by Clara Lewis
Preston’s gaze grew deadly as Jordan turned him around and handcuffed him.
“We had an agreement!” he hissed.
Jordan looked worried. If the other policemen heard what Preston said, they must have ignored it. If they ignored it, then Olivia might have to encourage the new Sheriff to clean out the station. After all, it couldn’t truly be justice if the system was corrupt.
Jordan said nothing in reply but simply led Preston into the police car parked in the driveway.
Olivia walked with the other policemen to the front doors.
“What will happen to Braydyn and the other kids who were involved?”
“Well, we have begun the process of identifying the others who were in the video. As for the Lancaster kid, he’ll have to get help.”
Olivia felt sorry for Braydyn. He had grown up in an environment which led him to believe that he was above others. It had led him to develop some sort of complex that amplified his selfishness.
On the other hand, Olivia shuddered at the thought that if Braydyn hadn’t been caught now, what was he capable of as an adult? Would he be just like his father, or worse?
Chapter 10
“I’m glad your mom got better. Did you ever find out what caused her to get sick?”
Liam shrugged.
“I have no idea. Every time we bring it up, she refuses to talk about it and accuses us of being negative.”
Olivia laughed.
They continued to walk and passed the park near the Lancaster house. Since Preston’s arrest, Felicity had taken her son and moved out of Dresden. As expected, they had become the town’s hot topic. Their name was dragged through the mud.
It had irked Olivia though. These residents talked of others as if they themselves were as pure as saints. However, it was to be expected. That was how things were before, and Olivia doubted that it would change anytime soon.
It was getting dark and Olivia found it quite nice that she ran into Liam again. As much as she wanted to spend more time with him, she had to hurry home and repack her things.
This time, she was going home.
Liam had insisted on walking Olivia to her car. She happily obliged and they talked a lot more on the way there. She had parked quite far from the park.
However, her happiness was short lived and was soon replaced with fear. When they had reached her car, she saw that her tires had been slashed. With nowhere to go, and in the dark of night, this would have been an opportune time to kill her. Olivia was convinced it was their plan for sure.
“What’s going on, Olivia?” Liam asked.
He was just as anxious as he was.
“I think someone is trying to kill me,” she replied.
Liam recalled the time when Olivia almost died. He had blamed himself when he couldn’t reach her fast enough. She had almost drowned, but thankfully, she survived.
“I don’t think we should stay here any longer," Liam suddenly said.
It wasn’t just Olivia who felt the sudden shift in the air. Her killer was still in the area. The only reason he hadn’t done anything yet was because Liam was here with her. If he was armed, that was a completely different situation.
“Let’s go back to your car. And quickly," Olivia whispered.
She had no time to explain that it wasn’t just her life that was in danger. By extension, his was too.
Their brisk walk had turned into a run as they headed for his car. Once inside, Liam started up the vehicle and they drove off. Sure enough, the moment they passed her car, the headlights illuminated the nearby bushes and a silhouette of a tall man appeared. Olivia’s heart skipped a beat and she struggled to breathe.
“I wasn’t the only one who saw that, right?” Liam asked, making sure.
“Nope," Olivia replied.
Luckily, everything important was in her bag, and she carried that around with her all the time. Whatever that man found in her car would be of no importance.
Liam dropped her off at the hotel but stayed to make sure that she got inside safely. He would have walked her to the door, but Olivia insisted that she was fine. Once inside her room, Olivia looked around to make sure that nothing was out of place. Her room remained neat, and all her things were exactly where she put them. It seemed the would-be killer hadn’t figured out which room she stayed in yet.
Tired, Olivia decided to rest. As she drifted off to sleep, a loud beep woke her up. She picked her phone up, her eyes darting to the time.
Who could be sending a message so late in the night?
It had come from an unknown number. All common sense told her to ignore it, but after reading the first sentence she just couldn’t.
I have information about Poppy. Meet me by the pier.
This was exactly the kind of message a killer would use to lure someone out into the open. Olivia knew that it was probably a fake and that going would be dangerous. However, Poppy’s name had been mentioned. Olivia couldn’t let that slide.
A small glimmer of hope bloomed inside her chest as she considered the thought of going to the pier. She wouldn’t tell Marion about it yet. Marion was usually the voice of reason between the both of them. Marion would find a way to discourage her from going.
Olivia replied to the message.
What time?
They replied immediately.
6 a.m.
That was early. This led Olivia to think of another possibility. Either this person was inviting her out this early to kill her with no witnesses around, or they wanted to stay hidden. There was only one way to find out.
Waking up early was never one of Olivia’s strongest traits. The only thing that even got her up was the thought of Poppy. She realized that her car had been left on the other side of town and that If she wanted to get to the pier in time, she should have gotten up earlier.
Olivia wrapped a scarf around her neck and ran out the hotel doors. If she was late, would the person wait, or leave? If they were hiding from someone, they surely wouldn’t stay in one place for too long.
The hotel wasn’t too far away from the pier. It was only a few minutes away by car. Olivia looked at her watch as she ran through the empty streets. She was almost there. However, she didn’t see anyone at the pier.
Disappointment weighed heavy and she slowed down. Maybe someone thought they were being funny. However, Olivia tried not to get downhearted. She continued running until she reached the street leading to the pier. She wasn’t aware of her surroundings, as she was focused on getting her directions straight.
Suddenly Olivia was on the ground. She looked up and found another woman sprawled out on the ground beside her.
Before Olivia could apologize, the woman quickly got to her feet and offered a hand to her.
“You are Olivia Hudson, correct?”
Olivia nodded as she got up.
“Thanks. I am, who are you?”
Suddenly something clicked in Olivia’s mind.
“Were you the one who texted me last night?”
The woman looked around before quickly nodding.
“Let’s go over there so we can talk,” she said pointing to the pier.
Olivia followed her, wondering what this woman had to say.
“You said you had information about Poppy, right?”
She couldn’t wait. She wanted to know now.
“Yes, I didn’t know she was your sister, but looking at you, you look exactly the same as her.”
Olivia nodded impatiently but said nothing as she waited for the woman to continue.
“My name is Heather. I was John Barlowe’s first wife.”
Well, this was news to Olivia.
“All I wanted to say is that Poppy was killed by a Barlowe. I can’t say more but I hope this is enough.”
Olivia stood by the pier long after Heather had left. She had always known they had something to do with it but to hear such information in person was different.
She had to see this through. Olivia was not going to let
anyone stop her from finding the truth. She didn’t care if the Barlowes were the most influential or powerful family in the entire town. She didn’t even care if they were the most powerful people on earth.
They were going down.
Olivia sent a message to Marion telling her to fly down to Dresden. This was a case both of them needed to work on. Both of them needed answers and they would get them.
Continue Reading the Series
Bound By Truth (The Dresden Island Book 4)
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