Page 40 of Enigma

“Where do we go from here?” She had her own ideas, but she wanted to hear his thoughts also.

“That’s a great question. At this point, I’m unsure if my dad is even still in this area.”

“Where else would he be?”

“I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, I’d say Texas. Oasis, to be more specific.”

She narrowed her eyes as she studied him, not wanting to assume anything. “Are you saying that’s where we need to go?”

His head bobbed up and down, the action becoming faster as the decision seemed to solidify in his mind. “Yes, I think I am.”

CHAPTER 25

Olive and Jason had grabbed some lunch at a fast-food chicken joint before heading back toward their hotel, where they’d left their clothes and toiletries.

She’d checked her phone several times.

Simon still hadn’t returned her call, which irritated her.

Why had he been at the hospital? He’d wanted her to know he was there. That was why he’d dropped his business card.

So why keep things a mystery now?

Unless something had happened to him.

Her heart thumped harder. She hoped that wasn’t the case.

The Hampton Inn parking lot looked exactly as they’d left it that morning—rows of cars baking under the Florida sun, and heat shimmers rising from the asphalt like ghosts.

Olive scanned the area as Jason pulled into a parking space. Her investigative instincts searched for anything out of place.

Everything appeared normal. A family with young children loaded suitcases into a minivan three spaces down. An elderly couple walked slowly toward the lobby entrance, the man carrying a small cooler. A maintenance worker emptied trash cans near the pool area.

Nothing to cause alarm.

But as Olive stepped out of the car, a prickling sensation crept up her spine—the feeling of being watched.

She paused beside the passenger door, her hand still resting on the handle, and let her gaze sweep across the parking lot once more.

“Everything okay?” Jason asked as he locked the car.

“I’m not sure.” Olive kept her voice low. “Something feels off.”

Jason’s expression sharpened, and he shifted into the same alert state that had kept them alive at Nancy’s house. His eyes moved across their surroundings—the scattered cars, the hotel windows, the landscaped areas that could provide cover.

“What kind ofoff?” he asked quietly.

Before Olive could answer, she spotted it.

A dark blue sedan was parked in the far corner of the lot, positioned to have a clear view of the hotel entrance. The vehicle was the same color and model as the car from the hospital security footage. The same car that had nearly run them down in the hospital parking lot. The same car that had been parked across the street from Lloyd’s neighbor when Olive had talked to her.

“Jason.” She touched his arm, nodding toward the sedan. “That car.”

He followed her gaze, and recognition flashed across his features. “That’s them.”

Through the windshield, Olive spotted at least two figures inside, though the distance and glare made it impossible to identify them.

“They’re waiting for us.” Olive’s mind raced through possibilities. “The question is whether they want us to see them.”