Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
Olive braced herself for the worst.
Then the man pulled his hat off, and Rex’s face came into view.
Trick Grimshaw stood behind him.
Rex Blackwood was in his early forties with tanned skin and blond hair. People often compared him to a Ken doll. He looked the part of a successful CEO, but he was a mystery to everyone at the company. No one knew if he was married. Where he lived. What his life was like outside of work.
Despite those things, everyone respected him. He looked out for his employees, paid them nice bonuses at Christmas, and always remembered birthdays.
Patrick “Trick” Grimshaw was in his early thirties with mischievous eyes, a ready grin, and curly dirty-blond hair. The man was a master of disguise and a brilliant field operative.
Except right now he was apparently sick and in denial about it. The last thing this group needed was to share a virus together.
Everyone stared at the men as they stepped inside, snowflakes sticking to their coats, both oblivious to what had happened.
“Trick pulled up at the same time I did.” Rex stomped the snow from his boots. “At least everyone is here now. That’s a good thing. The state police are closing down the roads as we speak. They’re pure ice. I thought they were going to turn us around at the base of the mountain.”
“There will be no getting on or off this mountain for a while,” Trick added while he stripped off his heavy coat. As he did, he sneezed and grabbed a tissue from his pocket.
Olive had never seen Trick look so tired—circles beneath his eyes, a red nose, and a pocket full of tissues.
“It’s just allergies,” Trick muttered as he seemed to feel everyone’s eyes on him.
“Sure, it is,” Mitzi shot back, her eyebrows raised.
Everyone else exchanged looks as they waited to see who would step forward with the bad news.
Rex narrowed his eyes, clearly sensing the tension in the air. “What is it?”
Olive glanced at JJ’s body, just out of sight from Rex and Trick. “It’s . . . JJ.”
Rex hurried in the direction she was looking, his shoulders tense. He stopped and stared before running a hand over his face. “No . . . what happened?”
Olive explained how his body had been found as well as the bruises she’d discovered on his wrists and near his neck.
“So someone did this to him?” Rex’s jaw tightened. “Someone killed him.”
“And there’s a good chance the killer is still close,” Mitzi added. “There’s only one road on this mountain, and no one has come and gone except us for the past few hours.”
Rex muttered beneath his breath before pacing.
“Jason and I saw footprints when we went outside,” Olive added. “There were two sets going toward the shed—JJ’s and another person’s. Whoever was with him left before we got there.”
Mitzi’s brows drew together. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.” Olive rubbed her hand along the sleeve of her sweater. “The second set was deeper. Heavier stride. Male, I think. And fresh—less snow in the prints.”
“They’re not mine,” Tevin said. “I haven’t been outside. Rex and Trick just got here. Warren—Mara’s husband—is on the smaller side.”
“So someone else must be around—someone we don’t know about.” Jason frowned as he said the words.
They all let that thought settle a moment.
“Do you want us to call the police?” Jason finally asked Rex. “Or JJ’s family? Someone mentioned a girlfriend.”
“Let’s wait on calling his family or girlfriend,” Rex muttered with a slow, definitive nod. “But we should let the police know, even though they won’t be able to get up here until the snow clears. Have you told Mara and Warren yet?”
“This all just happened,” Olive said. “We haven’t gotten that far.”
“We’ll need to do that as well,” Rex said.
Rex began doling out assignments.
But all Olive could think about was the fact the storm had them trapped on the mountain.
Along with a killer.
As Olive pressed the phone to her ear, the police on the line, she walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.
The snow now fell sideways, thick and relentless. It blurred the world beyond into white nothingness. The wind howled through the trees, shaking the branches like angry fists.
She quickly told the officer what had happened. Officer Gabriel instructed them to keep the body in the house, preferably somewhere cool and covered until the police arrived.
Just as she ended the call, footsteps approached from behind. She turned and saw Tevin walking toward her. He subtly nodded to the dining area beside them, indicating he wanted to talk privately.
She glanced around, noting everyone else was occupied. Then she slipped into the dining room with Tevin.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, curious about his secretive demeanor.
He glanced around, double-checking their privacy, before stepping closer. “I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but there’s something you need to know. Rex has been worried that there’s a mole at Aegis.”
“What?” She struggled to keep her voice low. Certainly she hadn’t heard Tevin correctly. A mole?
Tevin nodded. “He had me look into everyone’s background, trying to find any inconsistencies or red flags or unusual financial transactions.”
“And what did you figure out?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer. She almost didn’t want to know. She’d trusted all the people here with her life on more than one occasion. They were her family.
He shrugged. “Nothing. Not yet.”
Disappointment dropped like a rock in her stomach. “Was JJ a suspect?”
Tevin hesitated before saying, “Not necessarily, but he was the newest hire.”
“And if not JJ . . .” She couldn’t finish the thought.
“It could be someone else. Someone here. Maybe JJ discovered the mole and that’s why he was killed.”
“But the only other people here were you, Mitzi, and Nova. And those tracks I saw belonged to a man.”
Tevin shook his head. “I don’t know what’s going on. But I just wanted to let you know—be careful who you trust.”
Could someone on her own team have done this?
Olive didn’t want to believe it—she couldn’t believe it.
But she did need to be on guard . . . if she wanted to stay alive.