Page 8 of Enigma (Pros and Cons Mysteries #6)

O live and Jason stood in uncomfortable silence, the sounds of the outdoors filling the space between them—the hum of cars, the wail of a distant ambulance, the murmur of a family walking toward the doors.

“Did you hear from Nancy?” Jason finally asked.

“Nancy?” Who was he talking about?

He narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t trust Olive’s response. “My father’s girlfriend.”

Her breath caught. “Oh, that Nancy. No, I honestly forgot about her.”

Which was unlike Olive. But she’d had other things on her mind, she supposed. Still, she was usually sharper than this.

“I’ll need to call her.” He sighed and finally turned his glaring gaze away from Olive. “But first I should check in and see if I can talk to the doctor.”

“Of course.” Olive watched as Jason walked back inside and toward the receptionist, noting the tension in his shoulders.

She followed behind him.

When he spoke to the staff, his voice was polite but strained, and she saw him struggling to maintain his composure.

A moment later, he wandered back over to Olive.

Before he could say anything, a middle-aged woman in a white coat approached them and introduced herself as Dr. Berry.

A compact woman, she wore her graying auburn hair pulled back in a practical ponytail and had the slightly harried expression of someone who’d been working since dawn.

“Your father is doing much better,” Dr. Berry told Jason. “We’ve identified the drug someone used on him. It’s a sophisticated compound that’s not commonly available, but it can mimic a heart attack.”

“Can I see him?” Urgency stretched through Jason’s voice.

“He’s awake but still groggy. The police just finished talking to him, but he’s been asking for you. We just admitted him for observation.” Dr. Berry glanced at Olive. “Are you family as well?”

“She’s—” Jason paused.

Olive held her breath, wondering how he’d finish that sentence.

“She’s the one who found him,” Jason finally said. “She saved his life.”

“Good job.” The doctor gave Olive an affirming nod before looking back at Jason. “He can have visitors, but please keep it brief. Room 314.”

After Dr. Berry left, Jason finally looked at Olive.

She couldn’t read his expression—and she was usually great at reading people. Her parents had taught her all about the importance of body language and tone. They’d even tested her on it.

But right now, she was clueless. She had no idea what Jason was thinking.

“I should go see my dad,” Jason finally said.

“Can I go with you?” Olive wanted to be with him as emotional support. But she also needed to talk to Lloyd.

She didn’t explain her reasoning to Jason, however. She didn’t need to.

He knew how complicated this whole situation was.

He stared at her, his mind clearly racing.

Finally, he nodded. “Fine.”

“Does your dad know . . . know that we reconnected ?” She wasn’t sure what other word to use.

“No, I didn’t mention anything.”

Jason and his father were close, especially since Jason’s mom had passed away a couple of years ago.

Jason and his siblings had all been adopted.

About five years ago, Jason was sought out and found by his biological mother’s father—his grandfather and only known biological relative, since Jason’s birth mother died in a car accident.

His grandfather had been diagnosed with liver cancer and had only a few months to live. The two connected and met several times over the next couple of months before his grandfather passed away.

Jason had been shocked to later learn his grandfather was extremely wealthy, having made a fortune from an all-in-one exercise equipment company.

Before he’d died, his grandfather changed his will and left his entire fortune to Jason, which included a large, million-dollar Tudor-style house in the Chicago area.

Jason no longer had to work. He did so because he wanted to, because he believed in his job.

Without saying anything else, Jason turned to walk to the elevator.

Olive took a step after him and paused.

Something didn’t feel right.

Slowly, she turned and glanced behind her at the busy waiting room.

She scanned the faces there.

What had caused her hackles to rise?

Nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye, just the same variations of patients waiting to be seen by medical professionals. Just?—

Wait.

Olive sucked in a breath as she watched a figure slip outside and disappear.

Had that been . . . ?

No, it couldn’t be.

That man had almost looked like Simon Long.

Simon was an undercover CIA Counterintelligence officer whom Olive met while working a case in Maine.

He was a handsome man in his mid-thirties with curly blond hair and a broad build.

In the brief amount of time Olive had known him, he’d been both a mysterious ally and potential threat.

He’d initially posed as an education consultant from Washington, DC, but throughout her investigation, he’d kept appearing at crucial moments. His true identity had eventually been revealed.

She’d later discovered that he was the Special Operations Director for the Northeast Division of the CIA.

Though the agency didn’t usually operate on US soil, he’d been on some kind of special assignment.

The CIA was shrouded in mystery, so the fact that his job didn’t make sense actually made sense.

He’d delivered a cryptic message from the man they’d arrested on that case. My boss wants to thank Olive for all the sacrifices her father made.

Somehow, Olive’s father was connected with a dangerous crime boss named Anton Karakov. He was also connected with an organization called Northwood Investment Group. Finding information on the group had been challenging, but Olive knew the organization had been up to no good.

The whole thing was complicated on several levels.

What could Simon be doing here? Or was she seeing things?

In other circumstances, she might go after him.

But she couldn’t. Not now.

“Olive?” Jason called.

She tore her eyes away from the door and looked back at Jason as he held the elevator doors open.

“Everything okay?” Jason asked.

She glanced once more at where Simon—or someone who’d looked like him—had disappeared.

With a nod of resignation, she sighed and headed toward the elevator.

But the thought that Simon might have been here would nag her until she knew why.