Page 90 of Deception

With Rebecca’s blessing, Olive and Matt stepped into the hallway.

It was time to ask him some hard questions.

Matt definitely looked nervous as the two of them stepped outside Rebecca’s room.

He wasn’t sure what to expect right now, and Olive hoped to use that to her advantage.

“What’s going on?” Matt crossed his arms, putting up a physical barrier. Body language 101.

“Listen, I don’t want to beat around the bush,” Olive started. “But we’ve been doing some fact-checking. It’s only smart when you’re doing a documentary, right?”

His skin looked a little paler. “Of course. What’s wrong?”

“We’ve talked to a couple of Rebecca’s old friends from college. One of them told us you were actually married when you and Rebecca met. She also said you were a grad assistant, which would have made dating Rebecca out of bounds.”

His eyes widened and then softened again.

This hadn’t been what he expected her to bring up, was it? He seemed almost relieved that it was just a question about his infidelity.

“Oh, that.” His voice turned more serious. “I just didn’t think that was relevant to your documentary. Is that something you’re going to add to the video?”

“Not necessarily. It’s just that when there are inconsistencies in what a person tells us about one aspect of his or her life, then we have to question possible inconsistencies in other things they’re telling us. Make sense?”

Matt nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. I didn’t mean to keep that truth from you. I just didn’t want it to be broadcast, of course.”

“I can understand why you wouldn’t want that information out there.”

He pressed his eyes closed before running his hand over his face again. “I’m not proud of what happened. But my marriage was less than a year old, and it had been really rocky. I shouldn’t have ever married Miranda, but she pushed me to tie the knot, and I did. We were so unhappy together. Then I met Rebecca, and she was such a bright spot.”

He was pretty good at selling this, Olive mused.

She still had more questions. “Did Rebecca know you were married when she pursued you?”

Matt’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “When she pursued me?”

Olive tilted her head. “You said she was the first one to make a move. You said you were in a study group together.”

His cheeks turned red. “I was actually doing some tutoring outside my normal job hours. Even though she did kiss me first, believe me, the feelings were mutual. She refused to truly date me until my divorce was finalized.”

“That’s good,” Olive muttered.

Matt turned his sharp gaze on her. “Does that make you feel better? And is this really even that important? There are so many other things we need to be focusing on concerning Rebecca’s treatment.”

Olive didn’t like the way he’d dismissed her questioning, acting as if Olive was the one out of line for bringing up the subject.

She thought about his motorcycle. Should she ask him? Watch his reaction?

Why not? She was running out of time.

“One more question.” She locked her gaze on him. “Is it true you like riding motorcycles?”

His brow furrowed. “I do. How is that important?”

“I’m just trying to find interesting snippets about you and Rebecca that people can relate to. Motorcycles are one of those things.”

He stared at her another moment and shook his head. “I still don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“B roll,” Olive answered. “It helps give life to documentaries and make the people I interview seem more human.”

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