Page 32 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)

O live and Jason found a Walmart near the interstate and moved through the store quickly, buying essentials. Olive grabbed some jeans, a couple of T-shirts, a hoodie, and basic toiletries. Jason did the same, adding a small backpack and a flashlight to their purchases.

“Planning ahead for breaking and entering?” Olive asked as they loaded their bags into the SUV.

“My dad always said preparation was the key to success in any endeavor.” Jason offered a slight eye roll. “Even the illegal ones, apparently.”

Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of a motel on the outskirts of Oasis, hoping their pursuers wouldn’t immediately think to check there.

“I can’t believe we’re back in Texas,” Olive said as they walked toward the lobby. “After everything that happened here.”

Jason paused at the entrance, looking at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. “Seems kind of poetic, doesn’t it? Coming full circle.”

Their eyes met, and for a moment the tension and hurt of the past couple of days seemed to fade.

This was where their story had begun—in Oasis, when they were teenagers in love with their whole lives ahead of them. Back before her family had moved. Back before the complicated mess of their reunion.

But even as they shared the meaningful look, the weight of everything unresolved between them pressed on Olive. The trust issues, the secrets, the ways they’d hurt each other over the past few days.

She wasn’t sure if the damage was repairable, or if she and Jason were simply two people thrown together by circumstances, mistaking shared danger for something deeper.

The thought made her heart feel ten times heavier.

“Yes,” she said finally. “Poetic.”

They checked into one room again—partly for appearances, partly because it was safer that way. It was already late, and they needed to get moving.

They changed into all-black clothing before pausing in front of each other.

“Ready for some light burglary?” he asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Olive slung the small backpack over her shoulder. “Though I have to say, breaking into your father’s old medical practice wasn’t on my list of ways I thought this day would end.”

“It wasn’t on mine either,” Jason said as they walked toward the elevator. “But then again, nothing about the past couple of days has gone according to plan.”

As they left the hotel and climbed back into the SUV, Olive found herself hoping that whatever they found in Lloyd’s old safe would finally give them some answers.

Because at this point, she wasn’t sure how much more uncertainty she could handle—about Lloyd, about the case, or about what was left between her and Jason.

Lloyd’s old medical practice looked different than Olive remembered, but the bones of the building appeared to be the same.

What had once been “Stewart Medical Associates” was now “Oasis Family Health,” with a fresh coat of paint and updated signage that couldn’t quite hide the building’s age.

Olive and Jason sat in the SUV across the street. The building was dark except for security lighting that cast long shadows across the empty lot.

The medical practice sat in a vinyl-sided building by itself. Behind the building, a chain-link fence separated the property from a residential neighborhood where porch lights glowed warmly in the distance.

The street itself was quiet, lined with mature oak trees that created pools of deeper darkness between the streetlights. A few cars were parked along the curb—probably belonging to residents of the nearby houses. But nothing moved except the occasional cat slinking between shadows.

Across from the medical building, a small strip mall housed a convenience store with a flickering neon sign, a closed laundromat, and what looked like an abandoned restaurant with newspaper taped over its windows.

The contrast between the well-maintained medical office and the slightly run-down commercial strip gave the area a transitional feel. This part of town appeared to be caught between the professional district and the older residential neighborhoods that sprawled beyond.

“The layout inside is probably the same.” Jason studied the building’s exterior. “Dad’s office was in the back corner, away from the reception area. That’s where he kept his safe.”

“What about security?” Olive asked. “Cameras, alarms? Do you remember?”

“Basic alarm system, probably. This isn’t exactly a high-crime area.” Jason pointed to a small box near the main entrance. “That’s the alarm panel. From here it looks like a standard setup.”

They waited until just after midnight, watching for any signs of patrol cars or security guards. The street remained quiet except for the occasional car passing through.

“How do we get in?” Olive asked.

Jason studied the building. “Service entrance in the back. Dad used to prop it open during the summer when the air conditioning couldn’t keep up. If the new doctor has the same problem . . .” He shrugged. “It’s worth checking.”

They parked behind a closed diner two blocks away and walked back, staying in the shadows and avoiding the main street.

The service entrance was secure, but Jason’s lock-picking skills made quick work of the obstacle.

“Ten seconds,” he whispered as they slipped inside. “Not bad.”

But the hard part was just beginning.