Page 40 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

“ Y ou said Chloe seemed ready to start fresh after the festival was over,” Jason said. “Did she say anything specific about what was happening here?”

Tristan nodded. “That’s what made me really worried. Chloe can be . . . flighty. It would be absolutely like her to get bored with something and just take off for Bali or Morocco without telling anyone.”

“Keep going,” Jason said.

Tristan’s expression grew more troubled. “Her last few texts made it seem like something was genuinely wrong. She said she was ready to have this whole thing over with, but that contractually she needed to wait until after the festival, which she predicted would be ‘a complete disaster.’”

That would be an understatement . . . Olive mused. “Anything else?”

“She kept saying that things weren’t like they seemed. That the people running this weren’t who they pretended to be.” Tristan showed them his phone screen. “Look at this one from three days before she disappeared.”

Olive read the text aloud. “‘I can’t wait to get out of here. This whole thing feels wrong, and I’m starting to think I made a terrible mistake getting involved.”

Tristan’s aristocratic features hardened with anger. “I should have realized something was off about that.”

“Did she ever mention anything about trees?” Olive remembered Chloe’s final cryptic message. “Something about trees watching?”

Tristan went very still, his face pale. “Actually . . . yes, she did. And that’s when I really started to worry.”

Olive waited for Tristan to continue, her mind racing through possibilities.

“In one of our last conversations, Chloe mentioned feeling like she was being watched all the time,” Tristan continued. “She said it was like ‘the trees have eyes’ and that she couldn’t shake the feeling that people were monitoring her every move.”

“People were watching her?” Jason leaned forward, his biceps flexing.

Olive’s throat went dry at the sight of his muscles, and she looked away She couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.

“She said the festival organizers had cameras everywhere, supposedly for promotional footage and security, but it felt excessive. Like surveillance rather than documentation.” Tristan’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“She joked that she felt like she was the subject in some kind of nature documentary, but . . . I don’t think she was really joking. ”

A few more pieces clicked into place in Olive’s mind. The constant filming, the isolated location . . . it all suggested something much deeper than a con.

“Tristan, we think Chloe might have discovered something about this operation that made her dangerous to them. If that’s true—” Before Olive could finish her thought, music erupted from outside the tent, accompanied by the crackle of a PA system coming to life.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Brad’s voice boomed across the campsite. “Please gather around the main stage for this afternoon’s special performance! You won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity to experience authentic Appalachian music culture!”

Through the tent walls, they heard people reluctantly moving toward the stage, grumbling but complying.

“We need to get out there.” Olive rose from her makeshift seat. “But Tristan, if you really want to help find Chloe, you need to let us do the investigating.”

“Why?” Tristan asked, though he was already moving toward the tent entrance. “Who are you people?”

Olive and Jason exchanged glances. Their cover was already compromised with Connor, and now they needed Tristan’s cooperation if they were going to find Chloe before it was too late.

“We’re professional investigators,” Jason said. “And this situation may be far more dangerous than anyone anticipated.”