The Perfect Impression by Blake Pierce

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Despite the exhaustion burrowing into her bones, Jessie was still tingling with anticipation as she pulled up to the Aldridge house.

She was about to get out of the car when a text came in for her and Peters from Deputy Heck: All hotel employee alibis check out. Please advise.

She waited a few seconds to see if Peters would respond. When he didn’t, she texted back: Thanks. Unless Detective Peters disagrees, please stand down for now.

She had just turned off the car when Peters called.

“When are you coming into the station?” he asked. “I’ve been looking over the info on these swinger folks for over an hour now.”

“I’m just following up on a few loose ends,” she assured him, knowing that if she mentioned her current location, he’d either want to join her or warn her away. “I should be in soon.”

“Okay,” he said. “I could use your help. Nothing I’m finding so far is hugely revealing. All of these people are incredibly rich. But none of them have criminal records. Their businesses don’t seem shady. I can’t find anything obviously suspicious.”

“I’m not sure I could do much better,” she told him. “But I’m happy to look it all over when I get in.”

She hung up and walked up to the house as casually as she could. She was excited to see how Theo Aldridge would react when she revealed what she knew but she didn’t want to tip her hand. Getting that immediate, visceral reaction from a suspect was often essential to gauging their potential guilt.

This house, only a quarter mile from the Landers’ home, was equally impressive, if more tasteful. It was a standard Tudor-style mansion with perfectly manicured grass and well-trimmed rose bushes. She didn’t see any lawn ornaments simulating sex.

She rang the bell and waited for what felt like a long time before it was finally answered. Standing in front of her was a pretty, if harried-looking woman about Jessie’s age. She was small, with short black hair and piercing blue eyes.

Wearing yoga pants and a stretchy top, she looked like the kind of woman who modeled in mom shopping catalogues—attractive and shapely, but not so intimidating as to engender resentment. Before she said a word, Jessie knew that this was Ariana Aldridge.

“Hello, Mrs. Aldridge,” she said pleasantly. “I’m Jessie Hunt. We spoke on the phone earlier.”

“Oh, right,” Ariana said, snapping her fingers. “I know I was supposed to get back to you about doing an interview, but I had a rough time locking down times when my mom could watch Ginny, and then Theo came back and said everyone had gotten lawyers. I guess I just assumed it was off. Sorry.”

“That’s okay,” Jessie assured her. “Since I’m just a civilian profiler, I’m not bound by the rules regarding questioning once an attorney has been invoked. And I’d still love to talk to you if you’re open to it. But right now, I’m actually here to speak with your husband. We’re trying to nail down some final details and I think he can fill in some blank spots that could be really helpful. You said he’s home?”

“Yeah, he’s in the living room, supposedly playing with the baby but mostly watching the game. Come on back.”

Jessie followed the woman back, silently marveling at how fit she looked only months after having a baby. It seemed that she’d been using some of the family’s substantial wealth to maximize her personal training opportunities.

When they stepped into the living room, it took a second to locate Theo. The carpet was covered in toys, mats, stuffed animals, and multiple bouncy contraptions. Eventually she located him, sitting on the floor with his back resting against the couch. An adorable little girl was trying to climb up his chest and neck to yank his hair, just out of her reach. He accepted it without complaint, his eyes focused on the football game on the large screen on the wall.

“Hello, Mr. Aldridge,” Jessie said in a soothing voice she hoped wouldn’t upset the baby. “Good to see you again.”

Aldridge looked over at her and she could tell that the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“I thought you couldn’t come here after I called my lawyer.”

“That only applies to police,” Ariana volunteered on her behalf.

Jessie moved forward and sat on the edge of the couch. The baby eyed her curiously as she pulled three drool-covered fingers out of her mouth and pointed at her.

“I’ve actually just come from seeing the Landers,” she said as she gave the little girl a goofy smile, which got a happy cackle in response. “They were receptive to my visit when I indicated that I thought I could help square away their alibi.”

“What was that alibi?” Ariana asked curiously.

“I’m sorry,” Jessie said, trying to sound genuinely regretful. “I’m afraid I can’t share that with you. I assured them discretion, just as I would with you. That’s why I’d like to speak to Mr. Aldridge privately. I want to afford him the same level of confidentiality. I still very much want to speak with you, Mrs. Aldridge. But since you weren’t on the island at the time in question, I don’t want to taint your recollection with your husband’s description of events. You understand.”

“Sure,” Ariana replied, though it didn’t look like she did. “It’s time for Ginny’s afternoon nap anyway. I’ll put her down so you two can talk.”

She picked up the baby, who screeched in opposition, and left. When they were gone, Jessie turned to Theo, who didn’t look excited to have this conversation. She got the impression he would have said “no” flat out if his wife hadn’t been there.

“I think we should find somewhere more private to talk, Mr. Aldridge,” she told him. “This discussion could address some sensitive issues that you might want to keep private.”

“Why should I talk to you at all?” he asked, barely containing his belligerence.

She smiled as if he’d asked if she’d like a cookie.

“Because I might be able to formally remove you from our suspect list. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

He scowled at her but didn’t speak. Instead, he got up and motioned for her to follow him down the hall, where he opened the door to what looked like his office. When she entered he closed it behind her.

“Don’t lock it, please,” she instructed.

He raised his eyebrows, apparently surprised at the insinuation that she might not be safe alone in his presence. But he said nothing as he walked around to the other side of his desk and sat down. She took a seat in one of the plush leather chairs facing him.

“I don’t know how long we have before your wife returns,” she told him. “And I suspect you’d prefer she not hear what I have to say, so I’ll get right to the point: I know where you were last night.”

Though his eyes got wide, his voice was calm when he responded.

“I already told you where I was,” he countered. “I even gave you a list of people and places.”

“You gave me a laundry list without any specifics about when you were where and with whom. But some of your friends helped nail it down for me.”

Theo Aldridge’s face turned ashen but he didn’t reply so Jessie pressed on.

“Your good friends, Marin and Barry, indicated that they spent some quality time in their room with you. Does that comport with your recollection?”

“You can’t…no one is supposed to…please—” he stuttered, seemingly unsure how to respond.

“I’m not trying to mess up your marriage, Mr. Aldridge,” she told him, sensing his concern. “I don’t care about your little group’s cardinal rule about intermingling. And I don’t need to know the particulars of what activities you engaged in and with whom. That’s not my business. What I need to know is if you were in their hotel suite from ten p.m. until Melissa Ferro started screaming. And one more thing you should know before you answer: the Landers say they took video.”

He stood up and pressed his hands on his desk, palms down. He looked like he might faint. Jessie got to her feet as well.

“I was just curious to see what it was all about,” he said, his voice a mix of fear and confusion. “Ari had gone home. I had a lot to drink. They invited me up when they were leaving the bar. One thing led to another. I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“I’m not your priest, Mr. Aldridge,” she said, refusing to be sucked into his psychodrama. “I just need to know if you were all in that room from the time you left the bar until you heard the screams.”

He paused for a moment, as if he was debating whether he could still find a way out of this. Then, seeming to sense he couldn’t, he nodded.

“I was there. I was in their room the whole time. I didn’t have anything to do with Gabby’s death. I swear.”

Before she could reply, Jessie heard a bang behind her. She spun around to see that the office door had been thrown open. Ariana Aldridge was standing in the doorway with the baby in her arms and fury in her eyes.

“You bastard,” she yelled as she advanced on him.