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“We appreciate that,” Jessie said. “Getting that data would go a long way to getting you both clear of this.”
“Not a problem,” Rhett said. “And as long as we’re being totally honest, I should probably clarify something. While we were in bed before eleven last night, that's not when we went to sleep, if you know what I mean."
“Rhett!” Nina said, aghast.
“I just want to come completely clean,” he insisted. “We were in bed, but I’d hazard we were actually awake until around midnight. Why do you think I have such a big cup of coffee this morning? I gather you don’t need any more detail than that?”
“Not at this time,” Ryan said briskly.
“Thank goodness,” Nina muttered under her breath.
“What else do you need?” Rhett asked. “Would a list of the attendees at our shindig be useful?”
“Sure,” Jessie told him, “any additional information could help.”
“Just give us a second to double check the names and we’ll write them down for you,” Rhett said.
“That’s fine,” Ryan said. “And if you could sign an authorization for us to access your phone and car GPS data, we’d appreciate that too.”
“Sure,” Rhett said. “We’ll just need a minute or two to gather everything for you.”
“Thank you,” Ryan replied. “We’ll wait in the foyer.”
“One more thing,” Nina said as they started off. “Should I be worried?”
“What do you mean?” Ryan asked.
“I mean, these are two women I knew, both from my neighborhood,” Nina said apprehensively. “I saw both of them the day they died. Is it possible that I might be at risk or that this killer is sending me some message? I know how narcissistic that sounds, but I’m kind of out of my depth here.”
“We’re not in a position to say anything definitively,” Ryan said. “And it never hurts to take extra safety precautions. But nothing we’ve uncovered so far leads us to that conclusion.”
“That’s a relief,” Nina said, as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.
As Jessie and Ryan walked back down the long hallway to the front of the house, she muttered, “it’s not the craziest theory of all time.”
“I know,” Ryan whispered back. “I just didn’t want to freak her out. And as far as her being a suspect, if I was betting, I’d say she’s in the clear.”
“Why do you say that?”
“For the same reason I doubt that the list of guests they’re putting together right now will be of much use,” he said, “because we know that Gabby Silva was alive when she left this house.”
“I don’t follow,” Jessie admitted.
“I’m thinking that whatever got Gabby killed happened at that fundraiser at the hotel. That should be our next stop.”
Jessie wasn’t sure if she agreed but kept that to herself. She was just glad they finally had a lead to go on.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
Kat woke up with a start.
She looked over at Mitch, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, with his arm splayed across her chest. She told herself that that if he was that relaxed, then everything had to be okay; that she was okay.
Of course, the positive self-talk didn’t change the fact that she was lying in her own sweat, the result of another Ash Pierce nightmare. In this one, she was back in the hospital mechanical room where two months ago, hitwoman Pierce had cornered Hannah, about to kill her.
In the dream Kat had still advanced on Pierce, as she had in real life, in an attempt to protect Hannah. But this time, their hand-to-hand combat had ended quickly, when Pierce won their struggle over a knife and jammed it into Kat’s jugular.
It had felt so real—the sharp pain in her neck, the warm blood pouring down onto her skin, the sudden disorientation and weakness in her knees as she slumped onto the catwalk grate. The last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered closed was the look of horror on Hannah’s face at the sight of her dying. And then everything went black.
