“His wife found out about the affair?”
Vanessa shrugged. “Again, I can only speculate. What I can tell you is, I think he was way more into Amanda than she was him. Call it women’s intuition. The way he looked at her at times, he was like a little lovesick puppy. I don’t think there was much love on her part. I think her relationship with Mr. Dunne was more . . . strategic. She was extremely ambitious.”
“You think she had someone else?” Connor asked. “Another lover she might’ve been meeting out at that motel in the desert?”
Vanessa smiled sadly. “That I can’t help you with. The only person who knows what happened that night is Amanda Meyers.”
10
AMANDA—TWO YEARS AGO
Friday afternoon and the city was in the grip of a relentless summer.
It was hotter than hell outside and not so much fun inside either, with stuffy work areas and sticky armpits and desktops fans pointed at damp faces.
Amanda Meyers was absolutely fine though.
She had the AC cranked all the way up to the kind of temperature an Arctic explorer would find chilly and she was enjoying the coolness, and the quiet, as she worked through the last of the week’s paperwork. Zach was out at meetings all day, so she’d decided to take advantage of his absence and use his office instead of her own desk on the overheated main floor. One of the perks of sleeping with the boss.
Her cell phone vibrated and a message flashed up on the screen from a number she didn’t recognize.
New burner. Save this number xx
Zach.
He always signed off with two kisses, just like a teenage girl would. Amanda used to find it cute, now she found it irritating. A lot of things about Zach irritated her these days, such as the nonsense with the burner phones. When they’d first hooked up, they’d agreed she wouldn’t contact his regular cell phone after office hours, so he’d purchased a burner. Fair enough. Then he’d started replacing the burner every few months after his wife found the first one and he’d had to convince her the phone belonged to a client in the middle of a messy divorce. It was boring now. So was staying home alone on the weekend when Zach had plans with Stephanie.
As if he’d been reading her thoughts, another message arrived from him.
I want to see you tonight. Let’s spend all weekend in bed together. Fancy packing a bag? xx
Amanda tapped out a reply: What about S? x
She didn’t want to spend all weekend in bed with Zach. This thing, whatever it was, had run its course. Amanda had some interviews lined up for rival firms in the coming weeks. As soon as she quit her job here, she’d quit Zach too.
Her phone lit up again. S thinks I have a business trip. What do you say? xx
Amanda knew Zach was crazy about her. That’s why he showered her with expensive gifts, including a sports car. He’d even started making noises recently about leaving Stephanie. He’d probably picked up on Amanda’s growing indifference toward their relationship and mistaken it for frustration that they weren’t an “official” couple. It didn’t matter either way. Zach would never end his marriage. Stephanie would make his life hell, and then take him to the cleaners, if he even tried.
In any case, Amanda knew she could do way better than Zachary Dunne. Someone richer, and more powerful, and definitely better looking. Zach had served his purpose. She’d gone as far as she could at Haywood, Dunne & Smith. The sex wasn’t great and she didn’t even enjoy kissing him. Not that he was a bad kisser, not really, but she hated the way his glasses pressed against her face and the feel of his bald leathery scalp beneath her fingers. Amanda liked to run her hands through thick hair when she was making out. Liked the feel of a hard, toned body on top of her own, not a flabby, middle-aged gut.
She picked up her cell, intending to text back letting him know she had made plans already.
But.
Another perk of sleeping with the boss was that he did always choose the best hotels and restaurants when they spent time together away from the office. Only the finer things in life for Zachary Dunne. It was the reason why he’d hit on Amanda. If he was planning on taking her someplace fancy for the weekend, then maybe she’d meet him after all. They didn’t have to spend the whole time in bed together. She could relax in the spa, maybe have a massage, definitely order some nice food, and drink the best champagne the hotel had on offer.
Okay. Where? x
Zach replied straightaway. The Tranquility on Twentynine Palms Highway. Can you phone ahead and book the room on your card as usual? Here’s the number. Will give you the cash tonight xx
Amanda: Am I meeting you there? x
Zach: Yes. Ask for room 25 and use the private parking spot round back. And wear something sexy! xx
Amanda smiled at his last comment. She imagined him imagining her in a hot little number, getting all frisky in between his boring meetings.
She phoned the number and booked the room. It sounded like the guy who answered said “motel” rather than “hotel” and it was a lot cheaper than she expected. Must be desert prices, she told herself. Zach wasn’t cheap and he always gave her the cash back straightaway whenever she put anything on her card, which was another precaution against Stephanie finding out about the affair. Further proof he’d never leave his wife.
Amanda returned to the client file she’d been working on. Stared at the page for a full five minutes before realizing she hadn’t read a single word. Her mind was elsewhere, already fantasizing about an outdoor hot tub, with a panoramic view of the Mojave Desert, and an ice-cold glass of fizz in her hand.
Yes, Amanda and Zach would have one final weekend together and then she would tell him it was over between them.
11
JESSICA
The sun dipped into the horizon and the sky looked like it was on fire as Jessica eased her Chevy Silverado through the tight twists and turns of Mulholland Drive.
Way down below, the lights of the Los Angeles Basin began to twinkle like a million stars reflected on a still lake. Jessica had been born in this city but, having grown up in low-rent apartment blocks among the grime and noise and bustle of New York, she was still trying to get used to the place she now called home. She didn’t know if native Angelenos took such views for granted but, to Jessica, the scene was pure Hollywood. Even more so than the famous sign and the studios and the A-list stars.
She turned off the two-lane highway onto a winding paved driveway leading to an elegant six-foot gate with an intercom to the side. It wasn’t much of a deterrent for any intruder determined enough to gain access to the grounds but it did provide the place with the kind of gated estate feel folks in the neighborhood clearly coveted. Jessica leaned out the truck’s window and pressed the button. A short pause was followed by a low buzz as the gate slid open.
The driveway led to an imposing peach Tuscan-style house perched proudly in an elevated position amongst the flora and fauna and shale of the hillside. Jessica thought the property might be the same size as the entire block where she had once shared a house in Blissville with her dad, Tony. Definitely worth a few million at least. Several cars, all showroom new and sparkly, were parked in front of a triple garage. Jessica pulled up next to a Porsche 911 and shut off the engine.
She got out of the truck and stood for a moment, enjoying the feel of the warm evening breeze ruffling her short blonde hair and the intoxicating sight of the blood sunset over the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood’s grand properties were all impressive in their own way but they couldn’t begin to compete with the rugged landscape when it came to the wow factor. Jessica headed for the Simmonds residence—and stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted the twin-pillared front entrance.