Page 39 of Misdirection

She would need to talk to him again sometime and see if she could get more information out of him—sooner rather than later.

She didn’t have much time. She would need to up her efforts if she wanted answers.

But in the process of upping her efforts, Olive couldn’t show her hand . . . or this whole investigation could be ruined.

Olive continued working the rest of the day, knowing she needed to make progress.

But her thoughts remained on other things.

Finding Beau dead.

The confrontation with Jason.

Tom’s revelation about her father never working for the FBI.

Watching Bennett meet that man in secret.

Having another confrontation with Jason.

Her conversation with Ryan.

It was a lot to sort through. But she couldn’t afford to lose her mental focus.

She’d sent Tevin a picture of the man she’d seen Bennett meeting with. He was researching who exactly that guy was.

He was also still working on dissecting the video to see what part had been cut out when the murderer—or someone working with him—had gotten hold of it.

Those two answers could be Olive’s best leads as she tried to decide where to go next with this investigation.

Right before the end of her workday, her phone rang, and she answered with a crisp, “Olive Whiten.”

“Olive . . . it’s Ryan.” His voice trembled.

She froze with anticipation. “Hey, Ryan. What’s going on?”

“I did think of one thing I wanted to mention to you. I needed to think about it before I said anything. Speculation isn’t usually my forte. But I’ve decided I want to share something.”

Her breath caught. “Okay. That would be great. What is it?”

“I can’t tell you on the phone.” His voice still sounded taut. “Can I meet you later? After work?”

“You just name the time and place.”

“Millenium Park isn’t far from here. I can meet you there at one of the benches near the bus stop at Michigan and Randolph.”

“I’ll be there.”

“And please don’t tell anyone you’re meeting me. I . . . I can’t let anybody know what I know. No one but you.”

This guy had had a major change of heart. “You’ve got it.”

As Olive ended the call, a ripple of excitement rushed through her. Maybe this meeting would give her some of the answers she needed.

The sooner she could close this case, the sooner she could get away from Conglomerate.

And the sooner she could get away from Jason Stewart.

CHAPTER 16

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