No Place to Deceive Read online

  “Who did that?” Wayne was shocked.

  “Nate didn’t remember their name,” said Olivia.

  “How convenient,” remarked Wayne. “This guy is slick, he covers up everything. The cop he talked to probably was Justin, anyway.”

  “I asked him that,” said Olivia. “He said he didn’t know who.”

  Wayne finally shook his head hard. “This is all nonsense and distraction. Let’s stay right here and keep to our plan. It’s great that you found Andrea, if you did. I’d like to check it and then have her brought back immediately.”

  “No,” said Olivia in a firm voice. “My gut tells me to get on the next plane and catch her in person.”

  “Please, Olivia, don’t do it,” begged Wayne.

  “It’s a short trip. I’ll be back in no time. And I’ll give you the address of the place I’m going to check out,” she replied.

  Nate reached for what was left in his cup of coffee. “Do what you have to,” he said then, irritated. “Obviously, there’s only so much impact I can have once you’ve made up your mind.”

  “I have no choice, I have to follow my heart,” Olivia replied. “I’m nothing without that.”

  “I know, I get it,” Wayne said as he drained his coffee cup dry.

  *

  Olivia rushed back upstairs to pack for her trip and make reservations on the first plane to Nashville. To her dismay, Wayne went back to the police station after their lunch, to resume his assignment. He said the guys were waiting for him. Olivia was on her own. It was good to be on her own, but also she wished that Wayne would have been more supportive. He seemed to go back and forth, very warm one moment and totally professional the next.

  Once the plane was booked, Olivia texted Wayne all the information, including the address to visit that Nate had sent her.

  Thanks for this, Wayne’s text quickly arrived. Keep me informed of what’s happening.

  Olivia was upset. His text couldn’t have been more distant. Wayne was probably upset that she was taking things into her own hands, and going to Nashville despite Wayne’s objections. But this wasn’t a matter of making him feel good. Too much was at stake. A life had been lost and for all they knew others were in danger. Olivia had to do what she felt was right. She could never live with herself, otherwise.

  The cab drove to the airport quickly and Olivia arrived in plenty of time. As she sat in the passenger section waiting to board, a feeling of great loneliness came over her. It would have been nice if at the very least Wayne had accompanied her to the flight. Everyone around seemed to have someone with them.

  Finally, the announcement came that her flight was boarding. Olivia took her carry-on bag and got in line. As she walked through the gate and gave them her pass, for some reason she turned around for a second. To her surprise, there was Wayne, rushing in toward the plane, waving and calling.

  “Olivia, Olivia, have a safe, easy trip,” he called as he came closer and closer.

  Olivia lifted her hand and waved back briefly, as the boarding line moved forward and she was pushed into the plane, out of sight. Olivia longed to turn around and run out to greet him, to wait for the next flight together. Had he come to go with her, or just say good-bye? The fact that he was there meant a great deal to her. Even though he’d arrived a moment too late.

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  Oddly, the plane was half empty even during early evening, when it was usually full. The flight went smoothly, however, and Olivia arrived in Nashville in no time at all. As she walked through the crowded airport, Olivia couldn’t help think of the time Todd died. As now, she’d felt totally alone and unanchored. Even then, in those awful moments, she knew it would be up to her to help find Todd’s killer. That knowledge had disturbed her then. She’d tried to shake it away and dismiss it. But by now she realized that it could not be dismissed. Olivia had no idea why she’d been chosen for this mission, but by now it did feel like a mission. She knew she was traveling along a path that was inevitable and had belonged to her from the start. But, along with a sense of isolation at times, there was also the feeling that Olivia was doing what she was here to do, living her life to the fullest. That feeling bolstered and strengthened her deeply.

  As always, Olivia first checked into the hotel she’d be staying at, before she made her first stop.

  Her hotel was small, but charming and lively, overlooking a beautiful garden. Once in her room, Olivia thought about contacting Wayne and letting him know she’d arrived. She didn’t really want to, though.

  True, he’d come to the airport to see her off, but still, she felt odd about it. Olivia also thought about contacting Nate or Calia and telling them she arrived. Once again, she decided not to. She wasn’t truly sure what either of them were going through, and it was always better to arrive unannounced, before they had a chance to prepare.

  Once settled in and changed, Olivia decided that the first stop would be to the address that Nate had given her. She’d have more clarity, for sure, once that was explored.

  Olivia went downstairs immediately and took a cab through winding streets of Nashville, which were bustling with life, out onto a highway which seemed to be leading to a suburb on the edge of town.

  “I don’t get too many calls to go here,” the taxi driver commented as they drove along.

  “Why not?” asked Olivia.

  “It’s out of the way, a dead end,” he responded. “Nothing much happens here, especially

  during the evening.”

  Interesting, thought Olivia, as the cab wound off the highway through slim streets that seemed somewhat deserted, leading nowhere. A few large homes were placed way back, along these streets, but mostly big, old trees stood in the forefront.

  “Who lives around here?” Olivia asked the cab driver.

  “Darned if I know,” he replied. “People with money, I guess. Maybe old-timers who like quiet? Maybe they get off on seeing a leaf fall from a tree. Nothing much else really going on.”

  Olivia wondered exactly where the driver was taking her, and who would be there when she arrived.

  In a few moments he turned into a long, narrow cul de sac. “The address you gave me is at the very end of this street,” he announced.

  The cul de sac seemed especially deserted, with no lights on in the homes. Olivia thought of

  asking the driver to wait for her. It might be hard to get someone to take her back.

  “Can you wait for me?” she suddenly asked.

  “For how long?” He seemed surprised.

  “Not long, maybe half an hour at the most,” Olivia replied. “I’ll pay for your waiting time.”

  “Where do I take you to then?”

  “Just back to the hotel you picked me up at,” she said.

  “Sure thing,” he said then, turning around to look at her closely. “It’s not going to be cheap, though.”

  Nothing is cheap, thought Olivia. There’s a price to pay for everything.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I could be back sooner than half an hour.”

  Olivia stepped out of the cab then, in front of what looked like an empty mansion, with a large stucco porch in front. The furniture on the porch was old and beside a few birds perched on the railing, no lights were on, and no one seemed to be around.

  Olivia walked along the long entranceway to the front door and stood in front of it thinking that Wayne might have been completely right. Nate could have sent her on a wild goose chase, based on his fears and fantasies.

  Olivia quickly pulled out her phone and texted Wayne. I’m here at the address Nate gave me.

  She stood on the porch and waited a while for an answer. To her dismay, none came. Okay, she finally decided. Time to knock on the door and see what happens then.

  Olivia lifted the large, old-fashioned knocker and hit it loudly on the old wood.

  Some crickets in the background chirped loudly, as if answering her. Olivia lifted the knocker and tried once again.

  Again
, no answer. This had to be some kind of hoax, she decided then, about to turn around, when suddenly she heard a female voice calling from inside.

  “What do you want? Who is it?” The voice sounded familiar.

  “It’s Olivia Wells,” Olivia called back strongly.

  “Olivia Wells?” The voice grew fainter.

  Olivia lifted the knocker and banged more harshly. “Open up! Let me in!”

  The door flew open then and to Olivia’s shock, Heidi stood there in a flowing, blue robe.

  “Heidi?” Olivia was dumbstruck.

  “What in the world are you doing here?” Heidi was equally dumbstruck.

  “Can I come in?” Olivia finally managed to say.

  “No, you cannot. How did you find this place?” Heidi was shaken to the core.

  “Please let me come in,” Olivia pleaded. “I’ve come from far.”

  “I don’t care,” Heidi stood her ground.

  The two women stood there staring at each other. Suddenly Olivia saw someone appear in the background. His was big, handsome, brawny, and young. As he came closer, Olivia saw a huge tattoo on his forearm.

  “Get back, Charles.” Heidi began quivering.

  “Let me in, Charles,” Olivia called out over Heidi’s voice.

  “Who the hell is this?” Charles pushed Heidi back and stood in front of her, confronting Olivia.

  “I’m a friend of the family,” Olivia couldn’t help but remark.

  “She’s a detective!” Heidi’s voice rose loudly.

  Charles’s lip curled as he stared at Olivia. “How’d you get this address?” he demanded.

  Olivia knew she could not tell him. “I heard about it,” she offered lamely.

  “From who?” Charles wasn’t playing any kind of game.

  “Tell her to go home, please,” Heidi was now trembling. “Tell her to turn the corner and leave us alone.”

  To Olivia’s surprise, Heidi’s pleas seem to have an effect upon Charles.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m taking charge,” he murmured to her.

  Taking charge of what? Olivia wondered. Heidi’s life and resources?

  “Let me in,” Olivia said again boldly, not entirely sure why she wanted to enter so badly.

  “Anyone with you?” Charles looked around carefully.

  “Only a cab driver waiting at the edge of the road to take me home,” Olivia said.

  Charles smiled strangely, suddenly looking Olivia over carefully. “You’re young and you’re beautiful,” he said then. “What the hell are you doing here alone?”

  “I need to speak to both of you.” Olivia didn’t flinch.

  “First tell me who gave you the address and then I’ll let you in,” Charles replied.

  “Nate gave me the address,” Olivia decided to say.

  “I knew it, I knew it,” Heidi gasped.

  “Don’t worry.” Charles turned to her forcefully. “I told you I’m taking care of everything. And I am, I will.”

  “You’re not taking care of Nate though.” Heidi’s eyes rolled upward.

  “I’m taking care of whatever needs to be taken care of,” Charles insisted.

  “Oh my God, my God, not Nate.” Heidi was screaming by now. “My own son, turning on me.”

  “Come in,” Charles said. “Olivia is here to help us, Heidi.” He turned to her. “She’ll let us know who else is on to us and what the hell they want.”

  Onto them? Olivia looked at both of them closely as Charles pulled the door wide open and yanked her in.

  It was dark inside and musty, with bare wooden floors. Olivia walked with them into a sitting room that was messy, with clothing strewn around and smelled like stale wine. In the back of the room a door was open, leading out to the big yard.

  As soon as they walked in Heidi quickly ran around, picking up stray pieces of clothing from the floor. Obviously Olivia had barged into their secret love nest.

  “Who lives here?” Olivia asked again now.

  “What’s it to you?” Charles grew tougher.

  “What are you doing here?” Olivia wasn’t backing down.

  Charles laughed suddenly. “Honey, if that isn’t obvious, then nothing is.”

  Heidi stepped forward bravely, pushing Charles to the side. “Charles is my lover,” she announced suddenly as if thousands were here to receive the news.

  Olivia was at a loss as to how to respond. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said finally.

  That was the wrong response, though. “Oh really?” Heidi’s voice got louder then. “Why shouldn’t he be? Mort left me alone all the time, year after year.”

  “Mort was with you half the week,” replied Olivia.

  “What’s half the week?” Heidi’s eyes flashed in the small light that was on in the corner.

  “So, you’ve had a lover all these years?” Olivia exclaimed.

  “No, I haven’t,” Heidi stepped forward shrilly. “I was loyal, too loyal and everyone knows it.”

  “Then she met me.” Charles grinned proudly.

  “It wasn’t that I just met him.” Heidi was on a roll.

  “It was that you found out about Mort’s second family?” Olivia finished her sentence.

  “Right! How did you know?” Heidi was startled.

  “Because I saw the photo of you in Key Biscayne, even though you told us you were never there.” Olivia tried to unnerve her.

  “Saw the photo?” It took Heidi awhile to take that in. “How did you see it?”

  “Nate must have showed it to her,” Charles burst in. “Your lousy kid is after you, sweetheart, and you’d better face the truth.”

  “Is it true, did Nate show it to you?” Heidi began trembling.

  “I saw it,” was all the Olivia could say.

  “You saw it and what?” Charles wanted more information.

  “I saw it and realized that you were in Key Biscayne for a reason,” Olivia filled in.

  “Yes, I was, and it was a very good reason.” Heidi calmed down. “Andrea contacted me and asked me to come down. She said she had something important to tell me.”

  “Something important to tell you for a price!” Charles reminded her.

  “That’s right, for a price,” Heidi conceded.

  So Andrea was making money on Mort’s trouble any way she could, Olivia realized.

  “Andrea told you about Mort’s second family when you came down?” Olivia asked.

  “That’s right, exactly!” said Heidi. “She even showed me pictures of them to prove it.”

  “It all cost a pretty penny, too,” Charles thundered.

  “Everything isn’t money, money, money, Charles,” Heidi insisted. “I found out the truth and it shook my world. Everything started spinning. That’s when I met Charles. I had a right to be with him completely. If Mort had two wives I thought, why couldn’t I have such one young, handsome lover?”

  Charles smiled proudly then.

  “How long ago did this start?” Olivia asked.

  “When I got the news from Andrea.” Heidi began to whimper. “And I’ve never been happier, either, if you want the truth. Our love has grown deeper and deeper. We found this place to be together in and moved in. We can’t stand to be apart for a second, can we Charles?”

  Charles spun around, a dark look on his face then. “No, we can’t,” he repeated, suddenly glaring at Olivia. “It’s a shame you came down here to visit, the whole thing is a shame because you’re nice, I actually like you. In fact you seem like a terrific person to me.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Heidi railed at him now.

  “You seem like the kind of woman who could hold the world up,” Charles continued. “It would have been different if we met in other circumstances.” His dark eyes narrowed.

  “What are you talking about?” Olivia managed to ask then, as Heidi drew closer.

  “What do you mean if you’d met her in different circumstances?” Heidi glared at him furiously.

  Without anothe
r word, Charles lunged forward and grabbed Olivia’s shoulders hard.

  “I’m so sorry, but we can’t let you live now that you know about this!” he growled. “We can’t let you go free? How can we?”

  Olivia’s entire body began trembling as she tried to push him away. She couldn’t. Instead, his hands began to circle around her neck.

  “Get it over with fast,” Heidi called out to him. “Get rid of her fast! Fast! I can’t stand her.”

  “Get rid of me?” Olivia gasped for air. “Just like you got rid of Mort?”

  Charles laughed. “You got it, honey, and it will go fast. It’ll just take a second. Your neck will snap like a twig in the wind.”

  Not my neck, thought Olivia, outraged as she lunged away from Charles for a quick second.

  “Tell me what happened first,” she managed to beg. “What difference will it make? Nobody will know.”

  Charles laughed hoarsely. “Sure we’ll tell you, why the hell not? It’ll be fun to tell you. Tell her, Heidi.”

  Agitated, Heidi began pacing back and forth. “I don’t want to,” she breathed.

  “You have to,” he insisted. “It gives me pleasure to hear about it again.”

  Suddenly Heidi stopped pacing, came close to Olivia, and stared. “It wasn’t enough for Charles and me, living in hiding like this.” Her voice grew piercing and shrill. “I couldn’t stand it and I told that to him. We have to do something, Charles, I begged him. I love you, we have to be together all the time.”

  Olivia felt terrified. “What did you have to do? Come out into the open? Divorce Mort?”

  “There was no way I could divorce Mort,” Heidi suddenly whimpered. “Charles and I both needed his money. It’s my money too. I deserve it. I’ve been married to him all these years. There was a nest egg he’d saved just for the two of us for when we got older. He always showed the balance in that bank account to me. That was my money, sitting there, just waiting for me. There was no other way to get free, none at all.” Heidi lunged toward Olivia. “But the rest was Charles’s idea.”

  “To kill Mort?” Olivia gasped.