Page 27 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

PRESENT DAY

T rue to his word, Tevin had another car waiting for Olive the next morning. He’d also arranged for her first rental to be towed, and she didn’t believe Principal Denarau had seen it yet. Olive desperately hoped her cover wasn’t blown.

Except Simon obviously knew she was up to something. But he was up to something also, so that should give him incentive not to share details about their encounter with anyone.

Still, Olive would definitely need to keep an eye on the man.

She’d planned on skipping breakfast. But after that phone call she’d overheard last night, she decided not to. She’d already told Tevin about the conversation, and he was also going to keep an eye on the situation as well.

“I did some research on Northwest Shipping Company,” he whispered to her as they met in the upstairs hallway before breakfast.

Her heart pounded harder. “And?”

“They have ties to at least three shell companies with questionable international transactions. And there’s a connection to someone who regularly contacts this house.”

I knew it! However, Olive’s moment of victory was quickly replaced with somberness. “I’m worried about Mrs. Potts. I’m going to see what I can find out.”

“Just watch how you play your hand.”

“Always.”

With that, Olive started down the stairs. She would descend first, and Tevin would come down a few minutes later.

All the other guests at the B&B were already seated at the table—other than Tevin—when she got there.

She glanced at Mrs. Potts and noticed that the woman seemed even more tired this morning than usual.

That late night phone call could have done it.

Olive called hello to everybody and then took her seat. A few minutes later, Tevin joined them, right on cue.

Breakfast this morning was French toast with locally tapped maple syrup and thick slices of applewood smoked bacon. Just as yesterday, Olive skipped the caffeine and instead opted for some orange raspberry tea.

General chitchat went around the table as Olive ate her food. She waited until everyone else had finished and slowly trickled away from the table.

Then it was just her and Mrs. Potts.

Just what she’d been waiting for.

“Mrs. Potts, I wanted to mention that the sink in my bathroom has a steady drip,” Olive started. She’d loosened the fixture earlier that morning. “I was wondering if your husband might be able to look at it today.”

Mrs. Potts blinked as if unsure how to respond to the question. “Oh? Um . . . well, Henry’s not feeling well right now so he’s lying down. But I’ll definitely have it looked into.”

“I’m so sorry to hear he’s not feeling well.”

Her gaze darkened. “Me too. But I’m hoping it’s just allergies or something and that it will pass quickly.”

“If there’s anything I can do for him, please let me know.” Olive knew that Mrs. Potts would have no idea the underlying meaning in her words.

However, Olive meant what she said. She felt certain Mrs. Potts was being manipulated into doing . . . something. Olive wasn’t sure what.

But she had a feeling that whoever was behind it was holding Henry hostage.

That wasn’t cool.

Olive would keep working, trying to find out answers. She couldn’t press too hard.

Not yet.

This conversation was only her first step.

After breakfast, Olive hurried to the school. Principal Denarau had promised she could talk to any students she wanted today. She planned on doing just that.

Lunchtime would be the best time to do so, and she had one student in particular who was on her mind: Abe.

She had to find a way to have a private conversation with him.

When she arrived, Director Ingraham greeted her as usual. Olive knew she had some time to kill before lunch, and she already knew what she wanted to do with that time.

“Now that I have a better feel for the school,” Olive started, “I’d really like to look at those renovation plans a little more carefully and get a better idea of what my money will be going toward.”

“Of course.” Director Ingraham offered a stiff smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. You can use my office.”

As they headed down the hallway toward that area, Olive saw Simon walking toward them.

Her heart rate quickened. She didn’t think he’d sell her out, but she needed to be careful. The stakes were too high.

As they passed, he raised his chin in a nod. “Ms. Bettencourt.”

She nodded back. “Mr. Long.”

Director Ingraham paused. “One moment, Ms. Bettencourt. How’s everything going on your end, Simon?”

“It’s great.” He offered a bright, unassuming smile. “I plan to have a full report to you by the end of the week.”

“Perfect. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

Simon gave Olive another look before he nodded and stepped away.

When he was out of earshot, Olive turned to Director Ingraham. “So what exactly is Mr. Long doing here?”

“He’s evaluating various aspects of the school, including our security, education plan, growth potential, and marketing prowess.”

Interesting. Olive stored that information away.

She was escorted into Director Ingraham’s office where the blueprints and the project proposal were displayed.

Maybe she’d be able to find out something about those tunnels—where they were located, how they were accessed, and what purpose they might serve.