Page 16 of Deception

“Me too.”

Chelsea smiled and touched her shoulder, almost as if offering an olive branch.

It was such a gentle gesture, but it gave Olive hope that maybe everyone around her didn’t hate her for reasons beyond her control.

“I’ll keep you updated when I can,” Olive told her.

Then she slipped back into her Jeep.

She should have just enough time to get to the hotel, order some dinner, and prepare for her meeting with Nova. Plus, she really wanted to check out the USB drive the mysterious photographer had dropped.

As she headed down the road, she saw police cars ahead and pressed on the brakes.

This must be the area where Maria had been found.

One lane was closed, and a police officer now directed drivers.

She observed the scene, seeing if she could pick up on anything out of the ordinary about the supposed accident.

Three cop cars were there. The ambulance must have already taken Maria to the hospital.

The traffic stopped a moment, and Olive sent Nova a text to let her know what happened.

Nova responded with a thumbs-up.

Then Olive continued to wait. As she eased closer to the scene, she lowered her window to get some air—or to overhear any conversations.

“Look at the road,” one of the officers said. “This guy didn’t even try to slow down.”

A knot lodged in Olive’s throat.

It was what she feared—this wasn’t an accident.

Just what kind of shady things were happening here in her old town?

Ten minutes later, Olive pulled up to a run-of-the-mill hotel on the outskirts of town. The place was three stories with interior room entrances, free breakfast, and clean accommodations.

It would be “home sweet home” for the next week at least.

Her thoughts continued to linger on the accident.

When she’d started this case, she’d thought she was investigating a scam. But what if there was more to it than that?

What if Maria had been hit on purpose?

But what sense would that make? Unless Maria had threatened to expose Rebecca and Matt. Would one of them go to those lengths to keep their secrets?

She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t like the thought of it.

As Olive strode down the hallway, she remembered the USB drive. She couldn’t wait to see what information was stored there.

Motorcycle Man’s image filled her mind again, and her throat tightened. Who was that guy? What was he up to?

She had too many questions, too many pieces that didn’t fit.

Olive reached her room and opened the door.

As soon as she did, she froze.