you well when Hernandez leaves the hospital. Please let me know what I can do to help. We can have officers stop by to check on him, even just to share war stories. Plus, I know you have security concerns about some of the people you put away reaching out to do harm.”
“There are almost too many to keep track of,” Jessie conceded.
“If it helps, we’ve been keeping an extra close eye on former police sergeant Hank Costabile and on Andrea Robinson,” Decker said. “You probably heard that Costabile was just sentenced to seven years in prison. And Robinson is still safely incarcerated in a psychiatric prison ward.”
“Always reassuring to know the folks who most want to kill me are being physically prevented from doing so, at least for now.”
“We can have units do extra patrols by your place, if it sets your mind at ease,” Decker offered.
“Thanks, Captain,” Jessie replied. “I might take you up on having folks stop by to hang out with Ryan. But I think we’re good on security for now. One good thing about inheriting the home of the most celebrated criminal profiler on the West Coast in the last quarter century is that it comes ready-made with elaborate security. I’m still familiarizing myself with everything he had installed. But I’m pretty sure we’re set, even in the event of The Purge.”
“Well, let me know if you change your mind,” he said, either unaware of or unamused by the reference. “We want Hernandez back and anything we can do to expedite that, we will. In the meantime, shall I tell you about the case?”
“Please.”
He sat down at his desk and folded his hands.
“Details are still sketchy for reasons that will become clear,” he said. “But Millicent Estrada, forty-two, was found dead a few hours ago at a huge party in Holmby Hills. Her neck was broken.”
“Should I know who that is?” Jessie asked.
“Not necessarily. She was a well-regarded attorney, one of those ‘lawyer to the stars’ types. She and her husband, Beto, are both partners in the same firm, which handles everything from contracts to civil cases to criminal defense work. He does a lot of the civil stuff. She specialized in keeping clients off the police blotter and out of jail. They were considered a real power couple until about six months ago, when they announced they were divorcing.”
“Ouch,” Jessie said. “That sounds awkward.”
“Not as much as you might think,” Decker corrected. “I’ve heard that it was fairly amicable. They still worked together. But they’ve taken very different social paths since the split. He’s a homebody and she…let’s just say she’s spread her wings since they parted ways. That’s where it becomes HSS-worthy.”
“Pray tell.”
Decker tossed her the thin file as he continued.
“Estrada was found at the estate of Jasper Otis.”
“The billionaire?” Jessie asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
“Right,” Decker confirmed. “And by the way, according to Forbes, it’s about fourteen billion.”
“Is he a suspect?”
“You’ll have to tell me,” Decker advised. “The first call reporting the death came in at 3:58 a.m. so it’s pretty fresh. I know West L.A. station sent out a detective but I think he might be out of his depth so I snapped it up.”
Jessie flipped through the file skeptically.
“This sounds more involved than I think I’m up for right now. I’ve seen how Jasper Otis operates. The guy runs a media empire and isn’t afraid to use it to crush people who get in his way. Do you really want to hand this over to a part-time profiler whose attention is focused on her invalid boyfriend and her rebellious sister?”
“I wouldn’t have reached out if I didn’t think you were up for it,” he told her. “And frankly, I don’t have much choice. All my HSS detectives are on other cases right now. You’re the only experienced hand at my disposal.”
She sensed that he wasn’t being completely forthright.
“Captain, is that the only reason?” she pressed.
“Officially, yes,” he said, before adding after a brief pause, “Unofficially, I don’t trust anyone else on this. Obviously Jasper Otis is an incredibly high-profile person. The pressure on this thing is going to be enormous and I know you can handle it. I also know you can move fast. Once the press gets word of this, it’ll be a circus. We have to stay ahead of the news. Do you know anyone more qualified for the job than you are?”
When he laid it out so bluntly, turning the case down felt even harder.