Page 76 of Smokescreen

“And her mom?”

“She remarried. Last I heard, she’d moved to Atlanta. I haven’t heard from her in years.”

“And she never went after your dad’s money?”

Reid shook his head. “No, not really. She seemed rather content since she remarried. I heard a rumor that Lucy and her mother are now estranged. Had a fight over something. Probably money.”

“Is there any chance your former stepmom convinced your dad before their divorce to write Lucy into the will?” Olive needed to get rid of the emotion and talk about this from a logical viewpoint.

Reid shook his head. “Even if that was possible—and I don’t believe it is—Dad would have changed the will as soon as he got divorced.”

“How long was he divorced before he died?”

“Seven years,” Reid said. “Plenty of time to make any necessary changes.”

“I agree.”

Reid paused and blew out a breath. “I’m not being territorial. I know it sounds like I am, but I’m not. I’m being honest when I say that will is not accurate. My dad believed people should earn money. He instilled in me a good work ethic and felt confident I could take over here once he was gone.”

“I think I would have liked your dad.” Olive paused as her thoughts churned. “So you think someone placed that other will in the attic, hoping we’d find it? Hoping some doubt would kick in?”

Reid ran a hand over his face. “At this point, I’d say anything is possible. Someone’s desperation is leading them to do crazy things. I don’t even know what they might be up to next.”

CHAPTER 32

NINE YEARS AGO

As Olive ate her pancake, she glanced at the TV perched in the corner of the kitchen. The morning news played, and a local senator was making a statement about an initiative he’d started to help inner city youth.

Her dad sat at the breakfast bar beside her, eating his pancakes. He let out a grunt. “He’s blowing smoke.”

“What do you mean?” Olive really never gave much thought to politics. She had absolutely zero interest in them.

“Everyone knows Senator Mitchell is being paid off by lobbyists who get him to do their dirty work. A big story about him is about to break. But he’s decided suddenly to channel thousands of dollars into this youth initiative. It’s all to distract people from what’s really going on.”

“Politicians do that?”

Her dad chuckled. “A lot of people do that. It’s called a smokescreen.”

“What’s a smokescreen?” Olive had heard the term, but she wasn’t sure she truly understood it.

“Think about a military operation where soldiers throw out a flash-bang. The smoke from it conceals what’s going on and distracts the bad guy for a moment, giving the military a chance to do what they came to do.”

“Okay . . .” Olive supposed she could picture that.

“Really, a smokescreen is a ruse, something that disguises a person’s true intentions or activities.”

“It’s a method of deceit then.”

Her dad shrugged. “I guess you could look at it that way. But it’s not always a bad thing.”

“How is it good?”

“Just think about when soldiers rescue hostages or do other noble acts. Those smokescreens they use do a world of good. Not all lies are bad.”

She thought about her philosophy class. Her teacher always made her think. And she wasn’t so sure he would agree with her dad’s statement.

“So you’re saying there are no absolutes in life?” she clarified. “That we can bend the rules to fit whatever methods we want to employ?”