Page 98 of Enigma

She dialed.

The phone rang once. Twice.

“Olive?” Tom’s familiar voice filled her with both relief and guilt. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again so soon. How are you holding up?”

“Tom, I . . .” Her voice cracked slightly. “I found something. About my mother. About what really happened that night.”

A pause. Olive could practically hear him processing the significance. “What kind of something?”

Sarah nodded encouragingly, but Olive caught the way Elena’s hand moved toward her weapon.

“Evidence that she survived. Documents, photographs. I’m at the old grain silo on Route 47, about twenty miles north of Oasis. I need you to come alone, Tom. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going.” She put emphasis on the words, praying he’d understand. “It’s not safe to trust anyone else with this.”

Another pause, longer this time. When Tom spoke again, his voice carried the careful tone of someone who’d spent decades reading between the lines.

“Olive, are you in immediate danger?”

Elena’s gun cleared its holster.

“I’m fine,” Olive said quickly, her eyes locked on the weapon. “But Tom, please hurry. And be careful. Things aren’t what they seem.”

“I understand. I’ll be there in a few hours.”

The line went dead.

“Very good.” Genuine approval stretched through Sarah’s voice. “See how easy that was?”

Elena kept her gun trained on Olive. “Though I noticed you got a little creative with the warnings.”

Olive raised her chin. “I told him to come alone. That’s what you wanted.”

“True. But I also heard you tell him to be careful.” Elena’s finger moved to the trigger. “That sounds like you were trying to tip him off.”

Olive’s heart hammered against her ribs. “Of course, I told him to be careful. If something happens to him on the way, your whole plan falls apart.”

Elena’s eyes narrowed, clearly debating whether to believe her.

“Enough.” Anton stepped between them. “The call is made. Tom Greer will be at the silo within a few hours, and then we can resolve this situation permanently.”

“What about her?” Elena asked, her gun still pointed at Olive. “She’s served her purpose.”

“Actually,” Sarah said slowly, “I think Olive should be there when Tom arrives. She can be leverage.”

The cold calculation in her aunt’s voice made Olive’s blood freeze.

“In fact, maybe we should rough her up a little before she meets him,” Elena suggested. “That way Tom will know we mean business.”

Anton eyed her before nodding. “Not a bad idea.”

Elena grinned. “Perfect.”

She drew a knife from her boot.

Olive swallowed hard, knowing she was in no position to defend herself.

CHAPTER 64

Before Elena could start, chaos erupted.