Page 73 of Misdirection

“No, she’s going to take a cab back to her apartment. Then we’re supposed to meet for lunch.”

Olive nodded slowly as she thought through his words. “I think you should keep that lunch date and try to feel her out.”

Jason didn’t say anything. Instead, he just stared ahead stoically.

“Where does she live?” Olive continued to press. Her question might be insensitive, but she could hear the timer ticking in her head. She couldn’t afford to be too polite.

He rattled off Adriana’s address, which wasn’t terribly far from Olive’s place in downtown Chicago.

“Why are you asking?” Jason’s eyes flickered to meet Olive’s as he finally returned to the present. However, suspicion lingered in the depths of his gaze.

“Someone should check out her place and see if she’s really been out of town or if that was just a ploy.” Olive blanched at her blunt words. “When I say someone, I don’t mean you. You’ll be too obvious. If Adriana’s using you, then there’s a good chance she’s had someone watching you.”

His gaze darkened. “I don’t want to admit that’s true, but it might be. However, I don’t think you should go to her place either. You’re not equipped for these types of situations.”

Olive wanted to insist that she was far more equipped than he realized. But she didn’t. She couldn’t blow her cover.

“I can figure something out,” she finally said. “Or between the two of us we can.”

Silence fell for a moment, then Jason shook his head and rubbed Loki’s head again. “I just can’t believe this.”

Olive couldn’t tell if he was still angry with her or not. Probably a little—and she couldn’t blame him. But his grief had mingled with his irritation.

It would take time for him to sort through all his emotions.

Olive shifted. She still had more questions, more answers she needed. She couldn’t take a break just because of his heartache. But she hated how callous that felt.

“Why did you come home from work so suddenly, Jason? I asked Sonny, and he said you had an emergency.” She glanced around. “I don’t see anything on fire.”

“My dog sitter called,” he admitted, his voice stiff. “He said something was wrong with Loki, and he didn’t know what to do. He said Loki was having some type of seizure.”

Olive flinched. She hadn’t expected that. “And?”

“I got here, and Loki was fine, and my dog sitter was nowhere to be found.”

“Did you call him?”

“I did, but he didn’t answer.”

Her thoughts raced. “I noticed you have a security camera out front. Did you check the footage to see when this dog sitter left?”

“Of course.” Jason almost sounded insulted at her question. “According to the camera at the front of my house, Damon hasn’t been here all day.”

Olive grunted. “Is he usually responsible?”

“He came highly recommended by another neighbor. With me working long hours, I knew if I got a dog that I’d need someone to stop by every day to let him get some exercise.”

Olive nodded. Was the dog sitter in on this? Or was the dog sitter another victim and somehow in danger now too?

Another question caught her attention even more.

Could Jason have been purposefully lured from the office? And, if so, why?

What was someone hoping to do while he was gone?

Olive didn’t plan on simply returning to her normally scheduled day and going through the motions as if nothing had happened.

Instead, she continued to question Jason. “Do you know this guy’s address? Damon, you said his name was.”

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