Page 28 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)

“ L et’s review what we do know.” Olive leaned back into her chair as she settled in for their talk.

She kept her voice low as she continued.

“Your dad is missing. We know he was involved in something illegal when he lived in Oasis—falsifying medical records, laundering money through his practice, and prescription drug trafficking. He claimed he got out years ago.”

Jason frowned but nodded. “But the financial records Tevin found suggest he might still be involved.”

“Right. There were large deposits in your father’s hidden bank account over the past six months. Then a week ago, someone calling herself Sarah Mitchell came to his workplace asking specific questions about his schedule and the areas he covers.”

“Most likely she was the person who tried to kill him.”

“Correct. But what triggered that attack? Your dad had been receiving money for months. If he was cooperating, why suddenly target him for elimination?”

Jason slowly shook his head. “Unless there’s more to the story—more that he didn’t tell us. Maybe he wasn’t cooperating anymore. Maybe he was getting ready to talk.”

“To whom? The police? The FBI?” Olive paused, a thought occurring to her. “Or to us?”

Jason squinted. “What do you mean?”

Olive shifted toward him in her seat. “Think about it. I started investigating his background connection to my family’s house.

Maybe whoever’s behind this found out about my inquiries and panicked.

Maybe they thought Lloyd was getting ready to reveal everything he knew about what happened to my family. ”

The possibility sent a chill down her spine. If her investigation had inadvertently put Lloyd in danger, then his disappearance was partially her fault. That had been the last thing she’d wanted.

“When they found out he survived the attack, they grabbed him from the hospital,” Olive continued. “But here’s what I don’t understand—why not just finish what they started and kill him then? Why the elaborate kidnapping?”

Jason ran a hand over his face. “I’ve been thinking about that also. Maybe they realized they needed information from him. Or maybe he has something they need—records, passwords, the location of evidence they thought was destroyed. Maybe they changed their minds.”

“Or maybe they’re using him as bait,” Olive said. “To draw us to Oasis.”

Silence stretched between them a moment as they both seemed to mull over the possibilities.

Jason sighed before speaking again. “Did they take Nancy too, or was she involved all along? I mean, eight months of dating could have been a long con to get close to my dad.”

“And we don’t know who hid Lloyd’s cell phone in the parking garage,” Olive added. “Was it Lloyd trying to leave us a breadcrumb trail, or someone else trying to send us a message?”

“Excellent points. Those calls to that burner phone in Oasis . . . what were they about?”

“Maybe your dad was trying to warn someone we were coming. Or he could have been asking for help. Or maybe he was giving someone instructions.”

Jason let out a sigh, and they both fell quiet for a moment.

All they had were questions, but no real answers.

Olive stared at the departure board, watching their flight information update. It was still on time. Still heading toward whatever was waiting for them in Texas.

“The people behind this know we’re searching for answers,” she said. “They’ve been tracking our movements, probably monitoring our communications. They’re desperate enough to silence us that they’ve escalated to physical attacks.”

“But not desperate enough to just kill us outright.” Jason rubbed his jaw. “Which brings us back to the same question—why?”

“Because we’re walking into a trap, and they want us alive when they spring it.”

The thought hung between them like a challenge.

They both knew it was probably true, but neither suggested changing course. Lloyd was still missing, Olive’s family’s murder was still unsolved, and Oasis held the answers they needed.

“We still have a lot of questions to answer,” Jason finally said.

Olive nodded, then froze as an announcement echoed through the terminal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Southwest Flight 1247 to Dallas is now beginning the boarding process. We’ll start with our A-group passengers.”

“That’s us.” Jason stood.

As they gathered their minimal belongings and joined the line of passengers heading toward the gate, Olive couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.

But sometimes, she thought, the only way out of a maze was to navigate your way through it.

Even if something dangerous was waiting at the center.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport buzzed with the controlled chaos of a major hub.

Olive and Jason had an hour layover before their connecting flight to Austin, and the terminal was packed with travelers dragging luggage, businesspeople on phones, and families corralling restless children.

“I’m going to find a bathroom,” Olive told Jason after they located their gate. “And maybe grab some coffee.”

Jason nodded, already pulling out his phone to check for any updates from Detective Santos. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on things.”

Olive made her way through the crowded terminal, her eyes constantly scanning for anyone who might be following her.

She saw no one.

She purposefully picked a bathroom located away from the busy gates.

She wanted to make a private phone call.

She locked herself in the farthest stall and pulled out her phone, scrolling to Simon Long’s contact information. Her finger hovered over the Call button for a moment before she pressed it.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times.

“Come on, Simon,” she whispered. “Pick up.”

It went to the same generic voicemail.

Of course.

She ended the call without leaving another message and released a long sigh.

Whatever game Simon was playing, she needed answers now, not whenever he decided to resurface.

She was so focused on her phone call that she almost didn’t hear the bathroom door open. But the sound of high heels clicking on tile made her look up from her phone.

She’d been the only person in this bathroom, but she’d known other women would soon use it.

Except . . . the footsteps stopped directly outside her stall.

“Olive Sterling,” a woman said on the other side of her door. “We need to talk.”