Page 108 of Ice Cold Christmas
“There is nothing neat about this,” Laila crossed her arms over her chest. “And there is no win involved. Detective Angus Clinton is dead.”
“Yes.” Melody ignored the twist in her gut. When she’d seen that slashing scar on his chest as the EMTs had worked on him… “Detective Angus Clinton is dead. He’s also the man who kidnapped me. Who tried to kill me. If Victor hadn’t fired and stopped the detective, I’d be the one in the morgue right now.” Her and Victor. The fact that they were both alive? Damn straight she considered that a win. “Give us five minutes with Olivia. Please.” Because she had questions that had to be asked.
“She’s gonna be transferred out of the hospital in less than half an hour…” Laila pursed her lips. But then she nodded curtly. “So you had better get in here now.”
Melody’s eyes widened. Hunter had said he’d pull strings to get her this visit with Olivia, but, wow, the man must have some seriously powerful connections.
“I can’t leave you alone with her, so don’t even ask.” Laila backed up a step. Then another as she waved Melody and Hunter into the room. “And if she wants a lawyer…” Her voice rose as she looked at the woman in the hospital bed. “You have been informed that you can have a lawyer, Ms. Hatcher, and that anything you say can and will be held against you?—”
“He made me do it!” Olivia cried out, cutting through the detective’s words. Her left hand was cuffed to the bed railing. She wore a green hospital gown, the same kind of gown that Victor wore. Her right shoulder looked bulky, probably because of the bandage from the bullet wound. “I had no choice! The detective forced me! I’m a victim, too! A victim just as much as anyone else!”
“Oh, is that the story she’s going with?” Hunter muttered as he followed Melody inside the hospital room. “Got to give the woman credit for trying, huh?” He shut the door.
“It’s not a story!” A screech from Olivia. “It’s the truth.” Olivia’s wide eyes locked on Melody. “You’re my best friend.”
A best friend she’d tried to kill. Yep, sure. Why not go with that song and dance? Melody edged closer to the hospital bed.
“I didn’t want you dead, Melody! Listen, listen?—”
“You have the right to remain—” Laila began.
“I’m not being silent!”
Obviously.
Laila shrugged, as if to say…Fine, it’s your funeral.
Olivia yanked on the handcuff even as her gaze remained on Melody. “Do you think I wanted you hurt?”
Uh, considering that Olivia had fired a gun at Victor’s back and had been planning to kill her, too…Yes, Yes, Melody did think her best friend wanted her hurt.
“I didn’t want to hear any of the stories about what Angus had done to you. He forced me to do everything, don’t you see? It began when he was first sniffing around, trying to dig up dirt against Victor. He’d found out about Colton Crane. The guy thought he could blackmail Victor or some shit. See, before he approached you, Angus and I met. H-he wanted to know what I thought of Victor. What I thought of you.”
That faint stutter—had it been Olivia lying, pausing as she tried to figure out what BS story to tell? Because Melody feared that her friend might have been the mastermind the whole time. Maybe Angus wanted to blackmail Victor, but you came up with an even better plan, didn’t you, Olivia?
Olivia’s desperate gaze pinned Melody. “You blew off Angus when he tried to warn you about Victor. Angus didn’t understand why you were so certain of him, why you trusted Victor so much, but I got it. After all, I knew you were seeing Victor secretly.” Another yank at the cuff. “You were suddenly so happy. You hadn’t been that way in years. And trying to hide an affair? Oh, come on.” A mocking sigh. “Not exactly your strong suit. You didn’t have casual flings. If anything, you were way too standoffish with men. After you and Brant broke up years ago, you barely ever dated anyone.” Olivia’s head cocked to the side. “It’s kinda funny.” Olivia wet her lips. “Before your disappearance, you were suddenly talking about him again. Saying that you were getting some PI in Maryland to look into him.”
“I was?”
A pleased glint lit Olivia’s eyes. “See? I can help you.” Another yank on the cuff. “Tell her to take these off.” A fuming glance toward Laila. “We can all work together. Make a deal.” A nod. “Because you don’t remember very much at all, do you? But I do. I remember everything about your life because I was your best friend. I was there for every big moment. I was beside you for holidays and special occasions. I was always there for you.”
Olivia hadn’t been there when Melody had been stabbed in the cabin. Or when she’d woken up, alone and confused, in a Canadian hospital bed. Melody stepped forward. “You were aware that I was kidnapped. That I was taken and nearly killed in that cabin in Canada.”
“You…” A slow exhale. “Victor was—is violent. Angus and I were just going to set things up so that it looked like he’d been behind the abduction.”
Wheels spun in Melody’s head. Hunter was silent beside her. He just kept glaring at the woman in the bed.
Meanwhile, Melody’s heart felt heavy in her chest. “You mean you were setting Victor up for my abduction and my murder.” There. Done.
Olivia licked her lips once more.
“You were using Dario.” Melody put those pieces together as she saw the flush deepen on Olivia’s cheeks. “You were using him and Angus. Manipulating them both. Something I do remember about you is the fact that you were always very good at getting what you wanted.”
“I-I didn’t?—”
“Angus knew about Victor’s past. He told you. Maybe you did meet him when he was first investigating Victor or maybe you’d met him long before that. I don’t know what story is true, but I believe you knew an opportunity when you spotted one, didn’t you?” She didn’t wait for a response. “When you learned that Victor had nearly killed Colton Crane, you decided that a pattern could be established. Colton, then me. You timed my disappearance to fall right after Victor was announced as the new head of Mage.” Oh, but she had to give Olivia credit. She’d worked so much to her advantage. Even as you shattered my life. “It would look like we fought, right? That I was furious with him after he took the company. That he turned on me.” It all made her so sad. “I vanished. And I’m thinking that Angus meant to kill me, didn’t he? And eventually my murder would have been pinned on Victor. How could it not be? The detective on the case was sure of Victor’s guilt.”
“But you got away.” From Laila.
