Page 15

CHAPTER 15

TODAY

O live awoke early to get ready for the day. She wanted to review her interview questions as well as all the terminology she needed to be familiar with as a part of her job as a documentarian.

Thankfully, she was a quick study.

At 8:30, Olive and Nova met downstairs in the lobby and grabbed something to eat from the breakfast area.

As she sipped on some fruity tea, Olive geared herself up for the day.

The last thing she wanted to do was to ruin an innocent person’s life, to add more heartache onto someone who was suffering.

That was another reason why she needed to keep her investigation under the radar until she had more evidence. If Rebecca truly did have a terminal illness, then she deserved to be treated with respect.

“Are you ready for this?” Nova’s voice broke her from her thoughts.

“I think so. Let me help you.” Olive grabbed one of the cases Nova was carrying, and they walked outside.

Today was gloomy with a blanket of gray clouds overhead that spewed bursts of cold rain. It seemed fitting for their assignment.

They walked to Olive’s Jeep Wrangler and loaded the equipment in the back. Then they took off toward Rebecca’s house.

“You feel as nervous as I do?” Olive stole a glance at Nova.

Nova shrugged. “Nervous? Nah. Not really. I mean, I like catching the bad guys. But I like knowing they’re definitely the bad guys first.”

“Me too.” At least Olive wasn’t alone in her feelings.

They drove into a neighborhood—a newer one if Olive had to guess. These houses were maybe ten years old, based on their style and upkeep.

Several minutes later, they pulled to a stop in front of Rebecca’s house—a two-story, farmhouse-style home with dark-blue wood siding and white trim.

“Here goes nothing,” Olive murmured.

“We are Union Bay Productions,” Nova repeated.

Heaving in another breath, Olive climbed out and took the equipment from the back. They’d even had some “Union Bay Productions” stickers created and placed them on the camera case. Not only that, but the stickers looked well-worn.

Details were what their team did best. They’d created business cards for them as well.

Olive and Nova trudged to the front door.

Before they even knocked, the door opened, and Rebecca stood there with a smile on her face. Today, she wore a blue maxi dress with small, pink flowers patterned in narrow lines.

“Good morning,” she greeted them.

She sure was perky. Had she heard about Maria? Certainly, she had.

“Good morning.” Olive gave Rebecca a nod.

Olive had dressed for her new identity again today. She’d worn loose jeans and a black linen shirt. Her hair again was pulled into a low ponytail, and she wore minimal makeup.

She’d done just what her dad had taught her—she’d dressed the part.

She frowned at the thought.

“Thanks for letting us come,” Olive said.

“Of course.” Rebecca extended her arm behind her. “Come on in.”

Olive observed the interior of the home. A large living room stretched to her left, a kitchen beyond that. The place wasn’t as open concept as she assumed it would be.

But the inside of the house was nicely decorated with slipcover couches and chunky wooden tables. A walker stood in the corner as well as a tank of oxygen.

Olive would really like to find some of Rebecca’s medications or even some paperwork from the hospital. But that would take more snooping.

Her gaze went back to the living room. Family photos were everywhere—on the wall, on shelves, and on tables.

Rebecca must have seen Olive looking at the pictures. “A local photographer heard what I was going through and offered to take these pictures for us.” She ran her hand along the side of one photo featuring her daughter. “This is Willow. Isn’t she gorgeous?”

“She really is.” The girl had chestnut-brown hair that came to her waist and a bright smile—just like her mom.

“She only goes to preschool three days a week, so my neighbor is watching her today,” Rebecca continued. “Georgina helps me out a lot. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Olive made a mental note to talk with that neighbor sometime.

The people closest to Rebecca would have the most insights on the details of Rebecca’s life. They’d be the ones most likely to see the cracks.

Had any of them ever confronted her? Rebecca would probably never admit it.

“You’ll have to excuse me today.” Rebecca ran a finger beneath her eyes, which had become teary.

“Is everything okay?”

She shook her head. “It’s just that our housekeeper . . . I just found out last night that she was killed in a hit-and-run accident. I’m trying to stay strong, but I’m still processing everything.”