Page 107 of Deception

The conversation as they ate had been pleasant but basic.

At a break in the conversation, Olive leaned back in her chair. “I just want to say that I think it’s really nice you guys let Willow stay here while Rebecca was in the hospital.”

Sabrina waved her hand in the air. “It’s not a big deal. It’s the least we can do after everything that family has been through.”

Olive softened her voice and asked, “Off the record, how does Willow seem to be holding up? I imagine this has been hard on her.”

“Actually, she seems surprisingly resilient.” Sabrina shrugged.

“Most kids are,” Ellis added. “They’re tougher than we give them credit for.”

“That’s true,” Olive agreed. “I’d hate to think about her being too upset.”

Jason lifted his glass of sweet tea, about to take a sip. “It sounds like Willow might be used to stuff like this by now. It’s pretty much been her whole life, right?”

“That could very well be true,” Ellis said.

“But you know what?” Sabrina sat up as if she had another thought. “Willow said the funniest thing. While we were having breakfast this morning, she told me her family has a beach house down in Galveston.”

Olive tried not to look too interested as she tilted her head. “Did she?”

“I just kind of laughed it off. Considering their situation, I know they can’t afford a beach house.”

“Maybe one of their relatives owns it, and they consider it a family beach house,” Jason suggested lightly.

“No, Willowdefinitelysaid it was theirs. Said they go there every summer and build sandcastles. Granted, she’s four so . . . who knows?”

Olive’s mind raced. What if all those times Rebecca told people she had to go out of town for treatment, she and her family were really going to their beach house?

A beach house that could have possibly been paid for using funds donated to them for cancer treatment?

If Olive could prove that then they could prove Rebecca was a fraud.

As soon as Olive had the chance, she’d ask Nova to dig deeper into those financials. There had to be some type of digital footprint that showed where all their money was going. To the beach house? What else were they hiding?

As the saying went, “Follow the money.”

Olive had a feeling that was where they’d find the answers they needed.

After dinner and dessert, Olive and Jason still had about twenty more minutes before the agreed-upon time they would wrap this up.

Ellis began to tell them about his collection of luxury cars. Jason’s interest perked, and Ellis volunteered to show them his vehicles.

They all filed toward the garage to see his Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Porsche 911.

But as soon as Olive walked into the garage, she forgot all about the cars.

Instead, her gaze zeroed in on a motorcycle parked there.

She let the men talk, discussing the stats on each car.

But her gaze remained on the bike.

“You like motorcycles?” Sabrina seemed to notice Olive staring.

“I kind of do, to be honest.” Olive’s words weren’t untrue. She’d learned to ride in college, and occasionally on assignment when her persona called for it, she still rode one.

“Well, I won’t let Ellis ride one,” Sabrina said. “I just don’t think it’s safe.”

---