Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
O live had taken a quick shower before heading back downstairs. She found Reid in his office. He’d also cleaned up since she last saw him.
She’d just sat down across from him when Tevin knocked at the door.
“Olive, Reid, can I talk to you alone?” Tevin asked.
Olive and Reid exchanged a glance before nodding. Tevin stepped inside, his laptop tucked under his arm, and shut the door.
“What’s going on?” Reid asked.
Tevin sat in the seat beside Olive. “I’ve been trying to trace the number from the person who sent Hannah those messages. It was tricky because it’s a burner phone, of course.”
“Did you find something?” Olive asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I couldn’t trace the burner phone itself. But I was able to find out where it was purchased. It’s a long story, but to sum it up—I was able to hack into the security footage at the convenience store where the burner phone was purchased.”
Reid shifted in his seat. “Please, don’t keep us in suspense. Who bought it?”
“You’re probably not going to like this.” Tevin paused and swallowed hard. “But it looks like . . . it looks like Daphne bought that phone.”
“What?” Reid raised his hat just long enough to run a hand through his hair. “ Daphne sent Hannah those messages?”
Tevin opened his laptop, typed in a few things, and then turned his screen around. He showed them the footage of Daphne using cash to buy the phone.
“I can’t believe this.” Reid leaned back hard in his chair. “Why would she do this?”
“Maybe she still hopes you’ll move to California.” Olive shrugged. “Maybe she thought she could drive you away from the ranch, and this was one way of doing it.”
Reid narrowed his eyes, a frown still tugging at his lips. “It’s possible. Does that mean she’s behind all this?”
Olive didn’t feel confident they could make that assumption. She couldn’t see Daphne starting that fire. And clearly Daphne wasn’t the one who’d abducted Tevin. Had the woman hired Jon and Edgar to do that?
“We need to get to the bottom of this.” Reid stood and grabbed his keys from his pocket.
“Where are you going?” Olive stood also, anxious to hear his thoughts and hoping he wasn’t planning to do something rash.
“I’m going into town to find Daphne, and I’m going to ask her some serious questions.” He headed toward the door and flung it open.
“I’m going with you.” Olive quickened her steps to keep up with him.
“I’ll keep doing my thing here,” Tevin called.
Olive couldn’t wait to hear what Daphne had to say. She hoped the woman might have some of the answers they needed . . . because Daphne definitely knew more than she was letting on.
Several minutes later, Olive and Reid pulled up to the motel. Reid grabbed a parking space closer to the road, backing in so they could observe the building.
Olive frowned as she stared up at it. “We don’t know which room Daphne is in.”
“Or if she’s even in town still.”
“If she’s trying to sabotage you, then I can only guess she’s still in the area.”
Reid frowned. “You’re probably right. As a matter of fact, look. That’s her car.”
Olive followed his gaze and saw the white Tesla parked in the back of the lot.
“You stay here.” Olive grabbed the door handle. “I’ll figure out what room she’s in.”
“How do you plan on doing that?” He squinted in curiosity.
Olive threw him a grin. “I have my ways.”
She paused before going inside the lobby and grabbed a fast-food bag from the trashcan outside the door. It was in decent shape and still had some trash inside.
This would work.
She entered and spotted a twenty-something sitting behind the counter wearing AirPods.
“Hi, there.” Olive plastered on a friendly smile and then held up the bag in her hands. “I have a food delivery for Daphne Miller. However, the info I was sent says room 541, and I just figured out there is no room 541 here. It must have been a typo. Can you help?”
The woman stared at Olive and then typed something on her computer. ‘There is a Daphne staying here. I can deliver the food to her if you’d like.”
Olive frowned. “I wish I could let you do that. But it’s very important that the food stay in my possession until it gets to the recipient.”
The clerk stared at her.
“What if you take a bite of it? Spit in the food? Poison something?” Olive tilted her head. “Chain of custody is very important—and not just for law enforcement. I’m sure you would appreciate that rule if you ordered food for delivery. You don’t want it to be passed around, do you?”
The clerk continued to stare at Olive as if trying to figure out if she believed her.
Finally, she sighed. “Fine. Room 271. But I didn’t tell you that.”
“Thank you!” Olive held up the bag again before exiting the lobby.
She stepped outside and deposited the bag in the trash again.
Armed with new information, she hurried back to Reid.
With any luck, Daphne would be in her room now, and they could find some answers.