Page 45 of Obscurity (Pros and Cons Mysteries #5)

O live’s heart thundered so violently she was certain it would give her away.

The space beneath the desk was cramped and uncomfortable, forcing her to curl into a tight ball. At least the desk chair provided some concealment.

Footsteps crossed the hardwood floor with familiar precision.

They paused near the desk.

Her heart pounded even harder.

Whoever was in the room moved with the quick efficiency of someone retrieving something specific. Above her, papers rustled, and she heard the soft sound of a folder being lifted from the desk surface.

Olive pressed herself farther into the shadows under the desk, hardly daring to breathe.

After what felt like an eternity, the footsteps moved toward the door. It opened and closed, followed by the receding sound of someone heading back downstairs.

Olive remained frozen for several more minutes, waiting to make sure this person wasn’t coming back.

When the house seemed quiet again, she carefully emerged from her hiding spot, her muscles protesting from the cramped position.

The folder she’d been photographing was gone, but she’d managed to document all but the last page. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d missed something crucial—something that might have been on that final page.

She quickly scanned the remaining materials on the desk, looking for anything else that might be useful. She saw nothing.

Now she needed to plan her exit strategy.

She needed to get out of the house without being detected.

As she rose, she glanced out the window.

Her breath caught.

What was that?

From this angle, she could see the other side of the mountain.

White tents had been set up there—a whole army of them.

There were too many for that to be where the staff was staying. And if it wasn’t from this angle and her second-story position, she would have never seen those tents.

She stepped closer.

It was more than just tents.

There were two other buildings over there. They’d been painted an olive-green color and nearly blended in with the trees.

What in the world was going on here?

Making her way carefully toward the stairs, Olive paused at the top to listen for voices from below. The house seemed quiet, but she could see light coming from what appeared to be a living room area.

She descended slowly, testing each step to avoid creaking. Her shoes were graciously silent on the hardwood.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs, voices became audible from the front room.

Two men were engaged in what sounded like a heated discussion.

Moving carefully toward the kitchen and her planned exit route, Olive paused when she recognized one of the voices. Max—the muscle-bound security guard with the aggressive attitude and expensive hiking boots.

“I’m telling you, the timeline’s too aggressive.” Max’s voice carried the frustrated tone of someone arguing a losing battle. “We’re not ready for Phase Three.”

“Orders came from the top,” replied another voice—one Olive didn’t immediately recognize. “The parameters have to be maintained regardless of readiness levels.”

Olive crept closer to the living room entrance, hoping to get a better view of who Max was talking to and to hear more of their conversation. The hallway provided some cover, allowing her to position herself where she could see into the room without being immediately visible.

Max stood with his back to her, his bulky frame tense with agitation.

Across from him sat a thin man in his fifties with silver hair and an expensive suit—definitely not festival staff.

He looked like government or corporate management, someone who made decisions from behind a desk rather than implementing them in the field.

“I don’t know how you think this is going to work,” Max continued. “People are asking questions. They want to leave.”

“We need to keep them here,” the silver-haired man replied dismissively. “Do whatever it takes.”

Olive leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better angle to photograph the unknown man.

If he was running this operation, his identity could be crucial evidence.

But as she shifted her weight, the old floorboard beneath her feet let out a loud creak.