Page 1 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

E ven though it was late September, Georgia heat pressed down like a weighted blanket as Olive Sterling hurried up the wide brick steps of Oakridge Academy.

At thirteen years old, she’d already attended six different schools.

But the first day never got easier. This time, at least, her father had sprung for a uniform—navy pleated skirt, crisp white blouse, and a blazer with the school’s oak tree crest. The other students would have no obvious reason to mark her as different.

Her twin sisters—seven years old—were being homeschooled this year. Olive wasn’t sure why her parents had chosen to send her to school. And not just any school.

This private school was fancy. However, Olive’s family was simple and average. They didn’t have a lot of money.

For that reason, she felt especially nervous.

“Remember, Ollie.” Her father had straightened her collar with more care than his usual rush job that morning before he dropped her off. “Sharp eyes, open ears.”

It was their ritual, one of the few constants in a life structured around changing names, appearances, and backstories.

Today, she was Olive Westbrook, daughter of James Westbrook, financial consultant specializing in educational endowments. The story never deviated much. Just enough details changed to keep anyone from connecting the dots.

She joined the throng of students headed up the stone steps. Once inside, a woman greeted her, took a card from her hand—a card with all of Olive’s information—and then led her to a classroom.

Another new start. These new beginnings were beginning to feel normal.

She was ushered to her class. Ms. Calloway was her teacher.

Since she was new and starting a month late, she was assigned a buddy: Brianna Sheffield.

“Show Olive around today, will you, dear?” Ms. Calloway said. “Make her feel welcome.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Brianna was exactly what Olive expected from private school royalty—confident, well-mannered, and dressed in a uniform that somehow looked tailored compared to everyone else’s.

But unlike many of the girls Olive had already encountered at the school, Brianna seemed genuinely kind.

After class, Brianna showed Olive to the science lab.

“You’ll love it here. Daddy has made so many improvements since he became headmaster three years ago. The science lab is his pride and joy.”

Most of Olive’s friends didn’t speak that way.

Maybe her old friends just weren’t as smart as Brianna and the other students here.

“Your dad is the headmaster?” Olive questioned as she turned her gaze from a microscope.

“That’s right.” Brianna smiled, her white teeth gleaming.

By lunchtime, Olive had a mental map of the school and knew entirely more than she needed about Headmaster Sheffield. He’d come from a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut. He had ambitious expansion plans for Oakridge. And he’d recently hired a security firm to keep an eye on the campus.

That evening, her family listened with interest as Olive described her day.

When she mentioned the headmaster, her father had seemed particularly interested.

“Sounds like they’ve had some financial growth.” He cut into his steak. “Did Brianna mention if her father had secured new donors recently?”

“Not really.” Olive shrugged, thinking what a strange question that was.

“But she did say her dad’s been working really hard on a capital campaign.

They keep a big chart in his office showing how close they are to their goal.

It’s shaped like their new science building, and they color in a new section every time they hit another hundred thousand. ”

Her father smiled. “That’s interesting. How close are they?”

Olive tried to remember the chart she’d seen. “About halfway. The building’s outline is blue, and the foundation and first floor are colored in red. She said they need five million total.”

“Impressive for a school their size.” Her father’s fork paused midway to his mouth. “Does Brianna visit her father’s office often?”

Olive nodded. “She told me she brings him lunch every day because he forgets to eat when he’s working. She said she has her own key because sometimes the secretary isn’t at her desk.”

The rest of the conversation centered around the twins’ homeschooling projects and the weather and finding a new dance academy for her sisters. They loved to dance.

Later that night, Olive heard her father on the phone. His voice had carried the smooth, authoritative tone he used for business.

“Yes, I’ve been very impressed with Headmaster Sheffield’s vision . . . My firm specializes in educational investment structures . . . I’d be delighted to meet with him next week . . .”

Strange. Despite that, she turned back to her math homework.

Her father’s new business involved meeting people, learning about their finances, and offering to help.

That was what consultants did, after all. That was what Dad had told her, at least.

But maybe being at this new school wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Especially if she had Brianna as a friend.