike Sergeant Frank, she wasn’t yet convinced.In fact, right now, she wasn’t convinced of much of anything.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Even under the circumstances, Hannah was bored.
Yes, a man with a history of trespassing and assault was stalking their client.And admittedly, she had agreed to spend the day in Wren Rivera’s office, schooling her on techniques to stay alert and keep herself safe.But all that had been taken care of hours ago.
In the time since, Wren had been on a series of phone calls, stepped in and out of meetings, and typed away furiously at her keyboard.It seemed that helping veterans find decent home health care was a job free of relaxation.Hannah wasn’t envious of her.
After first spending some time in a spare chair next to Wren’s desk, then in a tiny conference room with a view of the desk, followed by a stretch in the unimpressive break room, Hannah moved out to the small reception area.At least there she couldn’t hear the constant chatter of the employees, which had given her a low-grade headache.
She readjusted herself in the barely cushioned chair and glanced over at the receptionist, who was primarily focused on scrolling through her phone.Hannah was tempted to do the same, then chastised herself.
She should really use this downtime to call Finn again and see how he's been doing since they last spoke.She kept avoiding following up, and the awkwardness would only get worse the longer she waited.In a little over a month, she would—and she assumed he would too—be back at school.It would be nice if they had returned to something approximating normal by then.
Then again, she wasn’t sure what ‘normal’ was when Finn had been stabbed repeatedly by someone he’d confronted, after repeatedly warning her she shouldn’t trust the guy.Moreover, if Finn were able to return to school, he’d probably need some assistance after the stabbing and having been in a coma for two months.Carrying his backpack around on occasion seemed like the least she could do.
Of course, for her to do any of that, she needed to get more comfortable out in the world.Sure, she’d driven around with Kat, sat at lunch in Grand Central Market, followed Wren down the crowded street, and was now camped out in the woman’s office.But all those outings were always with someone else.
At school, she would often be on her own, and she needed to get more comfortable with it.She had excuses not to.An incel had manipulated her for months, eventually taking her on a camping trip where he planned to kill her.And a hitwoman with a vendetta against her was currently on the loose.Anyone would be traumatized by those twin horrors.
And truth be told, if Ash Pierce was still walking free by the time sophomore year started, there was no way that Jessie was going to let her attend in-person classes or live on campus.But she had to plan as if she were still going, in case it did happen.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Wren, who opened the door from the main office to reception.
“Bathroom break,” she said.“Any updates from Kat?”
“Nothing in the last little bit,” Hannah told her.“But I’ll check with her.Hopefully, I’ll have info for you when you get back.”
Thanks,” Wren said as she left.
Hannah put in her earbuds and called Kat.The P.I.picked up on the first ring.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Hannah assured her.“Wren just went to the restroom and wanted to know if you had anything new to share.”
“Not really,” Kat admitted.“Quaid has been bouncing around down here for hours.He’ll go into a store or café for a short stretch, but never for more than a few minutes.It’s clear he doesn’t want to lose sight of Wren’s building’s entrance.I could tell he got agitated when she didn’t come down during her lunch break.That’s two days in a row now, and I get the sense that he lives for those sightings.”
“What’s he doing now?”
“He went into that convenience store next to her building a few minutes ago.He seems to use that place whenever he needs to use the restroom.It's his third time in there today.In fact, it’s been longer than usual.Normally, he likes to pop in and out quickly so he doesn’t miss her.”
“Maybe all that snack food and stalking is giving him digestive issues,” Hannah suggested with a chuckle.
“Maybe,” Kat said.“I’m actually heading over there now to poke my head in.”
“Aren’t you worried he’ll spot you?”Hannah asked.
“No.I’ve been in my car most of the time, and he’s never even looked my way.But I’m wearing a wig and sunglasses just in case.I’m about to walk in, so I’m going quiet for a minute.
