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“Or,” she volunteered, “I could tag along to help out.”
“But you’re still on medical leave,” Ryan countered, a little too quickly for Jessie’s taste.
“Well,” she replied coolly, “that’s what Captain Parker and I were going to discuss this morning anyway. Maybe this is as good a time as any to end that designation.”
Ryan's face fell, but he said nothing.
“We may as well have our discussion now, then, Hunt," Parker said. "What's your current medical status?”
“I’m doing pretty well,” Jessie said, not wanting to oversell it. “My skin grafts have all taken and are mostly healed. The headache symptoms have largely subsided, though I’m still getting checked regularly to ensure that there’s not a recurrence. Obviously, any additional head trauma would be bad. But it’s not like I’m a SWAT team member. I’m a profiler, so I can generally avoid compromising situations."
Parker glanced at Ryan, whose eyes were on the floor.
“What do you think, Detective?” she said. “You live with this woman. Is she ready to return?”
He sighed quietly. Jessie almost felt bad for her husband. He was in a nearly impossible position. The chances of either alienating his wife or losing credibility with his boss were much higher than satisfying everyone. But that was his problem. Hers was getting back on the force, and as much as she loved him, she wasn’t going to let his discomfort be an obstacle to her professional future.
“I have total confidence that Jessie will be able to make a smooth transition back when she returns,” he said carefully. “We’ve obviously worked together before many times, so that’s not an issue. I’m just not sure what the criteria is for her to be medically cleared. Do we need a formal sign-off from her neurosurgeon or is this at your discretion?”
Jessie admired how he delicately tried to deflect his concerns onto someone else in authority. If she called him on it later, he could reasonably defend his comments by saying he was just asking questions, but it was clear he wasn’t totally on board with her return.
“I can certainly ask Dr. Varma for an official all-clear,” she volunteered to Parker. “But this case is pressing. Officers are waiting at the scene as we speak. Maybe you can give me provisional clearance, Captain. I’ll promise to stay out of harm’s way and only offer guidance until we get a more formal approval. How does that sound?”
She could tell from her husband’s expression that he wasn’t enthused. His eyes seemed to be silently asserting that she couldn’t necessarily control where “harm” would come from. Parker looked at him too.
“I’m inclined to approve this preliminarily,” she said, “that is, unless you object. Last chance, Detective.”
“No objections,” he replied, seeing the writing on the wall, “as long as Jessie promises, here in front of you, to hold back from any situation if I request it. It doesn’t take much for a head injury recurrence, and she’ll need to steer well clear of any potential risks.”
“I assume that’s a high priority for you, Hunt,” Parker said, “and that you have no problem with that condition.”
“No problem at all, Captain,” Jessie assured her.
“All right then,” Parker said, standing up. “Then you two should head out. Your point of contact at the scene will be Officer Burt Sturgil. He’s expecting you.”
“I guess we better head out then,” Jessie said, standing up too and starting for the door before Ryan could offer any further resistance.
They were out of her office when he betrayed his frustration with one muttered line.
“I’m driving,” he insisted grumpily.
She couldn’t help tweaking him when she responded.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, dear.”
CHAPTER FIVE
When they arrived at Veterans Park at 8:28 a.m., Jessie noted that the scene was already a mess. Word must have gotten out about the victim’s identity and celebrity connection because there were three news vans parked just outside the entrance.
Jessie slunk down in her seat to avoid being seen. This case was apparently going to be plastered everywhere. If the press saw that she was handling it, it would only increase the media frenzy, something they didn’t need.
Jessie’s one-time fan turned stalker and serial killer, Mark Haddonfield, was in jail. And Ash Pierce, the hitwoman who had targeted Hannah, was in a coma. As a result, Jessie no longer had to stay in hiding or employ the services of personal bodyguards for their protection, but as a well-known public figure in L.A., her involvement in any case usually made front page news.
On the drive over, both she and Ryan had pointedly avoided discussing the tense conversation in Parker’s office. Instead, they'd focused exclusively on the case. From Jamil Winslow, HSS’s brilliant young research director, they’d learned a few more details about Ava Martell.
“Because of residual payments from their comedy series,” he had explained over the phone, “Martell’s parents earned a combined, estimated $150 million over the course of their careers. Ava, an only child, was the sole heir to that fortune when they died in a private plane crash seven years ago. Back when Ava was a child, she made a half dozen guest appearances on their show and a few more on other series around the same time. But shortly thereafter, she gave up acting and subsequently led a pretty normal life.”
“What exactly constitutes ‘normal?’” Jessie had wanted to know.
