Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
“ J ason . . .” Olive muttered.
“I’ve got this.” He gripped the steering wheel, suddenly laser focused on the road in front of them.
What was the driver behind them going to do? Was this guy simply following Jason and Olive? Or would he try to run them off the road?
Even worse, what if he tried to shoot them to permanently stop them from investigating?
It was too early to say.
As the driver accelerated closer, Olive knew this was more than simply being followed.
This person wanted to send a message.
Jason pressed on the accelerator, and they sped onto I-94.
The car followed behind them, just as Olive had assumed.
As soon as they were on the highway, Jason began to weave in and out of traffic.
Between the darkness and the headlights, it was difficult to distinguish one vehicle from another.
Was the other driver still tailing them?
Olive squinted as she peered behind them. “Did you lose him?”
“Not yet,” Jason muttered. “But I will.”
This was a different side of him. One she hadn’t really seen before.
He’d always been protective and determined. But right now he was showing his competence and expertise.
He’d never been more attractive. But Olive let that thought slide. This wasn’t the time to dwell on such things.
Though traffic was heavy, as it often was on this interstate, Jason managed to keep moving.
Olive glanced at Loki.
If that man hit them . . . the dog could be hurt.
Before she could second-guess herself, she unbuckled and climbed into the back seat.
“What are you doing?” Tension stretched through Jason’s voice as he quickly glanced at her.
“Just protecting Loki.” Working quickly, Olive managed to strap the seatbelt around the dog.
Then she sat beside him and put her own seatbelt on.
Just in time.
Jason swerved into the feeder lane, sending both her and Loki toppling to the side.
“What are you doing?” she muttered as she tried to steady the dog.
“Trying to lose this guy.”
Cars stuck in slow moving traffic blasted their horns as Jason passed them.
Olive glanced behind them again.
The other car had pulled into the feeder lane also.
Tension clenched in her stomach.
Just then, a semi they’d just passed pulled halfway into the feeder lane . . . effectively stopping anyone else from breaking the rules of the road.
That truck driver had just done them a huge favor, whether he realized it or not.
But it was too soon to breathe a sigh of relief.
Jason continued down the interstate, getting off at the next exit. As he did, Olive kept an eye behind them.
She didn’t see the other car reappear.
“I think we lost him,” she murmured.
“Me too. But that was a close one.”
“I agree.” She leaned back in her seat. But she was nowhere close to relaxing. They still had too much to do, too much information to find out.
She glanced at the GPS screen. They were only two miles from Alex’s place now.
Olive couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.
Just as they pulled up to Alex’s house—a red-brick ranch in a typical middle-class neighborhood—the front door opened.
Alex stepped out, a duffle bag on his shoulder.
When he saw Jason’s SUV in front of his property, his eyes widened. He started to turn and head back inside.
As Jason put the SUV into Park, Olive quickly put her window down and offered a friendly wave. “Alex, it’s just me. Olive Whiten from Conglomerate.”
She hoped her words might put him more at ease, but he still appeared terrified with his wide eyes and stiff body.
Before Alex could flee—which he looked poised to do—they climbed out. Jason took Loki from the back seat, and the dog walked beside him to the front porch.
Alex still stood on his front steps, but he seemed to relax slightly at the sight of the dog.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you guys here.” Alex glanced behind them as if looking for someone else to show up.
“Going somewhere?” Jason stepped closer.
“To the gym.” His voice cracked as he said the words.
“We need to talk,” Jason said.
“Oh yeah?” Alex shoved his hands in his pockets, most likely to conceal the trembling there. “About what?”
“Do you mind if we go inside?” Olive nodded at the door behind him.
“You guys are making me nervous.”
“Funny because you looked nervous even before we pulled into your driveway,” Jason said.
Alex opened his mouth as if to refute those words, but then closed it again. “I’m not in the mood to talk right now. It’s been a long day, and I really just want to work out.”
“We won’t take long.” Olive took his arm and led him back inside.
She expected him to dig in his heels, but he didn’t.
They all stepped into a small formal living room just inside the front door and sat down. But Alex didn’t relax.
Instead, he sat on the edge of his striped sofa and glanced at them. “What’s this about?”
“We need to know about your relationship with Claudine,” Jason said.
Alex let out a stiff laugh. “Relationship? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“We know you’ve been talking to each other on the phone,” Olive said. “I can only assume those conversations were romantic and not professional.”
His cheeks reddened. “Claudine and I have flirted, but that’s it. We’re just friends.”
“Alex . . .” Olive tilted her head. “We need to know the truth.”
“I’m telling you the truth.” His voice rose defensively.
“I think you know more.” Jason locked him down with his gaze.
“Why would you think that?”
“You just happened to be off work on the same day Beau was killed,” Jason told him. “Someone in your position is very valuable, both to Conglomerate and to enemies of Conglomerate. I’m not sure which side your loyalty falls on.”
Alex’s face paled.
And Olive knew Alex was either going to bolt or clam up.