SEVENTY-ONE
As they headed out of the front door of the police station, Jessie and John ran straight into Heather Pierce. Her face looked as if she’d been sucking on a lemon.
“Well, well,” Heather said, glancing at the two of them. “Fancy meeting the two of you here at police headquarters.”
“Hello, Heather,” Jessie said.
John remained silent.
“What were you here for?” Heather asked, a mock smile spreading across her face. “The police still questioning you about Bryan’s disappearance?”
“I’ve told them everything I know,” Jessie said. “I’m sorry that it had to come to this, Heather. As I told you on the phone, I didn’t want to go to the police.”
“Bullshit,” Heather snarled. “Why don’t you admit the truth, Jessie? You were having an affair with Bryan. You came back here and went after him the first moment you could—at that party you threw, in fact. I saw it!”
“That’s absurd, Heather.”
“Is it?” She suddenly snapped open the purse that hung over her shoulder and whipped out a pair of silk panties, tossing them at Jessie. “Those are yours! Don’t deny it! I found them in our room! With naked photos of you!”
“Naked photos?” Jessie was horrified.
“Oh, yes, very naked.” Heather now produced an old Polaroid from her purse, flashing it in front of Jessie. “You see, I have evidence!”
“Let me see that!” Jessie exclaimed.
“No!” Heather retorted, holding the photo out of reach like a taunting schoolgirl on the playground.
“If that’s me, then it’s from a very long time ago. I haven’t had hair that long since . . .” Her voice trailed off. “Since college . . .”
The likelihood that the photo was, indeed, her struck Jessie like a body blow.
“Bryan must have taken it when I was asleep,” she said, the horror creeping over her. “Give that to me!”
“Nope,” Heather said, replacing the Polaroid in her purse. “As I said, evidence.”
“Now I really will press charges against Bryan!” Jessie declared. “Taking obscene pictures of me without my consent!”
“And the panties?” Heather asked. “How do you explain them? They’re yours, aren’t they? And it doesn’t look like they’re from college.”
“Someone broke into my house and went through my drawers.”
“Hah! Likely story!”
“I was not having an affair with Bryan,” Jessie said severely.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” John said, putting his arm around Jessie.
Heather saw the gesture, and exploded. “Oh, now I get it! You’re sleeping with John, too!” Her face twisted in rage. “Now I understand everything! Now I understand why you wouldn’t see me anymore, John!” She returned her focus to Jessie. “You really wanted revenge on me, didn’t you, Jessie Clarkson? You goddamn tramp!”
“Now, that’s enough!” John said, stepping in between the two women. “Heather, you’re completely out of line.”
Heather turned a pair of burning eyes in his direction. “Out of line? I’ll tell you who’s out of line, Mr. Manning.” She jabbed her finger against John’s chest. “Maybe when you found out Jessie was sleeping with Bryan, you killed him! Just like you killed your wife and that German girl!”
“Let’s get out of here,” John said, taking Jessie by the arm and hurrying her down the street. “We don’t need to listen to the rantings of a crazy woman.”
“Crazy, am I?” Heather called after them. “We’ll see how crazy I am when I give the state’s attorney this evidence!”
John and Jessie hurried down the street.