Salter had regained her composure even before Jessie finished the question.

You are aware that Im under no obligation to answer that…but I will. I was everywhere, Ms. Hunt. When it comes to Jaspers parties, Im a bit of a whirling dervish, always in motion, always putting out fires.

Put out any fires in Jaspers private wing that night? Jessie wondered.

Nancy Salter smiled at her before answering. Her lips curled unnaturally, as if they were unused to that kind of movement.

Not that I recall.

Thats odd, Jessie mused. You seem like the kind of person who recalls everything.

I do my best, but things can get crazy when trying to manage almost six hundred people.

Im sure, Jessie said consolingly. Maybe checking the location data on your phone would help refresh your memory.

Maybe, Salter said. Unfortunately, as Jasper mentioned, the digital dampening net we employ on the property makes that sort of thing impossible.

Oh, right. I forgot about that, Jessie lied. Thats really unfortunate for us law enforcement types. If not for that, we might have Ms. Estradas killer in custody already.

The doors at the end of the corridor opened and two burly men in suits, apparently graduates of the same security school as Ajax, walked quickly toward them.

It appears that its time for you to go now, Ms. Hunt, Salter said. Ill leave you in the care of Alastair and Vincent. Good day.

She turned on her heel and was out of hearing distance before Jessie could think of anything good to say. Either Alastair or Vincent motioned for her to head back down the corridor. She did so, with one of them in front of her and the other behind.

As she returned to the main entrance of the house, Jessie felt an infuriating sense of helplessness. Despite all the smoke, there was no fire yet. She had no evidence definitively tying him to this murder. But Jasper Otis was guilty of something.

He clearly had an unhealthy, potentially criminal interest in underage girls. And if he wasnt Millys murderer, why the hell did he seem to be covering it up? Was it just that he was so powerful that he didnt care how he looked as he bullied everyone in his way? Or was it something deeper? Was he hiding some secret so nefarious that it was worth weathering whatever suspicion he faced to keep it hidden?

Either way, it was a tactical mistake. If hed done his research on Jessie, he would have known she didnt back down. Not from serial killers, not from corrupt cops, not from drug cartels. And certainly not from pedophile billionaires.

He didnt know it yet, but she was coming for him.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Hannah focused in on her target.