Page 22 of Deception

Olive’s moo goo gai pan was lukewarm but edible. The scents of chicken, soy, and steamed vegetables filled the air, making her stomach rumble.

“I’m so hungry,” Nova murmured. “It’s such a travesty that our food isn’t fresh anymore.”

“Just a travesty.” Olive resisted an eye roll.

They dug into their food. Olive wanted to dive back into the investigation, but she gave Nova a few minutes to eat first.

“You know, I’ve been thinking lately,” Nova started, her mouth full of rice. “I think you and Mitzi would be perfect at doing cosplay with me.”

Cosplay was another of Nova’s loves.

“Oh, yeah?” Olive was curious where she was going with this.

“Yes, I think you’d be perfect as Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.”

Olive practically wanted to snort. “Yes, because I look so much like Angelina Jolie.”

“Exactly.” Nova didn’t seem to get her joke. “And Mitzi would be perfect as Black Widow, especially with that chokehold move she does and her brilliant use of feminine wiles.”

“I could see that.” Olive bit into a piece of chicken. “Who are you dressing up like lately?”

“Harley Quinn, of course.” Nova did actually roll her eyes. “She’s the best.”

“Of course,” Olive echoed with amusement.

It was time to change the subject. Nova had eaten enough to at least settle her hunger.

“Okay, let’s talk about this case again. Can you check the security footage to see if we can figure out who that guy was?” Olive asked. “It would be nice to have a face.”

“Let me see what I can do.” Nova set her container of fried rice down and grabbed her computer. She typed several things before grunting. “This is weird.”

“What’s weird?” Olive paused with her container in hand. “It’s all blank.”

Olive winced. “How is that possible?”

“It’s possible because someone knew what they were doing. This guy—or whoever was helping him—turned off the cameras when he came in and pulled the alarm.”

Olive leaned back into the couch. “So he’s smarter than I’ve given him credit for.”

“Apparently.”

Her thoughts raced. This wasn’t the way she’d seen this assignment going.

This man could be a serious problem.

CHAPTER 13

Nova let out a breath before grabbing her fried rice. “Well, that’s that. I’m not sure how else we can figure out who this guy is. He’ll mess up sometime, right?”

Olive nodded slowly and leaned back on the couch. “Most likely.”

Nova shoved her chopsticks full of fried rice into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “All the equipment is ready to go for tomorrow. We’ll find the best place to set up inside Rebecca’s house, and you can interview her. This should go off without a hitch.”

If only things were as simple as they sounded . . .

Olive blew out a breath. “As long as Rebecca believes we’re on her side . . .”

“The key here will be finding the evidence we need to prove this.” Nova cast Olive a knowing look.