“Got it,” Jessie said, pulling out her gun as they reached the front door.
“You good, Devery?” Sam asked the still-green officer.
“I’m good,” Devery swore as he removed his sidearm too. His expression wasn’t as convincing as his words, but Jessie had seen him in action and chose to believe he’d be okay now.
“I’m going to input the security code,” Sam said.
“Detective,” Devery replied, nodding at the door.
Sam looked over and saw what Jessie was just now noticing too. The door was slightly ajar.
“Let’s go,” Sam whispered and pushed the door open softly.
They stepped inside and were just preparing to spread out when a voice called out from somewhere at the back of the house.
“Help! Please! She’s crazy!”
All three of them rushed in that direction as fast as they could while staying attentive for any unexpected movement. The voice was coming from a closed door at the end of a long hallway, next to the main bedroom.
“Who’s in there?” Sam demanded as Jessie and Devery took positions facing away from the door, looking back down the hall.
“This is Priya Kapoor Herron,” she replied, her voice filled with fear. “Who is that?”
“I’m Detective Sam Goodwin with the LAPD, ma’am,” he said. “Who is crazy? Who else is here?”
“I’m not sure,” she answered. “I think I’ve seen her before but I don’t know her name. I got out of bed to sit in the nursery and she came charging at me from down the hall. She was holding a pair of scissors. I locked myself in here, She was banging on the door, screaming that I had to pay for my crimes, up until a minute ago. Then she just stopped.”
“She might have heard the siren. Maybe we turned it off too late,” Jessie told Sam, before speaking to Kapoor. “Priya, this is Jessie Hunt. I also work for the LAPD. Is this door locked?”
“Yes.”
“Is there any other way into the nursery?”
“No, this is the only door,” she answered.
“Do you have your phone with you?”
“No, I left it in the bedroom.”
“Okay,” Jessie said, “I want you to stay in there. That’s where you’re the safest. Go into the closet. Lock it from the inside if you can. If that’s not possible, jam something up against it. We’re going to find this woman. If she starts trying to get in again, you shout out to us. Otherwise, you’re not to leave that room unlessauthorized by me, Detective Goodwin, or Officer Devery, who is here with us as well. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s split up,” Sam said. “Devery and I will search the adjoining bedrooms. Jessie, you check out the living room. If we don’t find her, we’ll meet at the junction point and re-evaluate from there. Good?”
Both Jessie and Devery nodded. As the two men headed for the nearby bedrooms, Jessie tiptoed back down the hall and eased her way into the living room. She circled the room, looking behind couches, as well as behind the bar in the corner. The room was empty.
She had two choices from there. One direction led to the kitchen. The other, to the dining room. It occurred to her that it would be creepily appropriate if that was where Claire Vallejo was hiding. She decided to go that way first.
The dining room, which was at the back of the house, was darker than the other rooms she’d been in so far. She eased in carefully, weapon raised, looking for any sign of movement. She didn’t see any. But therewassomething unusual.
Once small section of the floor-length drapes, on the other side of the dining room table, seemed slightly off. Rather than lying flat against the wall, there appeared to be a slight bulge extending out into the room. It could be nothing. Or it could mean someone was hiding behind it.
Jessie took a step forward and re-gripped her gun. She decided better safe than sorry. If it turned out she was speaking to an empty room, so be it.
“Claire,” she said calmly, “It’s Jessie Hunt. I have a weapon pointed at you. Come out from behind the drapes with your hands above your head.”
There was no response. Jessie wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow and tried again, more forcefully this time.
