You know, I think youre better off if I dont tell you.

Youre not going to do something crazy, are you? Karen asked.

I guess that depends on how you define crazy, Jessie told her. Im not an LAPD employee. Im just a private citizen consulting for the department. As such, Im not bound by the same rules as you. And Im not inclined to let some entitled, self-satisfied billionaire determine how I can investigate this murder. Milly Estrada deserves better than that. She deserves justice. And Im going to get it for her.

Karen didnt respond to that other than to smile. She got in her car and backed out of the driveway. As she pulled away, she lowered her window.

Let me know if you need me to bail you out, she shouted as she drove off.

Once she left, Jessie parked her car half a block down the road, walked back in the direction of the main gate, and sat on a bench near some bushes in the park across the street. Ten minutes later, a dry-cleaning service van pulled up. The gate opened and the van headed up the driveway.

Jessie got up from the bench and casually jogged across the street. She darted by just before the gates slammed closed. The sound clarified one clear thought in her head.

No turning back now.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

She tried to act casual.

It was hard, considering that she had to make her way up a quarter-mile-long driveway to a massive mansion that she knew was at least partially monitored by 24/7 security. She expected personnel to show up at any second and kick her out.

When she got up to the roundabout in front of the house, she discovered why that hadnt happened. Security had their hands full. There were already lots of people milling about. In addition to the dry cleaner, there were landscapers putting equipment back in a truck, several people doing work on a nearby stone fountain, and someone carrying pool equipment from a van around the side of the house.

Jessie decided that might be her best bet. If she approached the place from the side, shed be less likely to attract attention than just wandering up to the front door. So she jogged after the pool guy as nonchalantly as possible.

Hey, she called out when she was close enough that only he could hear her. Need a hand? It looks like somethings going to drop at any second.

The guy turned around. He was in his fifties with gray hair and leathery skin that had clearly spent many years in the sun.

Sure, he said, offering her an unwieldy plastic hose. Id never turn down an extra hand. Is this a new policy?

What do you mean?

This is the first time a staffer has ever offered to help me with anything, he said. No offense, but your bosses arent exactly worker-friendly.