Page 39 of Deception

She climbed out, strode toward the porch, and knocked on the door. She wasn’t sure exactly what she’d say when—and if—someone answered. But she felt confident she could wing it.

“Ain’t nobody living there,” a gravelly voice in the distance called.

Olive glanced at the neighboring house and saw an older gentleman sitting on his porch. She didn’t recognize him from when she’d lived here.

The man sat in a battered lawn chair, his back hunched, and his hands resting on a cane in front of him. On a rusty table beside him stood a bottle of lemonade and a bag of peanuts.

Olive walked across the lawn toward him. “No one’s living there? It looks like someone is keeping up the place.”

The man shrugged. “Place has been empty ever since I’ve lived here. Not sure what’s going on with it. Don’t affect me, so I don’t ask questions.”

Olive paused as she realized the man was waiting for her to explain her presence here. “I actually lived in that house when I was in high school. I happened to be in town and just wanted to reminisce, I suppose.”

He grunted as if satisfied with her answer. “I see. I only moved here a few years ago myself. Wanted to be closer to my son. Health’s not as great as it used to be.”

“I understand.” She glanced back at the house. “Do you think it would be okay if I walked around the outside? I just want to see what’s changed and relive a few good memories.”

Lies. All lies.

“If you want to dig into your past, I won’t stop you.” A coughing fit prevented the man from saying anything else.

Did he know something? What an odd thing to say.

Maybe he hadn’t meant anything by it.

“Thank you,” she finally murmured.

Olive headed back toward her old place and slowly strolled the perimeter.

Memories filled her.

Memories of playing hide-and-seek with her sisters. Of having a barbecue with some of her dad’s friends on the back deck. Of hurrying out the front door so she wouldn’t miss her bus.

Had that really been her life at one time, or was it all just a dream?

Sometimes Olive wasn’t sure.

She reached the backyard and walked onto the small deck—which was now dry and cracked with age.

She paused and squinted. A paper had been placed between the screen and the back door. Based on how clean it looked, it hadn’t been there long.

She picked it up and studied the outside.

There was no name or address on the folds, nor was there an envelope.

Strange.

Nibbling on her lip, she unfolded it. The words there made her lungs freeze.

Like father, like daughter.

CHAPTER 22

Olive’s breath caught.

Had this been left for her? Had someone known she’d come back to Oasis? That she’d be nosy and stop by her old house and go around to the back?

But . . . who would think that? She had no idea.