“No pressure,” Jessie backtracked. “Just if you feel up to it. I was going to go eat now. Thanks again for dinner.”
Hannah nodded and returned to her phone without another word.
That could have gone worse.
As she walked back to the dinner table, her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but answered just in case.
“Hunt here,” she said.
“Jessie Hunt,” a voluble male voice shouted, “have you found Corinne Weatherly’s killer yet? Was it your ex-husband?”
“Who is this?” she demanded.
“This is Blabber, the premier entertainment news site in the world. And the people demand to know, who killed Corinne?!”
“Call me again and I’ll have this number traced and get you arrested for harassment,” she said before hanging up.
“Everything okay?” Kat asked.
“What’s Blabber?”
“It’s a gossip website,” Kat told her. “You should be either flattered or terrified.”
“I’m going with terrified,” Jessie said. “Between this and the paparazzo I just saw outside, I’m starting to really worry that we’re not safe.”
Her phone buzzed. She was about answer and start shouting when she realized it wasn’t a call. It was a text from Detective Bray with the current address for Petra Olivet. Apparently she was real and living under an assumed name at the L.A. County Social Rehabilitative House for Women in Elysian Park. Jessie thanked her, then forwarded the text to Trembley, suggesting that they make that their first stop tomorrow.
She sat down, poured herself a glass from the half empty bottle of the red wine on the table, and peeled back the foil from the plate. In front of her was a salmon filet with crispy skin, roasted rosemary potatoes, and asparagus spears.
“I noticed the door was open,” she said as she took a bite of fish.
“Oh yeah,” Kat said, looking up. “That was my fault. I was responsible for one thing—taking out the potatoes on time. I forgot and some of them got burned. The kitchen was a little smoky so we aired it out.”
Jessie nodded and took a bite of asparagus, swallowing it and her frustration at the same time. Kat noticed anyway.
“Don’t freak,” she said. “I know how worried you were about security, even before the gossip hounds started in on you. That’s why I set up a system.”
She turned her laptop monitor so that Jessie could see it and pulled up a tab with multiple camera angles showing their apartment floor, as well as the downstairs lobby.
“I was going to surprise you,” Kat said. “The management company here might not shell out for decent security. But I found these mini-cameras online and set them up at various high-traffic spots, as well as outside our door. I was watching when you came in. A little quick with the gun, weren’t you?”
“Sorry. Even without the guy downstairs, I see an unlocked door to a place where I’m sleeping and automatically think the worst.”
“Look, Jessie. I know this place doesn’t meet your security standards. But with the cameras, the new lock I have coming tomorrow, and the two of us badasses, I think it’ll do until you find someplace more secure.”
Jessie nodded. The measures Kat had taken were about one-tenth of what she thought were sufficient. But she was in no position to be picky right now.
“What do I owe you for the cameras?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Kat told her. “They’re a legit business deduction since I use this place as my office. And I probably should have invested in some halfway decent security measures anyway, considering the scum I investigate these days.”
“Well, I appreciate it. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to check out any new places for me and Hannah today. It kind of got away from me.”
“Want to talk about it?” Kat asked.
“Not really,” Jessie confessed.
“Good. Because I don’t think it’s healthy for you to fixate on this case anyway, whatever it is. You already showed up late for dinner after one day of consulting. At this rate, I’m worried if you’ll get home before bedtime tomorrow night, especially if you’re investigating what I suspect you’re investigating.”
“What do you think I’m investigating?” Jessie asked.
“Let’s just say I’m guessing you spent some time today wandering fake city streets.”
“How did you…?” Jessie started before Kat cut her off.
“I pay attention to what’s going on in the world, Jessie. And this is pretty big news. You don’t have to talk about it. Just don’t let it consume you.”
“I’ll do my best, dear,” Jessie retorted with a grin before changing the subject. “How’s the peeping going?”