Page 1 of The Perfect Illusion (Jessie Hunt #39)

Patricia Hollinger studied herself in the closet mirror for the fourth time now.

She’d already changed outfits three times but finally felt that this one nailed it.

She wanted to wear the perfect evening gown for tonight’s charity event.

It wasn’t fair to ask so much of one gown but here she was, doing it anyway.

The dress had to ooze philanthropic class while showing attendees that she could still pour herself into the same kind of form-fitting outfit from her beauty pageant days.

This one, sparkling black and white, with a slight plunge at the neckline, was an off-the-shoulder classic that highlighted her toned arms and revealed her svelte curves, if not much skin. She was satisfied with it.

Some part of her felt mildly guilty about spending so much time on her look when the focus should be on the homeless shelter she’d recently helped expand from 30 to 50 beds, including a dedicated section for women and children.

She was incredibly proud of the accomplishment, but she still wanted to look good while announcing it.

That was especially true since she was attending the event solo.

Robert had planned to be back tonight but the company board’s big post-convention “steak & cigars” dinner had been pushed back a night, so he wouldn’t be home until tomorrow morning.

He apologized profusely, which she’d accepted with grace after pouting briefly.

She didn’t like to give him too hard a time, considering that her husband was worth about $70 million and liked spending it on her.

She heard a door close downstairs and briefly got excited, thinking Robbie might have somehow made it home in time.

But that only lasted long enough for her to remember that their housekeeper, Rosa, had said she’d be heading out in ten minutes.

Looking at her phone, Patricia saw that it was currently 6:06 P.M., almost exactly ten minutes since that conversation.

That closing door was just Rosa leaving.

She returned her attention to the full-length mirror and began to ponder her next important decision: what shoes to wear.

She picked three from her shoe closet and laid them out on the carpet in front of her feet.

She was just about to slide into the first pair when she heard what sounded like glass breaking.

“Rosa?” she called out, turning and heading into the bedroom.

For half a second, she thought that their dog, Randy, had gotten into something. But then she remembered that he was still at the vet's, recovering from his dental cleaning. They were keeping him overnight.

She was halfway across the bedroom when she stopped, reconsidering her choice. If Rosa was gone and the dog wasn’t here, what had caused that noise? Though she couldn’t put her finger on why, something felt off to her.

Patricia turned and headed back to the bathroom, where her phone was resting on the vanity. She didn't know if calling 911 was overkill, but she at least wanted to call Robbie to get his take. As she stepped into the bathroom, she caught sight of a flash of movement behind her in the vanity mirror.

She spun around to find a figure rushing toward her. But her eyes were quickly diverted to what the figure was holding in their gloved hand. It was a large piece of broken glass.

Patricia froze in place. Unable to move, she found that she was still able to scream.

But not for long.