“I’m just happy to see my husband,” she said, pretending to pout as she stroked his rippling forearm.“Is that not allowed?”
“Definitely allowed,” he said, clearly delighted.
“Take it outside, you two,” Karen barked playfully.
“Actually, I do have a private question for you,” Jessie said, leading him out into the hall.
“What is it?”he asked with such eagerness that she realized she’d given him the wrong impression.
“It’s notthatkind of question,” she told him.“I’ll save something more provocative for when we’re home.This is case-related.”
“Okay.”He tried and failed to hide his disappointment.
“Did it ever bother you that I didn’t change my name when we got married?”
He looked surprised and a little confused by the question.
“I thought we resolved this well before the wedding,” he said.“Remember, my mom was hoping you would because of how traditional she is.But it was never an issue for me.Frankly, I would have been astonished if you wanted to.Why do you ask?”
“Hey!”Beth shouted from the research room.“I think I found something.”
Jessie did her best not to vault back in there.
“No reason,” she told Ryan quickly, giving him another kiss, only this time longer and on the lips.“I’ll catch you later, Detective.”
She darted back in the room, where Karen was leaning over Beth’s monitor as they both looked at her screen.
“What is it?”Jessie asked, joining them.
“According to Lauren Mitchell’s text messages, it looks like one of the former realtors at her company wasn’t as enthused about her success as everyone else.”
“Who?”Jessie asked.
“His name is David Lamb,” Beth explained.“Based on what I’m finding, he and Lauren used to have their own boutique agency for three years before they joined up with Griffin-Malone, which is significantly bigger.They service a larger area, including Hancock Park and Larchmont.”
“Sounds normal, so far,” Karen noted.
“It was, until about nine months ago.That’s when Lamb left the company and struck out on his own with Lamb Realty.But it doesn’t seem like it was an amicable separation.In the time since they parted ways, he has sent her over three dozen texts.Most of them are boring minutiae bout the mechanics of untangling their professional collaboration.But over the last month, they’ve gotten more hostile.”
“How hostile?”Jessie asked.
Beth sighed heavily before diving in.
“Here are just a few:you don’t deserve your success.You’re a flash in the pan.Or this:Your clients are wannabes, not worth having.And then the messages get more aggressive:You should be ashamed of what you’ve done to our business.Someone should put you in your place.There are a lot like that.And then just last week:One of these days, karma is going to get you.Or maybe someone will expedite it.Payback is a bitch, just like you.
Jessie looked over at Karen, whose eyes were gleaming with excitement.
“Looks like someone has some anger management issues,” she said.
Jessie felt a twinge of guilt mixed with anxiety.She wondered if Lamb’s issues were as involved as her own.If they were, then he might be their guy.
“Okay,” she said.“You guys keep working her correspondence.Maybe dive into her financials while you’re at it.Karen and I have a suspect to visit.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hannah Dorsey didn’t really get nervous anymore, so why was she so jittery right now?
As she sat in the passenger seat of Kat Gentry’s car, she considered how her general lack of anxiousness was both a blessing and a curse.It’s not that she never felt fear or trepidation.She did.But usually it required a heightened situation, like being kidnapped by a serial killer or having her borderline-boyfriend try to kill her on a secluded mountain hiking trail.
