The Perfect Facade (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Twelve) Read online

  t h e p e r f e c t f a c a d e

  (a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 12)

  b l a k e p i e r c e

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising fifteen books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the new A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the new AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  Copyright © 2021 by Blake Pierce. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Julenochek, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES

  CITY OF PREY (Book #1)

  CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)

  CITY OF BONES (Book #3)

  A YEAR IN EUROPE

  A MURDER IN PARIS (Book #1)

  DEATH IN FLORENCE (Book #2)

  VENGEANCE IN VIENNA (Book #3)

  ELLA DARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

  GIRL, ALONE (Book #1)

  GIRL, TAKEN (Book #2)

  GIRL, HUNTED (Book #3)

  GIRL, SILENCED (Book #4)

  GIRL, VANISHED (Book 5)

  GIRL ERASED (Book #6)

  LAURA FROST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

  ALREADY GONE (Book #1)

  ALREADY SEEN (Book #2)

  ALREADY TRAPPED (Book #3)

  EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)

  DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)

  CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)

  MISFORTUNE (AND GOUDA) (Book #4)

  CALAMITY (AND A DANISH) (Book #5)

  MAYHEM (AND HERRING) (Book #6)

  ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES

  LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)

  LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)

  LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)

  LEFT TO KILL (Book #4)

  LEFT TO MURDER (Book #5)

  LEFT TO ENVY (Book #6)

  LEFT TO LAPSE (Book #7)

  LEFT TO VANISH (Book #8)

  LEFT TO HUNT (Book #9)

  LEFT TO FEAR (Book #10)

  THE AU PAIR SERIES

  ALMOST GONE (Book#1)

  ALMOST LOST (Book #2)

  ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)

  ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES

  FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)

  FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)

  FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)

  FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)

  FACE OF FURY (Book #5)

  FACE OF DARKNESS (Book #6)

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)

  THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)

  THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)

  THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)

  THE PERFECT ALIBI (Book #8)

  THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR (Book #9)

  THE PERFECT DISGUISE (Book #10)

  THE PERFECT SECRET (Book #11)

  THE PERFECT FAÇADE (Book #12)

  THE PERFECT IMPRESSION (Book #13)

  THE PERFECT DECEIT (Book #14)

  THE PERFECT MISTRESS (Book #15)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  HOMECOMING (Book #5)

  TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  IF SHE RAN (Book #3)

  IF SHE HID (Book #4)

  IF SHE FLED (Book #5)

  IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)

  IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  STALKING (Book #5)

  KILLING (Book #6)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  ONCE MISSED (Book #16)

  ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)

  BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)
/>   BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)

  BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Claudia was afraid to move.

  She felt like she was on the verge of throwing up and worried that any kind of physical action, no matter how small, might exacerbate things. Her hope was that she’d just drift off to sleep again and when she next woke up the flip-flops her stomach was doing would be gone.

  She rolled over in the bed, away from the half-open bedroom door. Someone had left a light on in the main room of the hotel suite and a beam was streaming through, illuminating the bedroom more than she liked. She tried to ignore it and curled up in the fetal position, looking out through the crack in the curtains at the twinkling lights of the Hollywood Hills in the distance.

  She pretended not to notice that her hair, sweaty and limp, was clinging to the back of her neck. She hugged the sheets closer to herself in a futile attempt to warm her clammy skin. As she tried to focus on the distant hills rather than her discomfort, she resolved never to drink like this again, whether it was a birthday celebration or not. When she got home, she would hug her kids, take a long shower, and spend the weekend in sweats.

  The thought was comforting enough that she relaxed slightly. She pictured Callie and Joey running up to her as she came through the front door, asking if she’d missed them after one whole night apart. Suddenly her eyes felt droopy and the twinkling lights through the window got blurry. Her body sank into the mattress. She sank into sleep.

  She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out when a shadow crossed through the light from the suite, making her stir slightly. Despite the wishes of her stomach, she rolled back in that direction and blinked slowly.

  It took her a second to understand that the shadow blocking the light from the other room was caused by a person beside her bed. It took her another moment to process that the person’s arm was swinging downward and that there was something large in their right hand.

  But she didn’t have time to do anything about it—not to move, not to scream, certainly not to comprehend that she was about to die.

  *

  The inside of Veronica’s mouth felt like sandpaper.

  She tried to swallow but her throat was so dry she thought she might choke. With enormous reluctance, she started to open her eyes. It required effort as they had stuck together slightly, likely a result of being too drunk to take out her contacts and sleeping on her face most of the night.

  She rolled carefully onto her side and slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position on the converted sofa bed. Her head pounded and she felt slightly nauseated, but there was no immediate desire to vomit. Heartened by that small blessing, she glanced around the hotel suite.

  Kimberly was lying next to her on the bed, sprawled out on her stomach, her red hair jutting out in every direction, almost as if it had been electrified. Lauren, completely naked, was lying on the floor beside the loveseat, which she’d apparently rolled out of during the night. Veronica couldn’t be sure, but from this distance, it looked like her friend might have bits of vomit in her blonde hair.

  Veronica looked away. She couldn’t handle seeing that in her condition, especially at this hour. As she slowly stood up and staggered across the massive suite, she struggled to remember the events of the prior evening. The place was trashed, with food on the floor, empty glasses everywhere, and what appeared to be ceramic shards from a broken vase.

  She had no recollection of how that happened. In fact, much of last night was a blur. Her brain was a convoluted mix of images that included club-hopping, endless shots, wild flirting, and perhaps more than that. She could have run naked through the street last night and she might not remember it. The possibility was embarrassing and a little scary. She closed her eyes tight at the thought of it all.

  As she approached the bathroom, she glanced through the open door to the main bedroom, which birthday girl Claudia had gotten all to herself. Her friend was lying on her back, her arms and legs splayed out lazily.

  Veronica turned back toward the bathroom and was about to step in when her brain caught up to her eyes. She glanced back in the bedroom to make sure she’d seen correctly. There was a large stain on the sheets near Claudia’s head. Blinking aggressively, she stepped into the bedroom.

  It was hard to accept what she was seeing. The stain was more of a liquid pool, so large that it had dripped down the side of the bed into a small puddle on the carpet. As she got closer, Veronica looked at Claudia. Her friend’s eyes were open. Just above the left one was a massive indentation near her temple. That was the source of the liquid, which Veronica now understood to be blood.

  It was only after her brain had taken in all of these seemingly disparate facts that she was able to connect them. And only then did the screaming start.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jessie Hunt was on a high as she walked out of the lecture hall.

  Whenever she did these monthly Saturday morning seminars, she worried that there would be an embarrassingly sparse turnout. But just as with the last two, the room had been packed, not only with students from her own class, but with all the ones who hadn’t gotten in and apparently wanted some other way to hear her speak.

  It had been almost three months since she’d accepted the lecturing position at UCLA and it had gone much better than she’d expected. So well in fact, that she’d turned down Captain Decker’s multiple requests to consult on cases for the LAPD. She hadn’t worked one since a high-powered entertainment lawyer was murdered at the home of a billionaire mogul back in September.

  She’d simply been too busy. There was all the prep work required for her weekly lecture in criminal profiling, plus these monthly Saturday morning seminars, which were an unmitigated hit. Each one focused on a different element of profiling, usually using one of her cases as an example. Beyond that, she was supervising her boyfriend’s rehabilitation and trying to keep up with the mood swings of her teenage sister. It was a lot.

  “I think that went pretty well,” Kat said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

  Katherine “Kat” Gentry, her best friend, was walking beside her along the tree-lined path of the quad. Kat had been her special guest at today’s seminar. That was because, in addition to being Jessie’s friend
, she’d also served as the head of security for several years at a facility that incarcerated multiple mentally unstable criminals, including the notorious serial killer Bolton Crutchfield, the subject of the seminar.

  Her tenure had ended badly, with Crutchfield and others escaping while she was out of town. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t offer valuable insight into the challenges of operating a place charged with housing men intent on killing people for sport.

  “Me too,” Jessie agreed. “You were a big hit.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Kat said. “I thought I saw some judgy faces when we talked about how Crutchfield escaped on my watch.”

  “First of all, it wasn’t on your watch,” Jessie corrected. “You weren’t on site and your right-hand man turned out to be working for Crutchfield. And second, did you see people’s faces when you said you were now a private eye? They were smitten. I bet you get a dozen referrals because of today.”

  “That’d be nice,” Kat said. “Because for every quality case I get these days, the next five are suspicious spouses who want evidence of infidelity. Those wear on you after a while.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jessie assured her playfully. “I bet you get a bunch of rich college students asking you to track down their stolen PlayStations after this.”

  “From your lips,” Kat replied.

  They made their way down a steep flight of stairs that opened onto a large courtyard filled with a collection of brightly colored flowers. Jessie marveled once again at how different this work environment was from LAPD’s downtown Central Station, a large, bland, rectangular building just blocks away from skid row, with a courtyard highlighted by a solitary tree. This was vastly preferable.

  “How’s Ryan doing?” Kat asked, referencing Jessie’s boyfriend.

  Detective Ryan Hernandez had nearly died over the summer when he was stabbed in the chest by Jessie’s ex-husband. He was in a coma for weeks. When he regained consciousness and eventually left the hospital, he’d moved in with Jessie and her half-sister, Hannah. Since then, he’d been engaged in intense daily physical therapy in the hopes of rejoining the force.