Page 48 of The Woman I’ve Become

“Would you mind seeing after Olivia for a few days?”

“Julia? I thought you were at the lake house. Phillip said . . .”

I tune out the rest as my mind whirls with what I’ve just learned. Acacia is quite possibly right about one thing: Olivia might not be safe here.

As soon as my mother-in-law pauses for a breath, I say, “I just need some extra quiet time. Phillip can pick her up tomorrow and keep her over the weekend. But he’s so busy, I thought if you stayed at the house, too, he would feel free to do whatever he needs to.”

“Of course, dear, I would adore spending the weekend with my precious granddaughter and my son.”

“Thank you.” Relief swims through me. “I’ll arrange everything with Phillip.”

I end the call, take a breath, and head back to the living room. “Catherine is going to stay at the house and take care of Olivia. You’re right, I’ll feel better with her back in the city.”

Acacia nods. Finishes off her drink as if she hasn’t moved a muscle this whole time. “Good plan. Once Olivia is back in the city with her father, we can rattle a few cages.”

She says this as if she has it all figured out. As if she has a fucking clue what she’s talking about. I think of what Archer just told me, and I want to tear this woman apart. I want to torture her until she admits the truth.

I settle on the sofa once more. “Meaning?” I decide to play clueless, hoping she will inadvertently name her benefactor.

“Nudge the people who might have a stake in this.” She turns her hands up like I should get it. “Rick, for example. He was involved in the investigation. Maybe tell him that you feel you really need to find the truth about the person who did this to you. Urge him to prompt the FBI to reopen the case. Maybe reach out to all his contacts from back then. If the Judge is still out there, maybe this could provoke a reaction.”

She goes on when I don’t immediately respond to her plan. “Then there’s Helen. She has access to the house. Someone could have paid her to do all kinds of stuff.”

Wow. Acacia or whoever she is really has this thing all plotted out—in her mind at least. We are definitely not going that route. And yes, Gil, the delivery guy did say someone else was at the house—someone Helen didn’t tell me about. But I’m reserving judgment for now. I have no reason not to trust Helen. Although I do wish she would return my calls.

“We could follow Helen,” I offer to show I’m engaged. “If she’s in this, then someone is paying her. She has worked in the area for a long while. I can’t see her throwing all that away unless she’s more deeply invested in this because the payoff is far larger.”

I wonder if this little schemer will pick up on how my thoughts about Helen mirror her own actions? And, for the record, my plan is far less complicated. Go with the flow and see what happens.

The best strategists agree that simple is always better. Particularly when setting a trap for the unsuspecting.

“Agreed, and after we stir the pot as I suggested, then we wait,” Acacia says. “And see what rises to the top.”

Her words and the way she looks at me make me shiver. “It’s late,” I say. “I should call Phillip and arrange for him to come. Then we both need to sleep on our plans.”

I pick up my phone and check the calendar. I see the perfect excuse for Olivia returning to the city. I smile and tap Phillip’s name. When my husband answers, I’m ready.

“It’s me. I only just realized that Leona Call’s birthday party is on Saturday. Olivia cannot miss that. I’m sorry, but you need to pick her up tomorrow. She can stay the weekend with you.”

“You couldn’t have thought of this when I was there?” He sounds grumpy and distracted as if I interrupted his beauty sleep or something else I don’t want to know about.

“I’m sorry. But she’ll be devastated if she misses it. You know how kids are these days. She will never live it down.”

“I suppose I need to take her shopping as well.”

“Taking a gift to a child’s birthday party is seen as expected, so, yes, I would think so.”

“I’ll be there at ten. Please see that Olivia is ready. I’ll need to get back if we’re going to shop. I have a Zoom call at five.”

“Don’t worry,” I add, “I spoke to Catherine. She wants to spend the weekend with Olivia.”

He sighs. “Thank you. That will be helpful. See you at ten.”

“See you then.” I end the call and put my phone away.

“He’s coming?” Acacia appears eager to confirm his response.

“He is. By ten.”