Page 11 (1/2)

Finally, the girlout his own groceries And that’s when he caught sight of the hardcover book at the top of the stand next to the clerk His own face stared back at him from the book’s cover

"Shit," Jesse said under his breath

The young woain, this tiers cap lower over his forehead, not aze

Hopefully the short beard he’d acquired in the last e--the Jesse Cruz on the book cover was clean-cut and well-dressed, leaning against a brick ith crime scene tape strewn all over it, eyes hooded in a look the photographer had called "broody" At the photo shoot Jesse had complained that cops would never put crime scene tape on a wall, but no one had listened to hiroceries and waited, trying to keep his eyes off the row of books He couldn’t help but steal quick glances, like a scab that you can’t stop yourself fro title, Wunderkind: The Rookie Detective Who Caught Two of LA’s Most Notorious Killers, followed by his own nae letters Beneath it, in a shostwriter who’d done basically all of the work: A P Cox Jesse flinched and looked away

The young wo at the clerk, a young Hispanic woman as a foot shorter and fifty pounds heavier than Jesse She was giving him the eyeball, but he couldn’t tell if it was because of the book cover, the scruffy look, or his pathetic groceries: Hungry-Man meals and beer Wait, could it be the sht before? He couldn’t reed hiyht?

His phone buzzed, startling hients and editors, who stuck to business hours, or his family But it was a little late for his parents, ent to bed early, and Noah had said he had a date tonight Jessethe phone out of his pocket The lawyer’s na the young wo late, Esteban?"

"I wasn’t planning on it," said the lawyer His tone was just this side of annoyed "But she has a couple of last-minute requests before we finalize the paperwork"

The clerk in front of hilowed in front of him Jesse nodded and pulled out cash He’d learned the hard way that it was hard to stay anonymous if you used a credit card with your naive her whatever she wants I don’t care"

"This is serious money, Jesse," the lawyer insisted, but without any heat This was an old argument, and he kneouldn’t win

"And Ava earned it," Jesse replied, holding out his free hand for the change "I told you, fifty-fifty, plus she gets the car and the condo Is she asking for more than that?"

"Jesse, soive a shit about the furniture," Jesse snarled, and in front of hiy, but she shook her head, her eyes darting to the rent-a-cop at the store entrance Jesse sighed and picked up his bags, shifting so he was holding the phone in place with his shoulder "This conversation is over," he said into the phone

"Yeah, I can tell," Esteban said shortly He hung up

Jesse stuffed the phone back in his pocket, his teeth clenched together in frustration He turned back to apologize to the clerk, but now she was standing there with the book in her hands, giving Jesse a look that was right on the brink of "a-ha!" He hurried out the door instead