Agreed, Jessie said. I think that should be our next stop. But before that, I was hoping something might have popped on Nancy Salter. The woman is definitely rougher around the edges than she lets on. And physically, I dont think shed have much trouble breaking someones neck, especially a person like Milly Estrada, who was much smaller.

Jamil shook his head.

Afraid not, he said. Her record is clean. The womans never even had a parking ticket, though she has been sued a few times for creating an unwelcome work environment. Based on the way she clocked that caterer, Id say thats an understatement. Ill keep probing though.

Jessie, who had really wanted an excuse to go after Salter, tried to hide her disappointment.

Whats that? she asked, pointing at a monitor with a still frame from in front of South House.

Jamil glanced over to see what she was referencing.

Oh, I used the main house footage to confirm when Millicent Estrada arrived at the party. It was pretty early in the evening, at eight forty-two.

He hit play and the screen unfroze to show Estrada walking from the parking lot to the main doors, where she waited briefly in line before entering.

Play it back, Jessie requested.

This time she focused less on the womans movements than on her presence. Milly Estrada had an elegance in motion that didnt come across in photos. As she walked, she held her head high, almost regally, as her dark, wavy hair bounced gently about her head.

Jessie could almost sense the excitement coming off her as she prepared to enter the party. Her gold blouse shimmered in the floodlights surrounding the house. Her long black skirt had a slit that rose provocatively to her upper thigh, revealing a toned leg that she must have worked hard to maintain.

Something about seeing her like that was incredibly bittersweet. Jessie was happy that this woman had decided to make a bold, fresh start, to reboot her life and pursue the passion that had been missing from it. And yet, it seemed that her embrace of this new, more exhilarating lifestyle led directly to the end of that life, to her lying half-naked, wet, and forgotten, with her proud, regal neck broken and limp.

Jessie felt impotent fury rise in her belly and reminded herself that it need not be impotent. She could do something about it. She had to. Pulling out her phone, she gave Jamil the list of big names that had been mentioned to her: Senator Johnson, actor Paul Gilliard, and Omar the mystery sultan.

Based on Blondie-by-the-pools walk-back, Im not optimistic that well get any hits on these guys, she admitted. But we should nail down their whereabouts anyway. And Jamil, Id love it if you could do a full rundown on whoever this sultan isbackground, assets, anything out of the ordinary.

Am I looking for something specific? Jamil asked, his interest piqued.