The Perfect Mask (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book Twenty-Four)

By Blake Pierce

When high-society women are found dead in their opulent California homes, Jessie Hunt is summoned to crack the case. With little to connect them—other than hidden scandal—Jessie is at a loss. Why are they being targeted? And who is next?

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery.”
—Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE PERFECT MASK is book #24 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, which begins with The Perfect Wife, a #1 bestseller (and free download) with over 5,000 five-star ratings and 1,000 five-star reviews.

These wealthy wives and moms are unlikely targets, and with no sign of foul play, connecting the dots seems impossible.

Yet Jessie digs deep, plumbing this exclusive world for clues, finding out more than she wished she’d ever knew.

But every society has a dark side.

And Jessie may just be about to step into a killer’s arms.

A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, the JESSIE HUNT series is a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Book #25—THE PERFECT RUSE—and Book #26—THE PERFECT VENEER--are now also available.

“An edge of your seat thriller in a new series that keeps you turning pages! ...So many twists, turns and red herrings… I can't wait to see what happens next.”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A strong, complex story about two FBI agents trying to stop a serial killer. If you want an author to capture your attention and have you guessing, yet trying to put the pieces together, Pierce is your author!”
—Reader review (Her Last Wish)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A typical Blake Pierce twisting, turning, roller coaster ride suspense thriller. Will have you turning the pages to the last sentence of the last chapter!!!”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Right from the start we have an unusual protagonist that I haven't seen done in this genre before. The action is nonstop… A very atmospheric novel that will keep you turning pages well into the wee hours.”
—Reader review (City of Prey)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Everything that I look for in a book… a great plot, interesting characters, and grabs your interest right away. The book moves along at a breakneck pace and stays that way until the end. Now on go I to book two!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Exciting, heart pounding, edge of your seat book… a must read for mystery and suspense readers!”
—Reader review (Girl, Alone)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blake Pierce
• Release date: Dec 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094376196

Book preview

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t h e   p e r f e c t

m a s k

(a jessie hunt psychological suspense—book 24)

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 JESSIE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising twenty six 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 sixteen books, of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books; of the LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising eleven books; of the ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising fourteen books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books, of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising six books; of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising ten books (and counting); of the VALERIE LAW mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the PAIGE KING mystery series, comprising eight books (and counting); of the MAY MOORE mystery series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the CORA SHIELDS mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); of the NICKY LYONS mystery series, comprising seven books (and counting), of the CAMI LARK mystery series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the new AMBER YOUNG mystery series, comprising five 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 George Mayer, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

AMBER YOUNG MYSTERY SERIES

ABSENT PITY (Book #1)

ABSENT REMORSE (Book #2)

ABSENT FEELING (Book #3)

ABSENT MERCY (Book #4)

ABSENT REASON (Book #5)

CAMI LARK MYSTERY SERIES

JUST ME (Book #1)

JUST OUTSIDE (Book #2)

JUST RIGHT (Book #3)

JUST FORGET (Book #4)

JUST ONCE (Book #5)

NICKY LYONS MYSTERY SERIES

ALL MINE (Book #1)

ALL HIS (Book #2)

ALL HE SEES (Book #3)

ALL ALONE (Book #4)

ALL FOR ONE (Book #5)

ALL HE TAKES (Book #6)

ALL FOR ME (Book #7)

CORA SHIELDS MYSTERY SERIES

UNDONE (Book #1)

UNWANTED (Book #2)

UNHINGED (Book #3)

UNSAID (Book #4)

UNGLUED (Book #5)

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)

NEVER LOOK BACK (Book #7)

NEVER FORGET (Book #8)

NEVER LET GO (Book #9)

NEVER PRETEND (Book #10)

NEVER HESITATE (Book #11)

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)

THE GIRL HE WANTED (Book #7)

THE GIRL HE CLAIMED (Book #8)

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)

HER LAST REGRET (Book #9)

HER LAST HOUR (Book #10)

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)

GIRL, LURED (Book #12)

GIRL, MISSING (Book #13)

GIRL, UNKNOWN (Book #14)

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)

ALREADY LURED (Book #10)

ALREADY COLD (Book #11)

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)

LEFT TO RUIN (Book #16)

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)

THE PERFECT RUSE (Book #25)

THE PERFECT VENEER (Book #26)

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

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY ONE

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

It was still dark out.

As Henry Faraday pulled his Rolls Royce into the garage of his Beverly Hills mansion at 4:07 a.m., he debated whether it was even worth it to try to go to sleep. The sun would be up in a couple of hours anyway and taking a nap might make him groggier than just staying up and pushing through the exhaustion would.

He got out of the car and closed the frustratingly loud garage door as he entered the house, glad that the master bedroom was so far away, and that Julianne wouldn’t be woken up by the noise. He’d had the repair people out here twice in the last month, and they still hadn’t fixed the annoying creaking sound the door made as it shut.

Henry tried to put the issue out of his head and focus on more immediate concerns. He’d come home partly so that he could nap, if possible, but definitely so that he could clean himself up before court later this morning. He needed to shower, shave, and change into a fresh suit.

The team hadn’t worked all weekend, including Sunday night into the wee hours of Monday morning, just for him to show up at the courthouse in a rumpled suit with a day’s worth of stubble. This was a big case, and he needed to be at the top of his game, both mentally and sartorially.

Henry dropped his keys in the ceramic bowl in the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from the filtered dispenser on the everyday refrigerator. He chugged it, refilled it, and walked quietly along the hall to the stairs and toward the other reason he’d come home: his wife, Julianne.

He’d been worried about her lately. First, their dog, Randy, died last autumn, which left her feeling understandably melancholy. On top of that, ever since their only child, Trent, had gone away to college in January, she’d had been dealing with some serious empty nest syndrome. Henry suspected that it was made worse because Trent had deferred school by a semester and spent last fall at a local community college while living at home.

Since Trent hadn’t left when all his friends did, that extra time at home may have lulled her into the false sense that he’d actually stick around for good. When he did eventually go off to school, as he always intended to, it hit her hard, especially since he chose to go all the way to the East Coast.

It didn’t help that he went to the Bahamas with friends for Spring Break instead of coming home, which meant that Julianne hadn’t seen her baby in over three months. She’d tried to fill the empty hole in her heart with fundraising events, obsessive running, unnecessary plastic surgery, and ski trips to Aspen and Banff.

But she was still struggling, which is why, even in the middle of a big case, Henry tried to get home as often as possible. He hoped that his presence had a reassuring, calming effect on her. She told him that it did, and he chose to believe it.

He was halfway up the stairs to check on her when he heard a strange sound coming from downstairs. It was a repeating, semi-regular banging, as if someone was knocking on the back door at intermittent intervals. Hearing it made him register something that he hadn’t processed when he’d first walked into the house: the alarm wasn’t on.

Julianne always turned it on at night, especially when he was working late. Sensing that something was off, he headed back downstairs, put the glass of water on the table near the bottom step, and turned on the flashlight on his phone.

The noise was coming from the den. But rather than walk straight into the room, he carefully made his way around it by passing the through the dining room, the sitting room, and the bar, which adjoined the den. As he slipped through the last room, he grabbed a half empty bottle of scotch and gripped it by the neck, ready to swing it if necessary.

Henry wasn’t a large man, but he was in pretty good shape for a guy in his early forties. He’d taken up boxing a few years ago, and it had transformed his body. He had no illusions that he could take on an intruder with a gun. But if there was an unarmed person in the house, between the bottle and his fists, he felt confident that he could do some damage.

He poked his head through the open door between the bar and the den and pointed the flashlight in the general direction of the sound. The source became immediately clear. A light on the back terrace was on, revealing that one of the French doors leading to the terrace was slightly open, and the strong breeze was periodically banging it closed before it cracked open again.

Any brief sense of relief he got at nailing down the origin of the noise was quickly replaced by several troubling questions: why was the door unlocked at all? First, Julianne leaves the alarm off and now, she forgets to lock the door. None of this was like her. And why was the terrace light left on?

He turned off the phone’s flashlight, put it in his pocket, and moved cautiously toward the doors. He saw a lone wine glass on the marble patio table, still half full. With an increasing sense of dread, he moved closer to the doors. That’s when he saw her. Lying face down on the terrace in her favorite, purple silk kimono, was Julianne. He felt all the air escape his lungs.

Her body was twisted unnaturally as if she was contorted in pain. Her arms and legs were splayed out at her sides. Her long, wavy black hair was a mess, buffeted by the wind. Her face was turned away from him. Ignoring the wave of nausea that rose in his stomach, he pushed the door open and hurried over to her.

Jules! he called out, praying for a response.

When he got to the other side of her, he saw that her face was obscured by her hair, but the small pool of saliva on the tile near her mouth didn’t bode well. He moved her hair out of her face, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand

Julianne, he repeated in an urgent whisper, but suddenly stopped speaking.

Her skin was cold to the touch. Her brown eyes were open, but it was clear that she couldn’t see him, or anything at all. He gulped hard as he slumped beside her and listened to what his brain was telling him: though there were no visible wounds on her and no obvious indication as to why, his wife was dead.

Robotically, without even fully comprehending what he was doing, he pulled out his phone and dialed 911.

CHAPTER ONE

Jessie Hunt walked down the hall slowly, taking deep breaths, hoping they would calm her frayed nerves.

Normally, strolling down the main hall of LAPD’s downtown Central Station from the main reception area to the bullpen—something she’d done hundreds of times—wasn’t a source of anxiety. But this Monday morning was different: this was her first day back in a month.

A lot had had changed since the last time she’d passed through these doors. For one thing, back then, she hadn’t been married. For another, on her last visit here, she’d only been a part-time consultant to the LAPD while also working as an instructor at UCLA. Now she was consulting full-time for the department.

And then there was the other professional change in her life. Their captain at Central Station, Roy Decker, had recently been installed as interim LAPD Chief of Police after the previous chief was ousted in a scandal. Decker’s replacement to lead Central Station was none other than Jessie’s new husband, Ryan Hernandez, formerly detective, now promoted to Captain.

Not only was he now running the station, he’d also been tasked with supervising Homicide Special Section, or HSS, which operated out of Central. It was LAPD’s elite investigative unit, which specialized in cases that had high profiles or intense media scrutiny, often involving multiple victims or serial killers. Ryan used to be its lead detective. Jessie was its primary profiler. Now that Ryan was supervising the unit, he was technically her boss. They had discussed that new normal in the abstract, but this was the first day they’d have to deal with it up close.

But that wasn’t the only complication that involved family. The last time Jessie was in the office, her younger sister, Hannah, had been applying to culinary schools as part of her goal to become a chef. But even though it had only been a little more than four weeks, that plan was history now. Hannah, who had just turned eighteen, had recently announced that she wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement investigation.

After getting over the initial whiplash, Jessie chose to be outwardly supportive, deciding that opposing the plan would only harden Hannah’s resolve. That was why she hadn’t objected to her sister spending her spring break, which began today, working with Jessie’s best friend Katherine Kat Gentry, a private detective. The plan was to let Hannah get a sense of the daily grind of investigation. Secretly, Kat had promised Jessie that she wouldn’t let her sister get anywhere near a dangerous situation.

As Jessie passed by the station’s interrogation rooms, she glanced at a clock on the wall and saw that it was almost 8 a.m. It occurred to her that she was moving down the hall at a snail’s pace. On a normal day, she would have reached the bullpen—the large, open space where all the detectives’ desks and cubicles were situated, long ago. But she was dragging her feet.

She wished she could blame the delay exclusively on her physical recovery, but she knew that she couldn’t. It was a month ago that she’d been kidnapped on her wedding night by the sociopathic murderer and recently released mental patient Andrea Andy Robinson.

Andy had drugged her and subsequently taken her on a thirty-hour journey to the Arizona desert, much of it in a car trunk, with seemingly half of southern California law enforcement on their trail. Andy ultimately took her to an abandoned mine, where she had hoped to keep her as her prisoner and eventually, somehow, her life partner.

But the mine collapsed, leaving Andy dead and Jessie severely injured. After she was rescued by Hannah, Kat, and retired detective Callum Reid, who died in the cave-in, she was hospitalized with a fractured wrist, cracked ribs, a badly bruised ankle, and at least one concussion.

Some of those wounds had healed. She could walk on the ankle without limping now. She could even run again, though that still caused some discomfort. Her ribs felt pretty good most of the time, too, though there were still some twinges when she inhaled deeply, which was inevitable when she ran. She was currently wearing a protective wrap around her midsection as an extra precaution. It had been a condition of her return, per her husband/new boss.

The other two physical issues were still a work in progress. Though her left wrist, which was fractured when she tried to prevent Andy from falling into a gap in the mine, no longer hurt much, she still wore a small, protective cast. The doctors told her she should be able to remove it in another week or two. The concussions were another matter.

Jessie paused for a moment near a utility closet, then surprising herself, she stepped inside. She left the light off. Standing in the dark silence, and leaning against the door for support, she quietly acknowledged that it was the concussion issue, along with several other psychological questions, that had really kept her away this long.

She wasn’t sure exactly when, or how often, she’d hit her head on that extended flight from justice. It might have been while riding in the trunk on the bumpy, dirt road to the mine. It might have been when Andy set off a grenade in the mine, trying to kill them at the same time. It might have been both. Whenever it had occurred, it had her neurologist concerned.

Of course, that wasn’t the only brain-related issue she was dealing with. She was also meeting twice a week with her psychiatrist, Dr. Janice Lemmon, to work through a myriad of other matters, including her guilt over Callum Reid’s death while helping rescue her, as well as a brutal accusation—about manipulating a childhood trauma for tactical advantage—that Andy had leveled against her just prior to her own demise. But resolving those would take more than a month, and she couldn’t wait—she