Page 53 of Smokescreen

She continued to watch, curious about what might be going on.

The flashlights continued to move in sync as if the people holding them were working together to do something.

“Olive?”

She sucked in a breath and straightened.

Someone had just called her name, hadn’t they? Or was she hearing things?

She paused.

Then she heard it again. Her name. Someone was definitely calling for her.

She raced toward the stairway and banged on the floor. “I’m up here!”

Olive continued to stomp and yell, trying to get someone’s attention.

The next moment, the staircase lowered, and light filled the space.

She blinked down below and saw . . . Reid.

She didn’t wait for him to come up. She darted down the steps, desperate to get out of this attic. Maybe she’d been more freaked out than she’d wanted to admit.

Reid pulled her into a hug, and she folded herself into his strong arms. His beard brushed her cheek and sent a thrill through her. The familiar scent of his cologne brought her a moment of comfort.

“What happened?” Reid murmured.

Olive pulled back and raked her hair from her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. Looking scared didn’t do much for her credibility. She was usually better than this.

“I went upstairs to look for your mom’s dolls,” she started, holding her voice steady. “It seemed like a useful way to spend my time. But the staircase closed, and I got trapped up there. I thought I was going to have to spend the night in the attic.”

“What? How did that happen even?” Reid studied the stairs as if looking for a broken mechanism.

“I have no idea.”

“We do have small locks on the outside. They’re mostly to ensure the ladders stay in the ceiling and don’t fall and hurt someone. But if you were locked up there . . . it’s because someone wanted you to be locked up there.”

Olive shivered again. That was what she’d assumed. But hearing the words didn’t bring her any comfort.

Had it been Daphne? She was staying in the house, and she was at the top of Olive’s suspect list right now.

The scream slammed into her memory. “I heard someone scream?—”

“It was just Daphne,” Reid assured her. “She thought she saw a mouse. It was just an old sock. Everything is okay.”

Olive released the breath she’d been holding. “I’m glad.”

Then she remembered the will she’d found. Should she bring that up to Reid? Under normal circumstances, she would say yes. But something internal told her to keep this quiet for now and to continue gathering more information.

“Did you find the dolls?”

Reid’s voice snapped Olive from her thoughts, and she nodded quickly. “I did. There were only four.”

His frown deepened. “That’s what I suspected.”

“Who else knew those dolls were up there?” she asked.

He sighed and shook his head. “No one, really. I mean, I haven’t even been up in the attic for years. I have no reason to.”

---