Page 64 of Obscurity
Olive read the text aloud. “‘I can’t wait to get out of here. This whole thing feels wrong, and I’m starting to think I made a terrible mistake getting involved.”
Tristan’s aristocratic features hardened with anger. “I should have realized something was off about that.”
“Did she ever mention anything about trees?” Olive remembered Chloe’s final cryptic message. “Something about trees watching?”
Tristan went very still, his face pale. “Actually . . . yes, she did. And that’s when I really started to worry.”
Olive waited for Tristan to continue, her mind racing through possibilities.
“In one of our last conversations, Chloe mentioned feeling like she was being watched all the time,” Tristan continued. “She said it was like ‘the trees have eyes’ and that she couldn’t shake the feeling that people were monitoring her every move.”
“People were watching her?” Jason leaned forward, his biceps flexing.
Olive’s throat went dry at the sight of his muscles, and she looked away She couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.
“She said the festival organizers had cameras everywhere, supposedly for promotional footage and security, but it felt excessive. Like surveillance rather than documentation.” Tristan’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She joked that she felt like she was the subject in some kind of nature documentary, but . . . I don’t think she was really joking.”
A few more pieces clicked into place in Olive’s mind. The constant filming, the isolated location . . . it all suggested something much deeper than a con.
“Tristan, we think Chloe might have discovered something about this operation that made her dangerous to them. If that’s true—” Before Olive could finish her thought, music erupted from outside the tent, accompanied by the crackle of a PA system coming to life.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Brad’s voice boomed across the campsite. “Please gather around the main stage for this afternoon’s special performance! You won’t want to miss this incredible opportunity to experience authentic Appalachian music culture!”
Through the tent walls, they heard people reluctantly moving toward the stage, grumbling but complying.
“We need to get out there.” Olive rose from her makeshift seat. “But Tristan, if you really want to help find Chloe, you need to let us do the investigating.”
“Why?” Tristan asked, though he was already moving toward the tent entrance. “Who are you people?”
Olive and Jason exchanged glances. Their cover was already compromised with Connor, and now they needed Tristan’s cooperation if they were going to find Chloe before it was too late.
“We’re professional investigators,” Jason said. “And this situation may be far more dangerous than anyone anticipated.”
CHAPTER 41
Olive, Jason, and Tristan exited the tent one by one.
Once out, they all gravitated toward the crowd near the stage where a band was setting up. Tristan gave them a look before branching away from them.
When Olive and Jason were alone, she leaned closer to him and whispered, “We need to get into that house where Brad is staying. If Chloe’s being held anywhere or if there’s evidence about what really happened to her, it could be inside.”
“I agree, but it’s too risky during the day,” Jason argued. “That place is probably crawling with security, and if they catch us?—”
“The house is our best shot at finding real evidence.” Olive’s mind raced through possibilities. “This might be our best opportunity. I can go. Alone. It will be too obvious if both of us are gone.”
A shadow of disapproval passed over his gaze. “Olive, if something goes wrong, I have no way to contact you. No way to help if?—”
Before Jason could finish his thought, a commotion erupted near the stage.
The same weathered mountain man who’d warned them on the trail had somehow appeared in the center of the festival grounds, his presence causing festivalgoers to scatter in surprise and confusion.
“Y’all still here?” The Grayfall Guardian’s voice carried across the valley with surprising authority as he climbed onto the stage platform. “Still playin’ along with this here charade?”
“Sir, you need to leave immediately,” one of the guards called out.
The old man ignored him. “Told y’all yesterday there’s things in these hills that don’t belong. Things that take what they want and leave nothin’ but questions behind.”
His gaze swept across the assembled crowd with the intensity of someone delivering a prophecy. Olive held her breath as she waited to hear what he had to say.
