Page 51 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)
Mitzi sat behind them, reviewing the photographs they’d taken of Lloyd’s documents, while Nova worked on Elena’s phone in the back seat.
Jason stole a glance at Olive and quietly asked, “What did Tom say?”
“That the resemblance in the photo is uncanny. And that there were things about my family’s case that never sat right with him.” Olive stared out at the dark landscape rolling past. “He’s going to review the files and call me tomorrow.”
“Do you think he knows more than he’s telling you?”
Her chest tightened at his question. She knew the answer, but it was hard to voice aloud, especially since so many years had passed, and Tom had been silent. He’d known how she suffered and grieved. Had known how she’d searched for answers.
But he’d been quiet.
Why? Could he be in on this?
Her heart pounded harder at the thought.
She couldn’t rule it out. If her own mother had let Olive think her entire family had been murdered, then she couldn’t completely eliminate the heartless actions of anyone else.
“I’m certain of it,” she finally said. “The question is whether he’s been protecting me from the truth or whether he’s part of whatever cover-up happened eight years ago.”
Jason reached over and squeezed her hand briefly. “We’ll figure it out.”
As they turned onto another street, Olive saw a tall chain-link fence topped with razor wire running along the roadside. Beyond it, the dark bulk of industrial buildings loomed against the starlit sky.
Mitzi consulted the GPS coordinates. “It should be right ahead.”
Jason cut the headlights and pulled over a couple of blocks before the entrance.
He turned to Olive. “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of this.”
“Not a chance.”
He nodded with resignation. “I figured as much.”
“Looks like we’re going in on foot,” Mitzi said. “Everyone gear up. We need to be ready for anything.”
The warehouse looked abandoned from the outside, but the chain-link gate was secured with a newer padlock.
Jason made quick work of it with his lock-picking tools while Olive, Nova, and Mitzi kept watch.
They slipped through the gate and approached the main building, a low concrete structure that looked like it once housed a manufacturing operation. Most of the windows were boarded up, but Jason found a service door that was unlocked.
“That seems too convenient,” Mitzi murmured as she stared at the door.
“Maybe whoever was here left in a hurry,” Olive suggested, though her instincts agreed with Mitzi’s caution.
Bracing themselves for the worst, they stepped inside.
The building was dark and smelled of industrial disinfectant mixed with something metallic that made Olive’s stomach clench. Jason used a small flashlight to illuminate their path as they moved through what appeared to be a former factory floor.
“Over here,” Nova called.
Olive approached carefully, her ribs protesting with each step. Jason immediately moved closer, his protective instincts kicking in as he noticed her labored movement.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, but she was grateful for his steadying presence.
Nova shone her light on what appeared to be a makeshift medical station.
The setup was crude but functional—a metal table scrubbed clean but still showing dark stains along the edges, surgical instruments scattered nearby, and IV bags hanging from improvised stands.
“Someone was definitely treated here.” Mitzi examined the equipment. “Recently, based on the condition of these supplies.”
Olive knelt beside the table and found what looked like bloodstained gauze that had been dropped and forgotten. “There’s a lot of blood. Whoever was hurt, it was serious.”
Nova pointed to suture materials and bottles of antiseptic. “Someone with medical training worked here.”
“That’s why they grabbed your dad,” Olive said, the pieces clicking into place in her mind. “It’s just like we thought. At first, they wanted to kill him. But then something happened, and they needed his help.”
Jason studied the makeshift operating area. “That theory makes sense. But who are these people?”
“People affiliated with Northwoods.” Olive stood slowly. “And whatever criminal enterprise they’re operating.”
“And you really think your mom might be the mastermind?” Mitzi asked.
Olive shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe that’s why Elena offered me money.”
“Because your mom doesn’t want to hurt you . . .” Nova said.
“But if it was my mom, why would she hurt my sisters? Or my dad?” The question had been eating at Olive since Simon’s revelation.
She didn’t mean to voice it in front of Nova and Mitzi, but part of her no longer cared if they saw her vulnerability.
“That’s something that hasn’t made sense to me.
Jessie and Jules were just kids. They were innocent. ”
“I have no idea,” Jason admitted. “But now we’re getting too close to the truth. These people are feeling threatened.”
As he spoke, Jason’s body went rigid. He held up a hand for silence, his head tilted toward the entrance they’d used.
The sound was faint but unmistakable—footsteps on gravel, approaching the building.
Jason clicked off his flashlight, plunging them into darkness.