Page 14 of Artifice
They sat at a small settee in the corner near a window. Olive had already closed the shades just in case anybody was outside watching.
“So did you find out anything?” Olive started, leaning toward him.
Tevin had been tasked with looking into Colin’s background more deeply.
“Nothing that we don’t already know,” he told her. “His parents were pretty forthright about everything.”
Olive already knew that Colin was the son of a lawyer and a renowned architect. He’d grown up with every advantage in his Boston suburb—private schools, European vacations, and a social circle comprised of the children of New England’s elite. He loved rock climbing. His favorite saying was “Onward and upward!” And his mother clearly adored him.
Much to her husband’s dismay, she’d sobbed the entire time Olive had talked to her. Mr. Andrews was also worried, but he was much more private and reserved, it seemed.
Colin’s troubles began during his junior year when the pressure to maintain perfect grades while applying to Ivy League schools became overwhelming. He started self-medicating with his mother’s prescription anxiety medication, which led to increasingly erratic behavior.
The final straw came when Colin and three friends hacked into their prestigious prep school’s security system, not for malicious purposes, but to orchestrate an elaborate prank involving releasing two dozen chickens painted in school colors throughout the administrative offices.
The prank caused thousands in damages when the panicked birds destroyed valuable artwork and antique furniture. While his friends’ parents made substantial donations to smooth things over, Colin’s father insisted his son face consequences.
What was meant to be a three-month disciplinary stay at Lighthouse Harbor had stretched to six months when Colin began showing genuine improvement. His weekly letters homehad been increasingly positive . . . until they abruptly stopped three weeks ago.
His concerned parents had begun to question the school’s claim that their son—who had been talking about his future plans and seemed to be thriving—would suddenly run away without a word.
When the administration had stonewalled them, they’d turned to Aegis.
Since Tevin had no updates, Olive told him about her day.
“Uh oh.” Tevin popped a sunflower seed into his mouth. “It looks like you may already be running into danger. How did you swing that?”
“Good question. I don’t know what I might have done to trigger someone. I haven’t poked around yet.”
“It could be someone who wants to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t find out anything bad about Lighthouse Harbor.”
“That’s true. Or it could be someone that doesn’t want me digging too much into the school’s background and finding out something that might jeopardize their chances of getting this funding.”
“Or to be more of an optimist, what if it’s somebody who knows something about Colin and is looking for just the right opportunity to approach you to see if you’re trustworthy?”
Olive nibbled on her bottom lip a moment. “But why would someone who wants help finding Colin approach the wealthy benefactor who might give money to the school? The only reason somebody would want to approach me was if they knew I was a private investigator, which no one should know.”
He frowned. “You’re right. They probably wouldn’t know that.”
She leaned back, thinking again about her visit. She shuddered when she remembered seeing that student peering out of the dark room.
“You’re thinking about the kid?” Tevin could read her thoughts so easily.
She nodded. “I am. I can’t get it out of my head. They said the student’s name is Peyton, which could be a guy or a girl. Any chance you could look into that for me?”
“I’m on it. As soon as I get back to my computer, I’ll see what I can find out. I might be able to find a list of residents from the school.”
“I also need you to look into Simon L.”
He popped more sunflower seeds in his mouth. “I plan on doing that also. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out something. It sounds like that guy might not be on the up and up either.”
“I agree. I don’t trust him.”
“I’ve got your back.”
Olive grinned at him. “I know you do.”
He set his bag on the table between them. “So what’s next for you?”
