by T. K. Leigh
~~~~~~~~~~
“SIMON, I HOPE YOU have some very good news for me after your phone call to Olivia today.”
“She remembers. She says she thinks she knows where it is.”
Donovan smiled. “That’s wonderful news. So where is it?”
Simon exhaled loudly. “She won’t tell me.”
“Why the fuck not?!” Donovan asked angrily.
“I don’t know. I don’t think she really remembers it all clearly. She said she had a good idea where it was, but wasn’t certain.”
“Goddammit, Simon! Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to make her remember. I want that box in my fucking hand by the end of the week or I will kill you.”
Simon’s hands began to shake. He had seen what Donovan's goons were capable of. He was not to be messed with. “Fine. I’m going to need a window where she won’t have her security detail with her. Burnham's been on her ass since the attacks.”
“I’ll arrange it and let you know the time and place. Get it done, Simon.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Oh, and Simon?”
“Yes?”
“Grant will assist you. At least he gets shit done.”
“Yes, sir.” Simon hung up, suddenly nervous about what he was going to have to do.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
PREMONITION
THURSDAY MORNING, OLIVIA WOKE with an unsettling premonition about what the day would bring. She couldn't shake the suspicion that something bad was about to happen. Ever since Simon's reaction on Monday, she was on edge about everything. For once, she embraced the protection detail that Alexander had set up for her.
As she walked back into her house after kissing Alexander good-bye, a chill came over her. The house was eerily quiet while she sorted through the last few boxes that she had been anxious to look at. She was desperate to know why the memory of the treasure map she drew for her father stuck out in her head, as if the chest wasn't buried there.
She was having trouble focusing that morning after finally taking a pregnancy test and getting confirmation of her suspicions. She grabbed her iPad and began streaming music to the surround sound speakers, hoping it would help clear her mind. After setting her playlist to shuffle, she returned to a box containing photos. She looked at the date stamped in the bottom left corner of the pictures. August twenty-fourth. Her jaw dropped when she saw the year. They must have been taken right before she and her parents left the beach house the day of the accident. Olivia wondered how there could have been any photos. Then she noticed that they were mostly of her mother. It looked like there was a small finger over the viewfinder, slightly obscuring them all.
“I guess I was some photographer back in the day,” she said, joking.
As she continued sorting through the photos, Olivia felt chills again, wondering if it was just a coincidence that Seven Devils started blaring through her speakers. She never really believed in signs or coincidences, but something about that Florence and the Machine song playing at that moment made her think that something horrible was about to happen.
~~~~~~~~~~
ALEXANDER SAT IN HIS office on Thursday afternoon, scouring through Olivia’s parents’ bank statements. There were numerous suspicious deposits. And then there was that mysterious piece of paper with his father’s writing on it in some sort of code. He still didn’t know what it all meant.
Nothing was making any sense to him. He was trying to figure out whether the deposits were just distributions from Marilyn’s various investments, but it was difficult to ascertain the source. Apparently, it had concerned Alexander’s father, but it seemed that he became paranoid the last few years of his life. Alexander didn’t know what to make of it or whether he should put any faith in his father’s work at all.
His mind kept wandering off, thinking about how he should have been getting married that weekend. It saddened him that things had been put on hold for a little bit, but he knew that once everything settled down, he would marry his Olivia.
“Hey, Alex?” Carol said from the sitting area in his office, looking through some of her father's old files, trying to help him put the pieces together.
“Yeah?”
“How do you think they found out that Dad was protecting Olivia?” She had a quizzical look on her face.
“Your guess is as good as mine. Why?” He glanced up from the bank statements, the numbers giving him a headache.
“I mean, do you think maybe someone inside the company…?”
“NO!” Alexander said forcefully before calming himself down. “You know how Dad operated. You know how we still operate to this very day.”
Carol sighed. “I know, but that would explain a few things. I’m going through some of Dad’s old notes. These people found out about South Carolina. That’s probably why he insisted she come to college up here…so he could keep a closer eye on her. There’s no way he would let anyone know where she was. Maybe we need to start looking inside the box.”
“But that would mean…”
Carol interrupted, “That if there was an inside man, that person may still be with the company.”
“Shit,” Alexander said, picking up his phone. “Marie, I want employment records of everyone who has worked here for the past eight years. Focus on employees who are still employed here.”
Carol glanced over at her brother. “I’m probably wrong, Alex.” She turned back to her father’s notes.
“I hope you are,” he replied, returning his tired eyes back to the financial records, kicking himself for not exploring that line of thought earlier.
~~~~~~~~~~
LATER THAT AFTERNOON, OLIVIA heard her cell phone buzz, thankful to have the momentary distraction. Everything was all a big puzzle that she desperately wanted to solve. She felt like she was close but there was one big clue missing.
Alexander: Hey, love. Something came up here at the office and I'm going to be a little late. Do NOT, under any circumstances, leave your house, even with any of your escorts. I’ll explain later. I love you.
That’s odd, Olivia thought as she glanced out her bay window and saw Agent Marshall sitting watch in the SUV. All of a sudden, she heard a deep voice speaking on a cell phone just outside of her window.
“We’re in front of the bitch’s house, boss,” the voice said, sending shivers up Olivia’s spine. She quickly lowered herself, hoping no one had seen her. The voice sounded so familiar. “Simon will get the girl to go with him. Cheryl is turning the other way and says she’ll play dumb when questioned by Burnham.”
Olivia gasped, trying to muffle the sound with her hand. Agent Marshall was in on it. It all started to make sense. Every time she had seen Simon or Adele was when Marshall was on watch. No one else. Only her.
Almost instantly, there was a loud knock at the door. “Olivia, it's Simon. We need to talk.”
“Shit,” Olivia said under her breath, her eyes falling on the last picture she had been looking at before reading Alexander's text. A strong memory rushed back. Quickly, she grabbed the few things that would lead Alexander to the truth and, hopefully, her. She laid them on her kitchen island before propping Mr. Bear up on the barstool. It was all she could do for now.
She jumped when she heard a loud knock on the door again. “Olivia! Open up!”
With shaky hands, she texted Alexander, hoping it wouldn’t be the last conversation she ever had with him. Making her way over to the door, she pulled it back, unsure of how to respond to Simon now that she knew everything.
“Hi, Simon,” she said, her voice unsteady.
“Evening, Livvy,” he responded, pushing her back into her house and closing the front door.
Olivia’s eyes went wide at the greeting.
“Yes. The old Simon is back.” He put his arm around her waist, pulling her flush with his body. “Time to go find what those guys are looking for.” He started to head toward the basement, pulling her along with him.
She was right. She knew i
t. Her mind started racing. “Simon, wait.”
“What is it?” he growled.
“This isn’t you,” she said softly. “You’re not this guy anymore. You’re better than this. I like the new Simon much better…”
He stopped in his tracks, his eyes brimming with remorse. “I have to, Olivia! They’ll kill me if I don’t do this!” She could feel his body start to shake. “Grant is waiting out back. There’s no fucking way out. Don’t you think I’ve tried to come up with another way? They knew I wasn’t ready to go through with it, but I know too much. I don’t have a choice, Olivia.”
“Grant? Who’s Grant?”
Simon exhaled loudly. “He’s the guy who attacked Kiera.”
That’s why the voice out front sounded so familiar. It was him. Olivia’s heart raced, her chin quivering from the memory of Kiera’s lifeless body. Did the same fate await her?
“Libby, please. I don’t know what else to do. If you don’t come with us, I’m dead. I swear to you, I will find a way to help you, but you have to come with me. To save me and yourself. Do you understand?”
A tear fell down her cheek. “Yes. I understand.” She just hoped that the clues she left were enough.
“We need to go. I’m going to have to be rough with you, but I promise I will try to find a way to help you. Okay?”
She nodded her head and Simon led her down the hallway, still grasping her waist rather roughly.
“Wait. One last thing.” She released herself from Simon’s hold and headed back to the kitchen. Grabbing her cell phone, she noticed that her last text never went through.
“Leave the phone, Libby,” Simon said softly. “Put it down. They can track it.”
Olivia nodded in defeat, placing her cell back on the kitchen island. Her eyes brimming with tears at the finality of it all, she took the engagement ring off her hand and placed it on top of a photo of her and Alexander sitting on the rocks by the house. She hoped that with those clues, he would know where she would be and the location of the hidden documents. She said a silent prayer that he would understand everything and that he would get there in time to save her.
Simon grabbed her roughly after she walked back to the hallway. Her hands shook at the thought that she was about to sit in a car for two hours with a man who probably wanted to kill her. “I’m so sorry, Libby,” he whispered as he walked her through the hallway and down the stairs leading to the back door.
“Simon, wait.” Olivia stopped, her voice shaking from fear. “We can run. Both of us. Right now. You don’t have to do this.”
His eyes searched her face, contemplating her words. A car door slammed loudly, startling them both. Simon knew it was useless. There was no way out, but he was going to do his best to help her. He put his finger up to his lips, giving Olivia a compassionate look, as if saying what words alone couldn’t. “I’m so sorry. Just go along,” he whispered. “I’ll save you. I promise. Even if I have to put my own life on the line, I will make sure you get out of this alive.”
Her entire body began to tremble as Simon picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder.
“What the fuck is the hold up, Simon?” Grant roared, banging on the back door.
“Nothing. I’ve got the bitch,” Simon growled. “Let’s get a move on.” He opened the door and walked to the desolate back alley where a sole black sedan waited. He threw Olivia into the backseat before getting into the passenger seat.
Olivia looked up as the large man got in behind the wheel and turned around.
“Evening, beautiful,” he said, licking his lips.
“Don’t even think about touching her, Grant,” Simon said forcefully before turning his attention back to Olivia. “Now, Livvy, tell me. Where to?” He pointed a gun at her head, a solemn look on his face.
“Chatham. On the Cape,” she replied softly.
“That’s a good girl.” Grant grabbed her ankle and ran his fingers up her bare legs. The contact made Olivia sick to her stomach. She wished she had worn more than just a sundress.
Simon fished his cell phone out of his pocket, still keeping his gun trained on Olivia.
“Donovan, it’s Simon. We have the girl and we’re on our way to Chatham.”
“Good news. Do not do anything until backup arrives. We cannot have a repeat of the last time.”
“Even more backup?”
“My client is on his way. He wants to help take care of the girl.”
Shit, Simon thought.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAOS
ALEXANDER POURED THROUGH EMPLOYMENT records all afternoon and into the evening. He was looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary but, so far, he had come up empty. He had sent Olivia’s parents’ financial records to one of his top forensic accountants to start combing through. He hated involving anyone else in what was going on because he didn’t know who he could trust, but he didn’t see any alternative. He couldn’t make any sense out of the records so he hoped someone else could.
“Fun way to spend a Thursday night, huh, Alex?” Carol commented several hours later, breaking the deafening silence that had occupied his office all afternoon.
“Sure is,” he replied, looking up from the papers in front of him. “Thanks again for all your help, Carol. I know you’d rather be spending your time with Dave.”
She smiled. “No problem. Anything to help you out. I’m certainly looking forward to collecting on this debt you owe me, though,” she joked before turning back to the papers in front of her, her brow furrowing as she scanned the file in front of her.
“What? Did you find something?” Alexander asked, noticing her expression. His heart started racing as he saw Carol flip frantically through various documents.
“Shit…” she said quietly, not wanting to believe what she was reading.
Alexander rushed over to the couch, looking at the name of the employee record she had been going through. “Carol,” he looked at her, his eyes pleading. “Please, tell me…”
“I’m sorry, Alex. Random small deposits adding up to a lot of money during the months leading up to Dad’s death, then nothing.”
He grabbed the file out of her hands and began flipping through the pages. “No. It can’t be. She was questioned about it after Dad’s death, and during each of her quarterly background checks. It’s right here in the file. It’s part of her divorce settlement.”
Carol peered at the papers in Alexander’s hands, flipping through the file with him. “How do you explain the timing, though? She stopped getting that money right after Dad’s death, and then the suspicious deposits started again around the same time that you met Olivia. It could just be a coincidence, but the timing is perfect.”
“FUCK!” Alexander shouted, his voice panicked. “Call Dave!” he ordered Carol before bolting out of his office. “Martin! Let’s go!”
~~~~~~~~~~
WITHIN A FEW MINUTES, Martin slammed on the brakes in front of Olivia’s house. Alexander was furious when he saw Marshall sitting behind the wheel of her own SUV, keeping watch over the house as if nothing was wrong. He jumped out of the vehicle, running toward the driver’s side, and pulled her from the seat, slamming her against the hard metal exterior. The window shattered from the force of the impact. “What the fuck did you do?!” He glared down at her, his voice full of rage.
“Sir, please, I don't know any more than you. I don't know where they’re taking her. All I know is that I was ordered to look the other way today…”
Alexander’s heart sank. He didn’t know Olivia had actually been taken. “Who has her?” he quivered.
“I don’t know,” she lied.
“Where are they taking her?”
“Only Olivia knows that.”
“FUCK!” Alexander screamed, handcuffing her and throwing her in the back of her own SUV. He ran inside Olivia’s house, unable to make anything of the scene that greeted him. Papers and photos were all over the place. He took a deep breath, knowing that there may
be a clue in the house. He slowly scanned the living room, his eyes stopping on a bunch of photos placed neatly on the kitchen island.
He quickly strode over, his heart almost stopping when he saw the picture on top…the photo of them as children playing on the rocks outside the beach house lay just beneath her engagement ring. He immediately knew where she was taking them. His eyes glanced at another photo lying on the island. It was a photo of Olivia’s mom. It looked as though she was mending a tear in Mr. Bear’s stitching. The date on the corner of the photo was the same day as the accident. He wondered what it all meant. Why was this photo left on the island?
It was almost as if Olivia left everything laid out perfectly, asking him to figure it all out. She was heading to the beach house, but the photo of her mom stitching up Mr. Bear? What did that mean? He grabbed the engagement ring and Mr. Bear off the stool, along with the rest of the photos. Bolting out of the house, he yelled for Martin to accompany him and gave him the address in Chatham where Olivia’s beach estate was located.
As Martin merged onto the Mass Pike, Alexander looked out of the window, desperate to find Olivia and save her because, this time, she actually needed saving.
~~~~~~~~~~
“OKAY, THIS IS FUCKING ridiculous!” Grant shouted, pulling over on the side of the road. “Get her out of the car.”
Olivia had been anything but helpful in figuring out where the evidence they needed was supposedly hidden. “No. I’m not getting out of the car.” She looked around. There were no lights anywhere. It was deserted. She hadn’t even seen another car for miles. “I told you where we needed to go,” she begged. “Chatham. That’s all I know.”
