Page 47

CHAPTER 47

T hirty minutes later, Olive and Nova left Rebecca’s room.

Matt was still acting funny, like he hadn’t appreciated Olive digging into his background. He definitely hadn’t been warm during the rest of their visit. Olive had considered asking him about his time off from work, but she’d decided to wait. She didn’t want to spook him.

Nova got the footage she’d been looking for. Then Rebecca’s eyes had drooped as if she needed to take a nap, and they’d realized it was time to leave. That was fine because Olive didn’t think they’d find out anything new.

Instead, they headed back downstairs. As soon as Jason saw them, he rose, questions in his gaze.

But it wasn’t safe to talk about anything now. Olive would wait until they were back in the Range Rover.

They only had forty-five minutes until the interview with Rebecca’s neighbor.

As soon as the doors were closed on the Range Rover, Olive gave them the update.

“It definitely sounds like Matt’s hiding something.” Jason’s jaw tightened as he said the words.

“I agree.”

“What about those two women we saw?” Nova popped her head between the two front seats. “Do you think they’ll call us back?”

“I’m doubtful,” Olive said. “But we need to track them down anyway. I want to ask them some hard questions. First, we need to figure out their names.”

“I’ll work on that,” Nova said. “I’ll also check out Rebecca’s TikTok and see if she’s added any new videos. I’ll watch her acting skills in action again.”

“Perfect,” Olive said.

“While you were upstairs, Sabrina came in with Rebecca’s daughter,” Jason added. “They were in the bathroom when you came down, which is probably why your paths didn’t cross.”

“How is Willow holding up?” Olive remembered the pictures she’d seen of the angel-faced girl. Certainly, she wasn’t unaffected by all this.

“She seemed okay,” Jason said. “But Sabrina looked tired.”

“I imagine she is.” She must have taken today off work to be with Willow and bring her here. That wasn’t always an easy task as a teacher.

“She also invited the two of us over for dinner with her and her husband tonight,” Jason continued. “I didn’t give her an answer. However, she may or may not think I’m in town to see you because we’re . . . together.”

Olive glanced at Nova in time to see a smile tugging at her lips.

She ignored her colleague.

“Tonight?” Olive repeated. “I’m not sure that’s going to work out—it depends if we figure out anything new.”

“If it makes any difference, they don’t have much time either—only an hour and a half. But she really wants to see us.”

Then again, maybe meeting with Sabrina would be good. Olive could get the inside scoop on whatever Willow may have told her.

“On second thought, tell her we can meet. I think it could be a good move . . . for the investigation and personally.” Olive glanced at Nova. “We don’t have anything scheduled tonight, right?”

Nova shrugged. “I’ll just be working on this ‘film’—not that we plan on doing anything with it. But I need something for the fundraiser.”

“I appreciate that.”

As the conversation ended, they pulled up in front of the neighbor’s house.

It was time to do another interview.

Olive hoped they’d learn something new and that they weren’t simply wasting their time.

Georgina Creedence lived next door to Rebecca and Matt.

The widow appeared to be in her mid-sixties, with light-blonde hair cut in a sharp wedge. She had no children of her own, and she often stepped in to help out Rebecca and Matt. She even made them dinner twice a week.

Jason waited in the Range Rover while Olive and Nova went inside.

The interview started with Georgina singing Rebecca’s and Matt’s praises. Tears even welled in her eyes as she spoke about them. She obviously truly felt bad for the couple.

But nothing she told them so far during the interview was necessarily helpful.

However, her commentary was informative.

Especially when she told them about how she’d cancelled some plans to see some of her old girlfriends for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation opportunity in Naples, all because Rebecca and Matt had an emergency and needed her to babysit.

Apparently, she’d only recently stopped being able to babysit, and that was because she’d had knee replacement surgery.

Although . . . based on what Olive knew about Rebecca and Matt, that wouldn’t stop the couple from asking for Georgina’s help if they were in a “bind.”

But it was what Georgina said right before they left that really caught Olive’s attention.

“I went to visit my sister last week,” she started. “She lives in Midlothian, right outside Dallas. There’s another young mother in town there who’s going through the same battle as Rebecca. When she told me, I couldn’t help but think how eerie the similarities were.”

Olive shifted in her seat. “Like what?”

Georgina frowned and shook her head. “You know . . . all the surgeries and treatments, many not covered by insurance. The time off work. The bills that pile up. It’s just so sad. But the community has really come together to support this young lady also. Do you think there’s something happening that’s making these young women sick?”

Olive’s lungs froze at the woman’s words. Unfortunately, people were diagnosed with cancer every day, so that wasn’t unusual within itself. Even young mothers were diagnosed. And having the community come together wasn’t that strange either.

There was some other thought that Olive wanted to latch onto—she just wasn’t sure what.

She’d think about it more later.

For now, Olive and Nova thanked Georgina and packed up their things to leave.

Just when they stepped outside, Motorcycle Man sped by the house.