Ash opened the package of lye with caution, then sprinkled it over the body, making sure to put an extra dollop on Linda’s face and hair.Even without teeth or fingerprints to identify her, there was always the chance that someone might recognize her in a crime scene photo.So better to make sure there wasn’t much of a face to look at.
After that, she used the shovel she’d hidden under some leaves yesterday to dump mounds of dirt into the grave.When it was full, she patted it flat, then covered it with leaves and branches so it wasn’t so conspicuous.
Things moved quickly after that.The lye package, dismembering tools, and latex gloves all went into a trash bag, along with the Ziploc bag full of human body parts.The shovel was too big.She’d find a dumpster to drop it in later.
She pulled out her change of clothes, and removed the housekeeping uniform.She stuffed it in the trash bag too.She got dressed quickly, trying to ignore the brisk weather, which made her near-naked body break out into goosebumps.
The hardest part was yet to come.Now in her new attire, she had to traipse up the hill with the garbage bag in one hand and the shovel, which she used as a walking stick, in the other.Once back at the car, she tossed the trash bag in the trunk, then used a disinfectant wipe to clean the shovel handle before placing it in the trunk too.She tossed the wipe and the blonde wig in the trash bag and tied it off.The riskiest part of the job was done.
Back in the vehicle, she pulled out the other wig and used the rearview mirror to adjust it so that it fit properly.It was cut to match Linda’s hairstyle and Ash thought it looked great.With that done, it was back to the hotel, with a couple of pit stops along the way.
She found one dumpster, where she dropped off the trash bag.She went to a second one to toss in the shovel.The next stop was the massive used car lot at the far end of town.It wasn’t open yet, which was partly why she’d chosen it.She drove the ratty Ford Tempo to the back corner of the lot, where several vehicles in bad shape sat.It was like a car graveyard.
She knew that it would take a while for the dealership staff to even notice the car.Would they report the random, abandoned vehicle on their lot to the authorities?Would they just claim it?Either way, it couldn’t be traced to Ash, considering that she’d paid cash in a private sale that conveniently excluded paperwork.
From there, she took the bus back to a stop a block from the hotel.Once she arrived, she returned to the parking structure, got into Linda’s gray Toyota Camry, and left Lake Tahoe.
She made it to a travel plaza just south of Big Pine before having to stop.She refilled the tank and went inside to go to the restroom and grab a snack.After finishing up in the bathroom, she moved to the sink.She was glad she was alone because she needed to make an adjustment to the wig.
It was rubbing against her scalp in a way that was causing irritation.She quickly removed it and found the issue—a tiny interior tag that she ripped off with her teeth.At that moment, someone started to open the door so she quickly put the thing back on and left the restroom.
She walked down the hallway back to the main shopping area of the travel plaza.A woman passed her and gave her an odd look.Unsure what that was about, Ash stepped over to a sunglasses rack and checked herself out in the small mirror.She noticed the issue immediately.Her wig was badly off-kilter.She quickly re-adjusted it before noticing the security camera that was trained directly on the spot where she stood and cursed herself silently.
Trying not to make a bad situation worse, she grabbed a few protein bars and headed to the checkout counter, where she made sure to pay with one of Linda’s credit cards.She kept her cool until she was in the travel plaza parking lot walking back to Linda’s car.That’s when, certain there was no one in hearing distance, she cursed audibly.
This was letting her guard down.This was sloppiness.Why hadn’t she waited until she was back in the car to check out the issue with the wig?Had the discomfort beensogreat that she couldn’t have delayed a few more minutes?No, she’d just been careless.
Now there was security footage of her adjusting the wig.Admittedly, the chances that anyone would notice were remote.Even smaller was the likelihood that the people with the skills to see the significance would ever come across the footage.Or that they would connect it to Linda Crewes’s disappearance.Or tie it to Ash.But it was still an unforced error.She couldn’t afford any more of those.
Luckily, by the time anyone started asking serious questions about Linda Crewes’s whereabouts, it would be far too late.Ash would be in Linda’s home in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles, which conveniently happened to be across the street from Jessie Hunt’s house.
Eventually someone would come across the body in the forest outside Lake Tahoe or realize that Linda had been out of contact for weeks.Somebody would start to put the pieces together.
But by then, the job would be long done.Jessie Hunt, along with everyone she loved, would already be dead.
CHAPTER TWO
Lauren Mitchell was quite satisfied with her handiwork.
She was often intimidated by recipes fromThe New York Times.But this one, a cheesy, spicy black bean bake, seemed eminently doable.Her hope was that if this test run went well, she could try it again for her husband when he returned from his business trip tomorrow.Jason was a big red meat eater and this seemed like a great way to get a protein hit at dinner without some of the health downsides.
The only issue was how long it took.Lauren loved her home in the historic Windsor Square neighborhood of L.A.But the house was over a hundred years old and some of the appliances were a little iffy.As a result, the oven took forever to reach the proper temperature.
She’d gotten so frustrated that she finally decided to have the whole thing replaced.As a high-end realtor, she was able to get a major discount on the installation from a company she regularly recommended to clients.But even with the reduced cost, they couldn’t get to her until next week.So for now, a dish thatThe Timessaid should be ready in about fifteen minutes took her nearly an hour to prepare.Nonetheless, the results looked yummy.
She was just about to scoop herself a serving when she heard the front door unlock.Excitement surged through her as she considered the possibility that Jason had surprised her by returning home early.
“Hon?”she called out as she left the kitchen and started down the hallway to the foyer.But the figure she saw standing there wasn’t Jason.The excitement was quickly replaced by fear as she stared at the person, dressed all in black, with a black hood covering their entire face except for the eyes and mouth.
Lauren immediately turned and ran.She rushed back down the hall and into the living room, where she intended to open the sliding door and dash into the backyard.She was just unlocking the latch when she caught movement behind her in the sliding door’s reflection.She tried to ignore that and just focus on getting outside.
She yanked the door open and was just about to step out onto the wooden deck when she heard a static-y sound.A moment later, she felt a sharp sting and her whole body clenched up, and then went limp.There was nothing she could do as she fell forward onto the deck.
CHAPTER THREE
Jessie Hunt looked at her phone and almost immediately regretted it.
“Is this not an interesting enough discussion for you?”Dr.Lemmon asked with a raised eyebrow.“I thought Wednesdays between 8 and 9 A.M.were our time, Jessie.”
