Page 38 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

O live and Jason crowded behind Connor to get a view of the scene unfolding near the festival entrance.

A group of about thirty people stood staring in horror at the destroyed camping area, the ruins of Grayfall, and the inadequate facilities that bore no resemblance to the luxury experience they’d been promised.

Basically, it was the same song and dance as yesterday.

“It appears the shuttle’s working again,” Jason observed. “I don’t know how they would have gotten here this early otherwise.”

He had a good point.

The shock and anger of the newcomers was palpable even from a distance.

“This is a scam!” one woman shouted. “I’m calling the police!”

“I’m afraid cell service is quite limited out here,” Brad said with practiced calm. “But I assure you, once you see what we have planned?—”

The woman pulled out her cell phone and tried to dial.

“Lady, there’s no cell service,” came a voice from one of the existing festivalgoers. “We’ve been trying to call out since yesterday.”

That was when Olive saw him.

Standing slightly apart from the main group of new arrivals, surveying the scene with calculating eyes, was a tall man with aristocratic features and blond hair.

He wore expensive clothing that looked both outdoorsy and elegant.

Everything about his posture suggested someone accustomed to getting his way.

Olive gasped. “That’s him.”

“Who?” Connor asked.

“Tristan Pembroke.” Jason clearly recognized him from their research files. “Chloe’s ex-boyfriend. The one who was cheating on her.”

“What is he doing here?” Connor’s voice carried a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

They watched as Tristan moved through the crowd with practiced ease, his attention focused not on Brad’s damage control performance but on the faces of the existing festival attendees.

He was searching for someone—and Olive had a sinking feeling she knew who.

“He’s looking for Chloe,” she said. “Question is, why? And how did he know to come here?”

“Maybe he’s working with Brad,” Jason suggested. “Part of the setup.”

“Or maybe he figured out she was in trouble and came to help.” Connor’s tone suggested he didn’t really believe it.

As they watched, Tristan’s gaze swept across the campsite. When his eyes passed over Connor’s tent, Olive instinctively pulled back from the opening, though she was fairly certain he couldn’t see them.

“If Tristan’s here, either the situation is about to get a lot more complicated, or we’re about to find out just how deep this conspiracy really goes,” she murmured.

Outside, the new arrivals were becoming increasingly agitated. Their demands for refunds grew louder and more insistent. But security was already moving to contain the situation, herding people toward the “temporary shelter areas” while promising that everything would be explained shortly.

And through it all, Tristan Pembroke stood watching.