The Perfect Murder, page 1
t h e p e r f e c t
m u r d e r
(a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 21)
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 twenty four 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 fifteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising four books; of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising nine books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising eleven 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); of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MAY MOORE mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); and the CORA SHIELDS mystery series, comprising three 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 © 2022 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 lenaer, used under license from Shutterstock.com.
BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE
CORA SHIELDS MYSTERY SERIES
UNDONE (Book #1)
UNWANTED (Book #2)
UNHINGED (Book #3)
MAY MOORE SUSPENSE THRILLER
NEVER RUN (Book #1)
NEVER TELL (Book #2)
NEVER LIVE (Book #3)
NEVER HIDE (Book #4)
NEVER FORGIVE (Book #5)
NEVER AGAIN (Book #6)
PAIGE KING MYSTERY SERIES
THE GIRL HE PINED (Book #1)
THE GIRL HE CHOSE (Book #2)
THE GIRL HE TOOK (Book #3)
THE GIRL HE WISHED (Book #4)
THE GIRL HE CROWNED (Book #5)
THE GIRL HE WATCHED (Book #6)
VALERIE LAW MYSTERY SERIES
NO MERCY (Book #1)
NO PITY (Book #2)
NO FEAR (Book #3)
NO SLEEP (Book #4)
NO QUARTER (Book #5)
NO CHANCE (Book #6)
NO REFUGE (Book #7)
NO GRACE (Book #8)
NO ESCAPE (Book #9)
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)
HER LAST MISTAKE (Book #7)
HER LAST DESIRE (Book #8)
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)
GIRL, ESCAPED (Book #10)
GIRL, HIS (Book #11)
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)
ALREADY CHOSEN (Book #7)
ALREADY LOST (Book #8)
ALREADY HIS (Book #9)
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)
LEFT TO LOATHE (Book #14)
LEFT TO HARM (Book #15)
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)
THE PERFECT COUPLE (Book #20)
THE PERFECT MURDER (Book #21)
THE PERFECT HUSBAND (Book #22)
THE PERFECT SCANDAL (Book #23)
THE PERFECT MASK (Book #24)
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
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
Phoebe walked down the long hallway, listening to the sound of her shoes echoing on the linoleum floor. It was a little unsettling.
She wasn’t used to being in Haines Hall at this hour. Professor Tobias’s class was in the afternoon and until today, she’d never had cause to come here mid-morning. It was 10:30 and most of the doors to the classrooms and lecture halls in the building were shut, as they were in the middle of class.
She took the stairs to Professor Roman Tobias’s third floor office, trying to keep her nerves at bay. She’d never had a one-on-one meeting with the man that USA Today had recently dubbed “America’s Foremost Celebrity Academic,” a title that normal people might find silly. But for an American history major like herself, personally interacting with Professor Tobias was like an unheralded college football player getting to meet with Tom Brady.
The walls of the first and second floors were covered with posters and flyers announcing upcoming UCLA events. But the third floor, where several professors’ offices were, was much more subdued. If not for the professor names, room numbers, and departments displayed, it might be mistaken for a standard private sector hallway.
Tobias’s office was at the end of the hall and she picked up the pace, realizing that she was now a minute late for their meeting. Phoebe hadn’t seen a single person since she entered Haines Hall and she glanced back down the long hallway to make sure she was still alone. With the slick, dusty floor, shoes didn’t squeak much. Someone might be walking right behind her and she’d never hear them. But she saw no one.
When she reached Tobias’s corner office door, she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath. Then, when she felt ready, she knocked. The door hadn’t been fully shut and the force of her hand opened it slightly.
“Professor Tobias,” she called out hesitantly. “It’s Phoebe Lewis. I’m here for our 10:30 appointment. I’m sorry I’m a little late.”
There was no reply. She debated what to do next. Should she just go in? What if he had ear buds in and hadn’t heard her? What if he’d gone to the restroom?
After several seconds of indecision, she got annoyed with herself and knocked again, this time much louder. The door opened halfway.
“Professor?”
The lights were out in the room and she suddenly had the terrible feeling that she had gotten the day of their meeting wrong. She pulled out her phone and double-checked. No—the appointment was for Thursday, March 17th at 10:30 a.m. He had insisted on the date and time.
She remembered being glad that he’d picked today and not tomorrow. She planned to do some St. Patrick’s Day partying tonight and didn’t want to be hungover for a meeting with the most famous professor on campus.
She heard a sound at the other end of the hall and turned around quickly but saw no one. Someone had probably just closed an office door, but she was getting seriously creeped out. Even though it felt impertinent, she stepped inside Professor Tobias’s office and closed the door.
She turned around and, from this new angle, she saw that the professor was laying on the sofa near the bay windows at the back of the large office. His back was to her and she couldn’t see his face, hidden by his longish black hair.
He must be taking a nap.
She coughed loudly to announce her presence but he didn’t stir. As she looked at him more closely, she thought it odd that he would go to sleep while wearing both his sports coat and loafers. Then she noticed what looked like still-wet coffee stains on the carpet, leading all the way from the sofa to right in front of his desk. For some reason she couldn’t quite explain—some odd sense that something was off—she turned on the lights.
In the now bright office, she saw that the stains were too thick and red to be coffee. They looked more like blood. She rushed over to Tobias.
“Professor?” she said urgently. “Are you okay, sir?”
He didn’t respond. Phoebe wasn’t sure if she was overreacting, but in that moment she decided it was better to risk being yelled at for waking up a groggy professor than to just leave his office when the situation seemed so wrong.
She tapped him on the shoulder. When he didn’t move, she delicately rolled him over onto his back. At first she was too stunned to scream. His forehead had a cavernous indentation in it, like a watermelon that had been smashed in with a hammer. Blood was dripping down his face, pooling into his wide open eyes.
Only after she had fully accepted the horror of what she was seeing did she start to scream.
CHAPTER ONE
Jessie moved with impressive speed.
She was supposed to be somewhere at 10:45 and it was going to be a challenge to make it. For what was supposed to be a quiet end to the week, things had gotten hectic.
She still had to do a final review of her lesson plan for next week’s seminar at UCLA. She and Ryan had agreed that they would prioritize nailing down a wedding date before the end of the week. She still hoped to check in with her sister, Hannah, at the rehab and recovery center where she was currently a resident. And to top it all off, she had to worry about what would happen at the parole hearing for Andy Robinson, the woman who tried to murder her less than two years ago. It was a lot.
She tried to prioritize. The lesson plan could wait a little longer. The truth was that since she was leaving UCLA at the end of the quarter, she could stall a little on seminar prep. They were just happy that they still had her around for a few more weeks.
Jessie had agreed to return to the LAPD’s Homicide Special Section Unit full-time at the quarter’s end. It had been a tough decision, but when Captain Decker offered her a big raise in addition to letting her remain a consulting criminal profiler rather than an employee, she found it hard to say no.
HSS was where the action was. It was a small, dedicated unit of the LAPD which investigated cases that had high profiles or intense media scrutiny, often involving multiple victims and serial killers. Her fiancé, Ryan Hernandez, was the lead detective for the unit. Jessie had determined that, at least for the time being, she could do more good solving cases in the field than training the next generation of investigators.
_preview.jpg)
