Page 54 of Smokescreen

“Someone’s been putting things up there for you, I assume.”

“I suppose . . .” He frowned.

“Suppose what?”

Reid shrugged. “Maybe Hannah. She probably knows the house better than anyone—not that I want to throw her under the bus. She’s been a good employee.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Hannah would have also had the opportunity to go into her room and leave the doll hanging from her bed. The house manager could have been the one listening on the other side of the dining room door as well.

“I’m liking this situation less and less all the time,” Reid murmured.

Olive let out a deep breath. “Believe me, you’re not the only one.”

CHAPTER 22

NINE YEARS AGO

Olive wandered downstairs the next morning, still in her pajamas. Her curly hair was a frizzy mess around her head, but she didn’t care.

She’d hardly gotten any sleep last night, especially after she heard that crash. Then she’d heard the footsteps coming up the stairs. She’d seen the shadow.

Thankfully, it had only been her dad, and he hadn’t seen her peering through the cracked door. It had been too dark to make out any details about him. Olive only knew his footsteps had been heavy

She paused in the kitchen and silently watched as her father stood with his back toward her, using the griddle to cook some pancakes.

Her dad was handsome. Everyone said so.

He was tall and lean but strong. He had thick dark hair and blue eyes that always sparkled. Her friends told her he looked and acted like a movie star—Chris Pine’s name had been thrown out more than once. Dad always had a swing in his step, and his easy smile set people at ease.

He must have heard Olive’s footsteps because he glanced over his shoulder.

A smile stretched across his face when he spotted her. “Good morning, sunshine.”

Olive wanted to buy his act and believe he was as carefree as he pretended. But she didn’t. What she knew and what she saw collided inside her, but she was no longer confused as to why.

The why was because her dad was a great actor.

She lowered herself onto a bar stool at the kitchen island, still preoccupied with what had happened last night. “Where are Jules and Jessie?”

Jules and Jessie were her ten-year-old twin sisters. Olive had been hoping to watch some reruns ofOne Tree Hillwith them today before hanging out with Jason later.

“They had rehearsal this morning for their dance recital. Remember? Your mom took them.”

That was right. Olive vaguely remembered something about that. They were allowed to take dance classes, but Olive wasn’t allowed to take horseback riding lessons.

She had many more responsibilities than her younger sisters. There was definitely a difference in how they were all treated. Being the oldest wasn’t all it was made out to be.

This would be the perfect opportunity to find out some information from her dad. Even though her mother had told her to forget about last night’s incident, how could she? Could any rational person actually pretend like the heated argument and crash hadn’t happened?

The right thing to do versus what Olive wanted to do battled inside her.

“Would you like a pancake?” Her dad glanced back at her again.

That was when she saw the cut on his forehead.

Suddenly, her decision was made.

“What happened?” She nodded at his cut.