The Perfect Veil, page 1
t h e p e r f e c t v e i l
(a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 17)
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 four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising six books (and counting).
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 Pelevina Ksinia, 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)
HER LAST FEAR (Book #4)
HER LAST CHOICE (Book #5)
HER LAST BREATH (Book #6)
AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES
CITY OF PREY (Book #1)
CITY OF FEAR (Book #2)
CITY OF BONES (Book #3)
CITY OF GHOSTS (Book #4)
CITY OF DEATH (Book #5)
CITY OF VICE (Book #6)
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)
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)
GIRL, FORSAKEN (Book #7)
GIRL, TRAPPED (Book #8)
GIRL, EXPENDABLE (Book #9)
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)
ALREADY TAKEN (Book #6)
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 (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 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< br />
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
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
Beatrice knocked, just to be safe. And then she knocked again.
She’d been burned too often. More times than she could count, despite the absence of “do not disturb” placards on the outside of hotel room doors, she’d opened them to discover private activities going on inside. That usually led to yelling, and sometimes to complaints. So Beatrice had a system.
She knocked loudly and called out, “Housekeeping!” If there was no response after ten seconds, she knocked a second time. After ten more seconds, she did a final knock, with one more announcement of who she was. Then she used her key card to open the door a crack and made her presence known one final time before actually entering the room.
That’s the procedure she used before entering suite 1002 of the Buckingham Sunset Hotel in West Hollywood at 8:02 in the morning. And it seemed to work fine. She propped open the door, and walked in to survey the room before determining what needed to be done.
Suite 1002 was one of six suites on the tenth floor, all of which typically required twice the cleaning time of a regular room. She moved past the small entryway into the main sitting room of the suite, hoping the mess wouldn’t be too time-consuming.
She sensed something was off right away. At first she couldn’t place it. But after a few seconds she realized what it was. The large table lamp by the window overlooking the Sunset Strip was missing. She walked over to the adjoining couch to see if it had fallen behind it. That’s when she saw her.
The woman was lying face up on the carpet. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be passed out. She was beautiful, with long black hair and dark skin. Beatrice guessed that she might be of Hispanic or Middle Eastern heritage. She was wearing a tight, black mini dress that looked like something one might wear out for a night on the Strip. The lamp was on the carpet beside the woman’s head and for a second Beatrice thought maybe she’d drunkenly knocked it over when she collapsed. But then she noticed the blood. It was pooled under the back of woman’s head, glowing slightly in the morning light.
Beatrice froze for a moment, unsure what to do. She could hear her own blood pumping loudly in her ears and her wheezing breaths told her that her asthma was kicking in. Oddly, she had no inclination to scream. Should she try to help the woman? Should she call the police?
In the end, she did the only thing she knew wouldn’t cost her the job she so desperately needed to keep. After taking a puff of her inhaler, she called the Housekeeping line and asked to speak to the manager on duty.
CHAPTER ONE
It was already a crazy morning.
Jessie had gotten up early to run five miles, part of her revamped fitness routine, now that she wasn’t in hiding from a serial killer. By the time she got back home, her fiancé, Ryan Hernandez, had done his workout, showered and gotten dressed. Her half-sister, Hannah Dorsey, was still in sweats, but at least she was up and moving around the kitchen.
“Don’t forget, we have to be out the door in twenty minutes,” Jessie told her as she started for the bedroom to prep for her own shower.
“You’re kidding, right?” Hannah asked in disbelief.
“About what?”
“I told you this last night,” her sister said, exasperated. “It’s a teacher in-service day. I don’t have school. Why do you think I’m moving around so leisurely?”
“Oh right. Sorry. I forgot,” she admitted. “With everything going on this week, I’m all turned around. Say, as long as you’re in leisure mode, do you think you could make me one of your famous pesto egg breakfast sandwiches to go? Otherwise, I’ll never make it to the station on time.”
“What will you do for me?” Hannah asked, only half-joking.
“Well, here’s my offer: Kat is coming by to return an old textbook I lent her on Behavioral Criminology and if you make my sandwich, I might not ask her to stick around and watch you for the day. How’s that for an even trade?”
Hannah rolled her eyes almost completely out of her head.
“First of all, you two middle-aged women and your shared textbooks are shockingly lame.”
“You know I’m thirty—,” Jessie said, but Hannah wasn’t done.
“And secondly, we need to have a real talk about how quid pro quo works. I will make your sandwich but I expect that it will engender some goodwill that will pay off in unexpected ways down the line.”
“Thank you,” Jessie said, deciding to leave it there and head for the shower.
All things considered, it was a decent interaction, of which there had been surprisingly many recently. Of course, it was all relative. Everything short of shooting and killing an unarmed, handcuffed man to death counted as “decent” these days.
Admittedly the man that Hannah had shot went by the title of the Night Hunter and was a notorious serial killer who had stalked their whole family. But that didn’t change the troubling fact that when Hannah killed him, he was no longer a threat.
That’s why she’d been seeing Dr. Janice Lemmon regularly for the two and half weeks since the incident, though she had yet to admit to the psychiatrist what happened that night. Despite that fairly large omission, Hannah seemed to be making progress in therapy. And in most other ways, she was thriving.
As Jessie reminded herself while getting in the shower, there had been no additional acting out—that is, not putting herself in danger for the thrill of it. She was doing well in school, so well in fact that Jessie wondered if she ought to reconsider Hannah’s plan to go to culinary school in the fall. At this rate, despite all the traumas she’d suffered and school time she’d missed, she was on target to graduate with honors and could probably get into most public schools in the state.
In addition, Hannah still planned to go to the mountain town of Wildpines this summer. That’s where she, Jessie, and Ryan had hidden out from the Night Hunter for a few nights. While there, she’d learned that a local private school, the Wildpines Arts Conservatory, had a culinary arts program. Conveniently, a cute boy named Chris that she’d met in town would also be in the Conservatory’s summer program.
Jessie got out of the shower and dressed quickly in her standard work attire: comfortable but professional shirt, along with pants that looked nice but that she could run in. She tied her brown sneakers, which could pass for loafers, and grabbed a jacket to protect against the early February bite.
She gave herself a once-over in the bathroom mirror and declared herself satisfied. Those early morning workouts were paying dividends. She looked healthy and refreshed. Her shoulder-length brown hair had lost its former limpness and her green eyes were bright and clear, with none of the typical exhausted bleariness. Standing straight rather than slouching, she looked even taller than her five-foot-ten-inches.
When Jessie came out of the bedroom, there was a pesto egg sandwich and a to-go cup of coffee waiting for her on the breakfast table. Ryan was seated in his chair, sipping a coffee. Hannah was munching on a breakfast bar by the sink.
Jessie’s best friend, Katherine “Kat” Gentry was in another chair at the table, nibbling at a banana. Her work clothes—she was a private detective— were even more casual than Jessie’s. She wore jeans, a casual shirt and a brown leather jacket. Her dirty blonde hair was in a loose ponytail.
“Thanks for the sandwich, Hannah,” Jessie said.
“Earn it,” her sister muttered dramatically under her breath.
“Kat says she’s got news,” Ryan said, diverting Jessie’s attention.
“Oh yeah?”
“I left your textbook in the living room,” Kat said. “Thanks for letting me borrow it, though it was pretty dry stuff.”
“That’s your news?” Jessie asked, “That Behavioral Criminology textbooks are boring? What else have you got for me? That the sun is burn-y?”
“I’m getting to it, Jessie Hurts—er, Hunt,” she said, feigning bruised feelings. “Before I share my news, how are things going on the teaching front? Does the UCLA student body still adore you?”
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