Page 35 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

O live changed into some black jeans and a black sweatshirt. She wasn’t sure exactly what she’d be facing tonight when she met Abe.

Hopefully, he’d have answers for her. But there was also the possibility this meeting was some type of trap.

She hated to think of it that way, but she knew it was a real likelihood. At least this time Tevin would be nearby in case she needed a hand.

She drove to the lighthouse but parked a quarter mile away on a side road. Tevin followed in his van, parking even farther back where it wouldn’t be noticed.

The darkness felt unnerving, as did the lightning in the distance. Was another storm coming their way?

She shivered at the thought. It seemed as if everything concerning this case was creepy. She had dealt with underhanded, conniving, and dangerous people before.

But this type of eeriness was usually reserved for the books she read, not the cases she handled.

She and Tevin climbed up a narrow path that wound along the cliff’s edge, leading to the lighthouse. The waves crashed against the rocks below, the sound carrying up to them on the rising wind. The sheer power of the surf was intimidating within itself.

Finally, with only five minutes to spare, she reached the lighthouse.

Tevin had split off from her ten minutes ago and found a place in the surrounding trees to watch everything.

Olive had brought her gun—not because she wanted to use it on Abe, of course. But just in case there was more at play here than met the eye. Just in case this was a setup of any type.

She stood by the lighthouse and stared out over the water as she waited. Every few seconds, a beam from the lantern room swept the area then out to sea again, just as it had done for decades.

The minutes ticked by.

Abe was now five minutes late.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Olive was almost ready to give up.

Then, just as a gust of wind swept over her, bringing with it the promise of rain, she heard a stick crack behind her.

That was when she realized she was no longer alone.

Olive twirled around, not sure who she’d see.

To her surprise, Abe stood there.

His face was pale in the dim light, eyes darting nervously around them. He wore a dark hoodie pulled up over his head, and his hands were shoved deep in his pockets.

“You came,” Olive murmured.

“I almost changed my mind,” he admitted. “The dorm monitor was pacing the hallway, almost as if he knew I was thinking about coming out here tonight. But I managed to slip away when he wasn’t looking.”

She glanced in the distance to where the school was. “So no one knows you’re here?”

“Nah. We’re good.” He paused and eyed her a moment.

“I had the feeling there were things you wanted to say, things you couldn’t speak aloud while in that building. Is that true?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care?”

“I came here to see if I wanted to donate money. Now I think that maybe instead of giving money I need to report this place so it can be investigated. Something about Lighthouse Harbor gives me a bad feeling, like it has secrets people are dying to keep quiet.”

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. “You feel that too, huh?”

“I do.”

He observed her another moment before asking, “What do you wanna know?”

“What happened to your friend Colin?”

“They know you asked about him, you know.”

Her breath caught. “What do you mean?”

“They questioned all of us during lockdown. I didn’t want to tell them. But they have their ways of getting information.” He rubbed his wrists.

It was too dark to see out here, but Olive suspected there were bruises there.

Her gaze flittered back up to meet his. “They asked you what we talked about?”

Abe nodded.

“Did they ask anything else?” Olive asked.

“Not really.”

She didn’t like this at all. The fact they knew Olive was suspicious also put a target on her back.

Then another thought hit her.

Was that why Colin’s mom had gotten that text today? Because someone on the administration had found out Olive was asking about him?

Had these people just expected Colin’s parents to roll over and pretend like nothing had happened to their son? Were they hoping to sweep this under the rug like had happened for those other students?

The temporary trust Abe had given her disappeared, and he took a step back. “Something about this isn’t jiving for me.”

“Wait!” Olive raised her hand, desperate to get him to stay. She’d been quiet enough for him to have second thoughts, and that was her mistake. “I just want to help. That’s all.”

He stared at her another moment with that wary look in his gaze.

Olive lifted a prayer that she hadn’t scared him away.

Because this might be one of her only chances to find out the answers she needed about Colin.