THE PERFECT IMAGE Read online

  t h e p e r f e c t i m a g e

  (a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 16)

  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 nineteen books; 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 thirteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising four books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT 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), IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1), and MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (A European Voyage Cozy Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Kobo!

  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 Giovanni Love, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  RACHEL GIFT MYSTERY SERIES

  HER LAST WISH (Book #1)

  HER LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

  HER LAST HOPE (Book #3)

  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)

  A FATALITY IN SPAIN (Book #4)

  SCANDAL IN LONDON (Book #5)

  AN IMPOSTOR IN DUBLIN (Book #6)

  SEDUCTION IN BORDEAUX (Book #7)

  JEALOUSY IN SWITZERLAND (Book #8)

  A DEBACLE IN PRAGUE (Book #9)

  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)

  ALREADY MISSING (Book #4)

  ALREADY DEAD (Book #5)

  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)

  LEFT TO PREY (Book #11)

  LEFT TO LURE (Book #12)

  LEFT TO CRAVE (Book #13)

  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)

  THE PERFECT IMAGE (Book #16)

  THE PERFECT VEIL (Book #17)

  THE PERFECT INDISCRETION (Book #18)

  THE PERFECT RUMOR (Book #19)

  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 (Boo
k #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 MURDER (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

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  “Jessie, will you marry me?”

  Her jaw dropped at the question.

  Was Ryan Hernandez really proposing to her? As she looked down at him, kneeling in the snow in the small California mountain town of Wildpines, her brain could barely process what was going on.

  When she went to bed last night, she was just happy that she, Ryan, and her sister, Hannah, were alive after facing off with the notorious serial killer called the Night Hunter. And that confrontation had happened only hours after uncovering who had been murdering local female entrepreneurs. Now her boyfriend was on his knee on a chilly mountain morning holding out a ring in a small black box, asking her to spend the rest of her life with him.

  “Jessie,” he repeated nervously, “will you?”

  She realized that she’d been staring silently at the ring for longer than might be considered customary. She blinked hard, snapping herself out of it.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed with tears in her eyes. “Of course I will.”

  Ryan’s face cracked into a wide smile. He stood up and put the ring on her finger before giving her a long kiss. She returned it with equal enthusiasm.

  “You had me worried there for a second,” he said quietly.

  “I’m sorry,” she replied excitedly, the impact of what had just happened finally hitting her for real. “I was just momentarily stunned. I didn’t see this coming, certainly not after the day we just had. I’m just trying to wrap my brain around it. Give me a minute and I’ll turn into a bowl of giddy Jell-O.”

  “You guys coming?” Sam shouted from the cabin. “The breakfast is getting cold.”

  For a second Jessie had forgotten that they had visitors. In addition to Hannah, who was still asleep inside, they had been joined last night by U.S. marshals Samuel Mason and Thomas Anderson. Both men were sent up to escort them back to L.A. today. After that, she and her family would lose federal protection; not that they needed it now that the Night Hunter was dead.

  Jessie had a brief flash of just how the Night Hunter had died, before forcefully pushing it out of her head. That wasn’t what she wanted to be thinking of in a moment like this.

  “We’ll be right there,” she yelled to Sam before turning her attention back to Ryan. “This is amazing. It really is. But can I make a weird request?”

  “Considering the one I just made, that seems fair,” Ryan said.

  “Do you mind if we keep this a secret for now?” she asked. Seeing his face falter slightly she pressed on. “I get that you want to shout it to the world and I do too. But you know that we’re going to have tons of department debriefs and media interviews over the next few days. If people see a ring on my finger, that’s only going to add to the complicated questions. At least for a little while, I’d like for this to just be ours, something no one else can have. What do you think?”

  His frown softened once he understood her reasoning, or at least the reasoning she was willing to provide to him right now.

  “Of course,” he said. “I get it. We can tell people once all this madness settles down.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, relieved.

  “I guess you better do what I’ve been doing for the last week.”

  “What’s that?” she wondered.

  “Hide it,” he said, closing the box and handing it over to her. “Hopefully you won’t be as nervous with it as I was.”

  “Big strong Ryan Hernandez was nervous holding a little tiny box?” she replied playfully. “How sweet!”

  “I guess that’s your first time officially teasing me as my fiancée.”

  “Trust me,” she assured him, “it won’t be the last.”

  *

  Marshal Sam Mason drove them back in the Service’s large, black SUV while Marshal Tom Anderson followed behind in their rental car. Hannah, who had to be threatened with having water poured on her to get out of bed, had fallen asleep almost as soon as the SUV started down the winding mountain road from Wildpines back to the freeway.

  Sam had the radio on, listening to some L.A. smooth jazz station. During a news break, the anchor came on to read the latest updates. The first story was about the president’s current international trip. The second story hit closer to home.

  “In local news, renowned criminal profiler Jessie Hunt has done it again. Last night in the small Riverside County town of Wildpines, she and LAPD Detective Ryan Hernandez took down one of the most infamous serial killers in American history. The true identity of the man, known to most as the Night Hunter, has yet to be determined and may never be. Sources say that the killer burned off his fingerprints and replaced his own teeth. The Night Hunter won’t be shedding any light on his real name, as he was killed during his apprehension.”

  The anchor continued but Jessie tuned him out. Saying that “he was killed during his apprehension” was technically true but didn’t accurately describe what transpired last night. The truth was that her half-sister, Hannah Dorsey, shot the Night Hunter in cold blood, when he was unarmed and had already been handcuffed. Just as bad, she didn’t seem to have any remorse about it.

  The old woman whom the Night Hunter had taken hostage—a shopkeeper named Maude—had covered for Hannah, saying the shooting was in self-defense. No one had contradicted her and the police seemed satisfied with that explanation. But that didn’t make it true. Her sister had committed murder. They would have to deal with that fact and whatever repercussions came with it.

  With that hanging over
her head, Jessie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake in accepting Ryan’s proposal. Was this the right time? Hannah was in a precarious psychological situation, if not a legal one. Ryan himself was still recovering both physically and emotionally from the attack that left him in a coma last summer. And the frenzy she would have to deal with in the aftermath of the Night Hunter case would be crushing for all of them. Maybe this wasn’t the ideal time to get engaged.

  She turned to Ryan, wondering how she could broach the topic delicately later, and was surprised to find that he was asleep too. Suddenly she felt tired as well. The weight of the last few days had been enormous and now that at least some of it was lifted, she found that she couldn’t maintain the level of adrenalized alertness that had helped her push through until now.

  She allowed her eyes to close. A sharp curve in the road made her open them, though it took some effort. But within seconds, they were closed again and she drifted off.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ten Days Later

  Everyone had gone to bed; everyone except Gillian, of course.

  As usual, while the rest of her family slept, Gillian Fahey puttered around the house, waiting to get tired. It was after 1 a.m. but she still felt wide awake. Watching TV hadn’t helped. Nor had reading or knitting.

  Despite therapy, meditation, and pills, she still struggled with insomnia. Oftentimes, she wouldn’t drift off until 2 or 3 a.m., only to have to wake up again at six to get everyone ready for the day. It had been this way for months now. It was worse than usual tonight because her husband, Simon, was away on a business trip.

  Gillian wandered from the sitting room, where she’d been looking at a collection of framed family photos, through the game room, the music room, and the family room, until she reached the kitchen. She wasn’t especially hungry but thought that maybe hunting through the fridge for expired food or leftovers that had turned bad would keep her busy for a while. Perhaps she’d even reorganize the small pantry.

  She was just grabbing a few suspicious-looking Tupperware containers out of the fridge when she heard something. She immediately recognized the noise. The rope chain for one of the back deck table umbrellas was banging against the umbrella pole, making an annoying clanging sound.