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THIRTY
The bells over the door jingled as Olivia stepped into her office. The scent of coffee and fresh pastries tickled her nose and brought a smile to her face. Her stomach growled. Susan’s chair was empty, but her purse and keys rested on the desk. Romantic piano music played from the Bluetooth speaker.
Olivia beelined for the break room. “I’m here, Susan.”
The pipes rattled overhead and she realized her secretary was in the bathroom. Olivia poured herself a cup of coffee, topping it off with a generous helping of hazelnut creamer. Then she nosed around in the pastry box on the table. A blueberry muffin was on top. Cole’s favorite.
A pang hit her heart. Olivia would miss having him in the office. He’d been a terrible assistant—no creativity at all—but his kindness and their fun banter more than made up for it. Scratch that. She’d miss Cole. A part of her heart was hoping that he’d change his mind about their relationship, but she knew the chances were slim. He’d been very honest with her from the beginning about marriage, love, and the whole she-bang. She’d chosen to ignore him. But no matter how this went, she didn’t regret falling in love with him.
He’d shown her what was possible. Olivia wouldn’t settle for anything less than fireworks, steadfast support, and a man she could trust with her life.
She sighed, choosing a bear claw from the box, and then promised to come back for the chocolate scone. Caffeine and sugar were the best remedies at the moment. And work. Excitement added a bounce to her steps as she crossed the lobby to her office. Nothing made her happier than finalizing a wedding. Eli and Sienna wanted something simple, but she’d added a few details to make it special all the same.
Using a napkin as a makeshift plate, Olivia set the bear claw down on her desk. She flipped open her laptop to power it on and then, coffee in hand, she dug through the mood boards leaning against the wall until she found the right one. Eli and Sienna’s colors were navy and cream, with touches of brown to add a rustic feel.
A thump came from the closet. Olivia froze. What on earth was that? Had something fallen? The closet held office supplies and a few odds and ends. It would be awful if a shelf had broken. She reached for the doorknob and then paused. Some whispered instinct caused the hair on the back of her neck to rise.
Another thump came from inside the closet.
Her heart skipped a beat and then took off. Coffee sloshed over the edge of her mug, burning the skin on her hand. She barely felt it. If there was an animal inside the closet—like a raccoon or an opossum—she was going to have a heart attack. With a bracing grimace, she twisted the doorknob and jumped back.
Shock and horror flooded through her. It wasn’t a raccoon in the closet.
“David!”
He’d been beaten and tied to a chair. Silver tape locked his mouth shut. Olivia took one step toward him, intent on releasing his bonds. His eyes widened as he caught sight of something behind her. She whirled.
Susan stood a few feet away. She had the barrel of a gun pointed straight at Olivia’s chest. “Don’t move. Not one more step.”
Confusion and fear mingled with the shock and horror of finding David in the closet. Olivia stared incredulously at her secretary. “What are you doing?”
Susan smirked. “Solving a problem. Actually, multiple problems.”
Olivia’s gaze flickered to the lobby. It was dark, as if they weren’t there, and the blinds were drawn.
Susan chuckled. “I locked the door, put on the closed sign, and turned out the lights. No one is coming to rescue you, boss. Not this time.”
She was on her own. Olivia clutched the cup of coffee in her hand until her knuckles were white. “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
“Why else? Money.” Susan sneered. “My husband and I are broke. We’re going to lose the lake house next month.”
With a jolt of understanding, Olivia stiffened. All the lottery tickets in the lake house suddenly made sense. Susan had complained her husband wasn’t working steadily even before Mitch injured his back. They’d been struggling for a while.
Olivia had given Susan a raise. Clearly, that wasn’t enough. Susan had a gambling problem and had likely squandered away the extra money. “Justin hired you, along with Bryce.”
“Bryce is a distant cousin of mine. He and Justin were in prison together and got to talking, realized they knew many of the same people. Like me. I guess over time Justin showed Bryce photos of you and he became obsessed.” Her mouth pursed as if she’d sucked on something sour. “Bryce was always weird. But when he got out of prison and offered me a lot of money to feed him information, I immediately accepted.”
“Did you know he intended to kill me?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t think about it. Easier that way.”
Olivia was sure. “They needed someone who knew my schedule so Bryce could follow me.” Cole had been right to question the chief about that. Olivia wished she could tell him that. “What else did they pay you for?”
“Just information at first. Where the cameras in town were, what your schedule was. And then things got interesting when Mitch had to break into your house and leave a note on the bed.”
Shock vibrated through Olivia. She remembered thinking the intruder on the camera footage seemed familiar. Now she knew why. It’d been Susan’s husband. “He stole some of my jewelry.”
“We needed cash.” She waved the gun. “This is the weapon he shot at Cole with. Once Justin confirms that he’s transferred the additional fifty grand we’ve asked for, I’ll use this gun to shoot you. Then David. It’ll look like the perfect murder-suicide.”
