“Hello?” said Olivia, picking up her phone quickly, hoping that Andrea might be on the other end.
But to her surprise it was Nate calling.
“Olivia, Olivia,” Nate spoke hurriedly, “I just heard the news.”
“What news?” asked Olivia, confused.
“We’re back in Nashville now and got a call from the police,” Nate went on. “I heard they think Christine’s most likely the killer.”
Olivia was horrified. “Why would the police tell you that?”
“My mother begged them to keep her updated.” Nate’s voice got lower. “One of the cops on the force took a liking to her. He feels badly for her and said he would.”
“Which one?” asked Olivia, startled.
“I don’t know his name.” Nate became rattled.
“Was it Justin?” asked Olivia.
“I told you I don’t know,” said Nate.
“Well, okay, thanks for letting me know that,” said Olivia.
“That’s not all.” Nate seemed scared that Olivia was about to hang up. “Listen to me!”
“I’m listening,” said Olivia, agitated by the call.
“Christine didn’t do it. I know that for a fact,” Nate went on.
“How do you know that for a fact?” Olivia was riveted. “Give me the details.”
“Just listen to me and don’t ask any questions.” Nate was insistent. “You’ve got to come up to Nashville immediately. I’ll give you an address to visit. Go there as soon as you arrive. You won’t be sorry.”
“Nate, please, talk to me straight,” Olivia pleaded. “Whose address is it?”
“I am talking straight. I couldn’t be straighter.” Nate breathed heavily. “And come fast. That stupid Andrea is down here now, bugging my mother.”
“Andrea’s at your home?” Olivia was amazed.
“You said it.” Nate didn’t like it one bit. “She keeps telling my mom that she never had a father, and Mort was the father she always wanted.”
Olivia was appalled. Now Andrea was stalking Mort’s other family. “What does Andrea want from your mother? Money?”
“I’m not sure,” said Nate quickly, “but whatever she wants, she’s not going to get it. I’ll see to that.”
Olivia began trembling. Was Andrea totally insane or was she a master manipulator, and possibly a killer? Was she hiding out in Nashville now?
“I’m texting you the address I want you to go to,” Nate went on. “After you go there, you can come to our house and deal with Andrea yourself.”
“Okay, I’ll be there shortly,” Olivia swiftly replied.
“You will?” Nate sounded overjoyed.
“Yes, definitely,” said Olivia. “If Andrea’s down there, I have no choice about it.”
“And even if she wasn’t,” Nate went on, “you’ve got to go to the address I send you first.”
“You won’t tell me who lives there?” Olivia asked one more time.
“I can’t,” said Nate. “You’ll find out yourself soon enough. Just get up here as fast as possible.”
Olivia hung up the phone, agitated. What was Andrea really doing in Nashville now? For
all they knew she was the one who’d made the threatening call to Christine. Did she now have designs on Heidi as well? It certainly seemed possible.
Olivia couldn’t wait to get downstairs to talk to Wayne about this. She walked to the door quickly, when suddenly her phone rang again.
“Yes, what is it?” Olivia answered, disconcerted.
“Olivia, this is Calia,” a shaky voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
“How are you, Calia?” asked Olivia, strangely relieved to be hearing from her. “And how is your family? Are all safe and well?”
“Safe, yes, definitely. But are they well? That I don’t know,” Calia responded. “My brother just told me that he was going to call you. Did he?”
Olivia became silent. “Why do you ask?” she replied.
“Please, whatever Nate says, don’t believe a word of it,” Calia went on in a hurried tone. “He’s totally cracking up and dreaming up wild scenarios. And he’s trying to pull everyone in. This happens to him from time to time. He’s freaking out now because my father died and is blaming everybody.”
“He sounded fine to me when I talked to him.” Olivia felt driven to defend him.
“Nate’s not fine though, and he never was,” Calia insisted.
“Is there anything else you have to tell me?” Olivia asked then. “Something you might be leaving out?” Olivia wondered why Calia was really calling.
“Leaving out? Nothing.” Calia sounded offended.
“Is Andrea there with you, too?” Olivia had to know more instantly.
“Yes, what of it?” Calia replied casually.
“What’s she doing there, Calia?” Olivia’s sense of urgency intensified.
“Nothing much,” Calia replied. “Andrea’s sad and says she came down here to comfort me. She’d love to have me as a second sister.”
“You can’t be that to her!” Olivia was appalled.
“Why not? What’s so bad about it?” asked Calia.
“Be careful,” Olivia breathed. “Andrea’s behavior is not normal.”
Calia laughed. “It’s my brother who’s not normal,” she insisted, “and I’m calling to warn you about that. Tell me what he told you over the phone.”
Olivia instantly decided not to say a thing about her conversation with Nate to Calia. Olivia would go to Nashville immediately and talk to everyone there herself.
“I’m coming to Nashville in a little while,” Olivia said to Calia. “Make sure Andrea stays there with you. I need to talk to her, too.”
*
When Olivia finally got to the coffee shop, Wayne was on his third cup of coffee.
“You took such a long time,” he commented as she quickly slipped into the booth.
“I’m so sorry, Wayne,” Olivia replied. “I got two unexpected calls I had to answer.”
“From who?” Wayne was interested.
“First from Nate and then his sister, Calia.”
“Interesting,” Wayne agreed. “Nice that they stay in touch with you.”
“More than interesting, a bit alarming,” Olivia went on. “First Nate said he was positive that Christine did not commit the murder.”
Wayne raised his eyebrows skeptically. “Positive?”
“Then he told me he wanted to give me an address in Nashville that I had to visit immediately,” Olivia continued.
“Whose address?” Wayne didn’t like that.
“He wouldn’t say who,” Olivia answered, “but he said I wouldn’t be sorry.”
“There’s no end to the amateur detectives floating around,” Wayne replied. “When they don’t give you specifics, it’s meaningless. It’s some kind of game they’re playing.”
“There’s more than that,” Olivia spoke over him. “Nate said that Andrea was with his family in Nashville right now.”
That definitely stopped Wayne cold. “Andrea’s in Nashville? You’re sure?”
“Yes, and then Calia called right after and corroborated it.” Olivia declined mentioning to Wayne what Calia had said about Nate.
“What’s Andrea doing with the family in Nashville?” Wayne didn’t like it.
“Calia said Andrea told her that she’d love to have Calia for a second sister,” breathed Olivia.
“That is weird.” Wayne shuddered.
“More than weird,” said Olivia. “Andrea’s definitely pathological.”
“Looks like it,” said Wayne conclusively.
“I’m going to Nashville as soon as possible,” Olivia continued, “both to visit the address Nate gave me, and to talk to Andrea.”
Nate shook his head slowly. “Wrong move, not necessary,” he remarked. “We can get the police to bring Andrea back down here. There’s no need to track her in person.”
“I also want to visit the address Nate gave me,” Olivia repeated.
“That doesn’t make any sense at all.” Wayne wouldn’t go along. “And you can’t do it alone anyway.”
“I can call the Nashville police for backup,” said Olivia.
“Absolutely not,” Wayne objected. “What’s the point of it? Why won’t Nate tell you whose address it is? You can’t go running around following all kinds of false leads and fantasies. This is a time for focus.”
“How do you know it’s a false lead?” Olivia objected. “Nate led me right to Andrea, didn’t he?”
“If she’s really there,” Wayne grumbled. “Let’s call her and see.”
Olivia didn’t want to do that. “No, I want to catch her there unaware.”
“It won’t work. I can’t go with you now.” Wayne’s voice grew deeper. “We’re all zeroing in together here on what’s at hand.”
“Well, my assignment was to find more about Andrea.” Olivia was adamant. “So, this fit right in.”
“Your assignment is to talk to all kinds of people and acquaintances in Andrea’s life,” said Wayne. “You need to get undercover, secret information, not talk to her again.”
“Who knows what else is in Nashville, waiting to be discovered?” Olivia wouldn’t budge now.
“Olivia, when a case comes to a boil it’s very common for all kinds of false leads to come out of the woodwork,” Wayne declared. “I’ve seen this happen time and again.”
“Finding Andrea is not a distraction,” Olivia retorted.
“If you really find her, even,” said Wayne.
“Nate’s wired in, he knows something.” Olivia had to defend him again. “Someone on the police force even told him that they feel Christine is the culprit.”
“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.