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“I have to keep those nesting dolls safe, don’t I?” Garland replied as he welcomed them inside. When he closed the door after them, Jessie heard a series of locks slide into place. The process took about five seconds. She found the sound reassuring.
“So Ms. Dorsey…” Garland started.
“You can call me Hannah,” she interrupted.
“So Hannah, why don’t you head into the den? You can do your homework while your sister and I talk behind your back. Then I’ll see what we have in the way of snacks. Sound good?”
Hannah nodded, clearly thrown and mildly amused by the unexpected quippiness of the old guy. When she was gone, Garland led Jessie to his office. He closed the door after she entered.
“It’s soundproof,” he assured her. “But I suspect she’s going to get antsy soon. So I recommend you update me fast. I assume there’s more to this than just the casual encounter you suggested I have with Hannah to profile her for you.”
Jessie hadn’t told Garland what was going on over the phone, only that she needed his advice and would like to get it somewhere he considered secure. He’d suggested his house and while she hadn’t mentioned that Hannah would be with her, he didn’t seem surprised that she was there.
“There is more to it than that. I won’t bore you with all the details. And I don’t want to put you in a compromising situation. But you know I’ve been investigating a murder in the Valley. You also know the bureau there has been very active in trying to close the case quickly. Now I’ve recently learned that the reason for this effort may have something to do with an LAPD higher-up who was involved with the victim.”
“So the porn actress who was stabbed nine times was being paid for sex by someone of consequence in the department?” Garland asked.
Jessie looked at him, half-stunned and half-annoyed.
“If you knew everything already, why did you let me blather on?”
“I didn’t know everything,” he replied. “But I do try to keep up with what’s going on case-wise. And I can draw inferences based on the information available to me. Care to explain how this turn of events has led you and your half-sister to my doorstep?”
“I don’t think you need me to explain, Garland.”
“No, probably not. I suspect you got a threatening note, or perhaps an e-mail or phone call recently, one suggesting that Hannah’s safety might be at risk if you continue to pursue the case. Am I on the right track?”
“You know you are. It was a phone call. The voice was digitally masked.”
“So, what exactly are you asking of me, Ms. Hunt?”
Jessie studied him, trying to discern how much she could pile on this man, who despite his reputation and skills was still a senior citizen with a lot to lose.
“I’d like you to keep an eye on Hannah while I’m out,” she said.
“You’re not asking me come up with a profile of her?” he asked.
Jessie shrugged.
“If, in the course of your time together, you glean worthwhile details about her that you deem shareable, I won’t stop you.”
Garland smiled.
“That was smooth,” he noted. “Are you sure that’s all you want? It feels like you’re holding back.”
“Well,” she mused. “I don’t want to put you in a difficult position.”
“Too late.”
“Okay, then. I’d love to get your thoughts on exactly what I’m up against here. Detective Hernandez seems to think this situation is…fraught.”
“I would tend to agree with Detective Hernandez. If a high-level department official was involved with this girl, regardless of whether he actually killed her, he has a lot to lose if that information comes out. He is obviously using his considerable resources to ensure it doesn’t, including tactics that are at best questionable, and after the threat you got, also illegal. If he thinks that you are likely to learn of and expose his involvement, there’s no telling what other methods he’ll employ to keep you quiet. You need to tread very carefully.”
Jessie thought about this. Garland and Ryan seemed to be in sync about the threat she faced. But neither of them seemed to acknowledge what she saw as a fatal flaw in the “tread carefully” plan.
“Here’s the problem with that,” she said. “Even if I tread carefully or drop this case altogether, I don’t see how that keeps me or Hannah safe long-term. What’s to stop this guy, somewhere down the road when everything has settled, from taking me out just to be thorough? Even if he thinks I don’t know his identity, he’ll be paranoid that I’ll discover it. I mean, as I long I’m out there, he’s at risk, right? It’s hard to imagine he’d put up with that.”
“That’s a legitimate concern,” Garland conceded. “Of course, as we profilers so often have to, it’s worth putting yourself in his position for a moment. He’s had someone threaten your family member rather than actually harm her or you. That suggests that he doesn’t want to escalate to the next level if he can avoid it. He doesn’t want to push you too hard, whether he suspects you know who he is or not. He has to know that a détente with you, if it can be brokered, is preferable than having to take more dramatic action.”
