Page 7 of Artifice (Pros and Cons Mysteries #4)

O live and Tevin were both staying in a quaint bed-and-breakfast in town—one that boasted views of the lighthouse. However, it seemed wherever a person went in this town, that lighthouse was watching over them as it rose on the highest peak around.

Tevin’s cover story was that he was a hiker heading across the country to hit as many trails as he could.

He’d dressed the part in cargos and T-shirts with hiking boots.

He’d even let his beard grow over the past week and a half, and he carried a well-worn backpack to sell his image. Usually, he kept a neat appearance.

Twenty minutes after Olive got settled into her room, her door handle turned. She knew it was Tevin—he’d texted. Knocking might draw too much attention.

He slipped inside, a bag of dill-flavored sunflower seeds in his hand, and quietly closed the door behind him.

“You look like a hippie,” she muttered.

He gave her a look. “And you look like a ditsy heiress.”

She took a bow. “Then I guess we’re both doing our jobs.”

They sat at a small settee in the corner near a window. Olive had already closed the shades just in case anybody was outside watching.

“So did you find out anything?” Olive started, leaning toward him.

Tevin had been tasked with looking into Colin’s background more deeply.

“Nothing that we don’t already know,” he told her. “His parents were pretty forthright about everything.”

Olive already knew that Colin was the son of a lawyer and a renowned architect.

He’d grown up with every advantage in his Boston suburb—private schools, European vacations, and a social circle comprised of the children of New England’s elite.

He loved rock climbing. His favorite saying was “Onward and upward!” And his mother clearly adored him.

Much to her husband’s dismay, she’d sobbed the entire time Olive had talked to her. Mr. Andrews was also worried, but he was much more private and reserved, it seemed.

Colin’s troubles began during his junior year when the pressure to maintain perfect grades while applying to Ivy League schools became overwhelming. He started self-medicating with his mother’s prescription anxiety medication, which led to increasingly erratic behavior.

The final straw came when Colin and three friends hacked into their prestigious prep school’s security system, not for malicious purposes, but to orchestrate an elaborate prank involving releasing two dozen chickens painted in school colors throughout the administrative offices.

The prank caused thousands in damages when the panicked birds destroyed valuable artwork and antique furniture. While his friends’ parents made substantial donations to smooth things over, Colin’s father insisted his son face consequences.

What was meant to be a three-month disciplinary stay at Lighthouse Harbor had stretched to six months when Colin began showing genuine improvement. His weekly letters home had been increasingly positive . . . until they abruptly stopped three weeks ago.

His concerned parents had begun to question the school’s claim that their son—who had been talking about his future plans and seemed to be thriving—would suddenly run away without a word.

When the administration had stonewalled them, they’d turned to Aegis.

Since Tevin had no updates, Olive told him about her day.

“Uh oh.” Tevin popped a sunflower seed into his mouth. “It looks like you may already be running into danger. How did you swing that?”

“Good question. I don’t know what I might have done to trigger someone. I haven’t poked around yet.”

“It could be someone who wants to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t find out anything bad about Lighthouse Harbor.”

“That’s true. Or it could be someone that doesn’t want me digging too much into the school’s background and finding out something that might jeopardize their chances of getting this funding.”

“Or to be more of an optimist, what if it’s somebody who knows something about Colin and is looking for just the right opportunity to approach you to see if you’re trustworthy?”

Olive nibbled on her bottom lip a moment. “But why would someone who wants help finding Colin approach the wealthy benefactor who might give money to the school? The only reason somebody would want to approach me was if they knew I was a private investigator, which no one should know.”

He frowned. “You’re right. They probably wouldn’t know that.”

She leaned back, thinking again about her visit. She shuddered when she remembered seeing that student peering out of the dark room.

“You’re thinking about the kid?” Tevin could read her thoughts so easily.

She nodded. “I am. I can’t get it out of my head. They said the student’s name is Peyton, which could be a guy or a girl. Any chance you could look into that for me?”

“I’m on it. As soon as I get back to my computer, I’ll see what I can find out. I might be able to find a list of residents from the school.”

“I also need you to look into Simon L.”

He popped more sunflower seeds in his mouth. “I plan on doing that also. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out something. It sounds like that guy might not be on the up and up either.”

“I agree. I don’t trust him.”

“I’ve got your back.”

Olive grinned at him. “I know you do.”

He set his bag on the table between them. “So what’s next for you?”

“Tomorrow I’ll observe some of the classes.

I’m sure everyone will be trying to put their best foot forward.

But if I want to find out what happened to Colin, then I need to get in deep.

I need to figure out who his friends were.

What his last days at the school were like.

I’d even love to see his room if I could. ”

“Sounds about right.”

She let out a long breath. This boy didn’t just disappear into thin air. Something happened to him, and Olive needed to figure out what.

Tevin left a few minutes later, and Olive leaned back on her bed, ready to unwind.

As she sat there, she glanced at her phone and saw she’d missed two calls from Jason.

Her heart sagged as soon as she saw his name.

Nothing had been the same . . . not since Tevin had discovered a possible tie between Jason’s father and the murder of her family.

Only a couple of weeks ago, she was ready to give their relationship another shot. Jason had been her first love, and they’d been apart for many years before being reconnected in Chicago in January.

Olive wasn’t the type to trust too easily. But she’d been ready to throw caution to the wind.

Then she’d gone back to Texas, to the town where she and Jason had met as teens. She’d even gone back to her family’s old house . . . and she’d discovered that no one had lived in the place since her family had moved out.

Upon digging deeper, she’d discovered the house was now being held in an overseas trust.

She’d gotten Tevin to look into it for her, and he’d discovered that one of the people named on that trust was Jason’s father.

Olive’s own family history was complicated.

She, her dad, mom, and twin sisters had moved around every couple of years.

Each time her dad took on a new job and a new persona, with new names for them all.

For the longest time, Dad had told Olive the reason they did those things was because he worked for the government doing top-secret assignments.

Olive had desperately wanted to believe him.

Now it was clear that he’d never worked for the government. More likely he was a con artist. He’d perfected the art of taking innocent people’s money by telling lies and winning favor.

She still felt sick to think about it.

Where all that money had gone, Olive had no idea. She certainly hadn’t seen a cent of it. In fact, after her family was murdered, she’d discovered they’d virtually had no money at all. She’d had to venture out on her own with no backing of any sort.

She was proud to say she’d done that. Tom Greer, an FBI agent, and his wife, Jill, had taken Olive under their wings. They’d been a big help.

But despite that, Olive had been thrust into the world alone.

Now she was desperate to uncover the truth about her dad and about who’d murdered her family. Their killer had never been found.

But Olive was going to change that.

She just needed a little more time.