Page 61 of Deception

She wanted to talk.

Olive gave her a nod before closing her computer, slipping it into her backpack, and then stepping outside.

CHAPTER 34

Olive stepped out into the warm, sunny day.

She glanced left, then right.

Finally, she spotted Mitzi standing to the side, her cell phone in hand as if she were making a call.

Olive quickly stepped into the shadows, behind a thick brick column, where she wouldn’t be seen with Mitzi.

“What’s going on?” Olive started, not daring to look at her in case anyone was watching.

Mitzi continued to act as if she spoke into the phone instead of to Olive. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Rebecca’s being admitted.”

Olive’s eyebrows shot up. “She is? So she really is sick?”

“Maybe not with cancer. But something is wrong if she’s coughing up blood.”

“True.” Olive leaned back against the post, her thoughts racing.

Mitzi shifted her weight, phone still to her ear. “It could be unrelated.”

“Also true.”

“One other thing—Anne, that nurse I’ve been trying to track down . . . she’s MIA.”

Olive’s eyebrows flew up. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t find her. She’s not answering her phone. I asked a few people, and they haven’t heard from her either.”

“How strange,” Olive muttered.

“Very. But I’ll keep looking.”

She glanced at Mitzi. “How did your talk go with the doctor yesterday after I left the coffeehouse?”

“He’s very charming. We’re going to dinner tonight. I’ll let you know what he says.” Mitzi nodded toward the door. “Listen, I don’t have much time. I’ve got to go back inside.”

“Wait . . .” Olive started.

Mitzi paused.

“Could you ask Rebecca and Matt if I could see them?” Olive asked.

Mitzi thought about it before shrugging. “I’ll send back the request and see what they say.”

“Thank you.”

Mitzi strode back inside first. Olive waited a few minutes before slipping from the shadows and going back to her seat.

She glanced at Mitzi and saw she already had the desk phone to her ear.

Going back to see Rebecca and Matt now seemed insincere—and made her feel like a horrible person, truthfully. But this needed to be done.

Olive wanted to see Rebecca for herself.

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