It would take a long time to go through that list—it made Santa’s naughty list look short in comparison.
“I suppose someone could have followed us,” Mitzi frowned as if she wasn’t convinced. “But that would be hard. We’re all trained operatives. I’d think one of us would have noticed.”
“That’s true,” Olive murmured, glancing at JJ with a frown. “And why JJ? He’s new. He shouldn’t even have any enemies yet.”
“It could be random . . .” Nova suggested. “Though I think we all know that’s unlikely.”
Olive’s mind continued to race. “Who knew we were coming here?”
“Rex had me confirm the details of our stay,” Tevin said. “But he didn’t send the details to everyone else until the day before. He wanted to keep this quiet—the fewer people who knew, the better.”
Silence stretched between them.
Tevin finally straightened and released a heavy sigh. “So what do we do?”
“We lock the doors, check the outbuildings, and start asking questions,” Jason said. “Otherwise, none of us are safe.”
Olive didn’t like the sound of that, but she knew his words were true. If someone had killed JJ as revenge, there was a chance one of them could be next.
“The only other people here besides us are the owners, correct?” Olive asked. “Rex rented out this entire place—all eight bedrooms?”
She hadn’t had a chance to check out her surroundings yet. She’d been trying to do just that when she’d found JJ.
Rule number one: Always assess the situation.
Her dad had taught her that.
“Yes, Mara and Warren are the owners.” Mitzi grabbed an oversized match and slipped the wooden end into the cast to scratch an itch. “They stay in their private suite on the first floor. They’re an older, retired couple who bought this place five years ago. And I can verify that both of them have been in the kitchen making cookies for the past two hours. They’re not responsible for this.”
“Someone needs to tell them what happened.” Nova’s voice sounded thin as her gaze slid between all of them. “They just went back to their suite for a minute.”
“Mitzi, since you’ve already met them, do you want to take on that task?” Olive asked.
She hesitated then nodded. “I can do that.”
Olive exhaled as she continued to gather her thoughts. “We treat this as a crime scene. Nobody leaves the main inn or goes anywhere alone.”
Jason nodded. “Agreed.”
Before they could say anything else, the front door flew open.
Olive gasped when she saw a dark figure standing in the doorway.
CHAPTER
FOUR
Olive bracedherself for the worst.
Then the man pulled his hat off, and Rex’s face came into view.
Trick Grimshaw stood behind him.
Rex Blackwood was in his early forties with tanned skin and blond hair. People often compared him to a Ken doll. He looked the part of a successful CEO, but he was a mystery to everyone at the company. No one knew if he was married. Where he lived. What his life was like outside of work.
Despite those things, everyone respected him. He looked out for his employees, paid them nice bonuses at Christmas, and always remembered birthdays.
Patrick “Trick” Grimshaw was in his early thirties with mischievous eyes, a ready grin, and curly dirty-blond hair. The man was a master of disguise and a brilliant field operative.
