Page 84 of Shadow

“Sure, Boomer. What’s up?”

“I’m sure Carrie has already filled you in about Fiona?”

“She has.”

“Can you track her movements from Liv’s Place the night of the fire and see if she got anywhere near the other bar? And send me those surveillance stills. If you don’t want to send them digitally, you can come back over.”

Ripley waited while Peter spoke to his wife.

“I want to come too,” he heard Carrie whine.

It made him chuckle.

“OK. I guess we’re rerouting to the office. I’ll get you those pictures. You really think Fiona is involved?”

He told Peter about the coincidence of Fiona leaving work early that night.

“I don’t want it to be the case because Olivia will feel betrayed, but if it is her, I’m glad to have the information, so we can put this to bed.”

Carrie said something in the background that he couldn’t quite make out, and Peter sighed. “Is this urgent? I have a brat that clearly needs to be put in her place when we get to the office.”

Ripley laughed. “I have a brat of my own to go check on, so take your time. But I won’t sleep until I hear from you, and she probably won’t either. My phone is on full volume.”

The call disconnected, and Ripley sat at his computer and looked at Carrie’s files again. It was going to take some legwork to figure out what Fiona’s role in all of this was, but he was positive there was a connection.

During his call with Peter, he’d heard the water turn on in the bathroom and assumed Olivia had made the smart choice to take a bath.

Closing the laptop, he made his way back to the bedroom. Sure enough, she was in the tub with her eyes closed. He let himself drink her in while he leaned against the door frame.

“Are you going to stand there and stare all night?” She didn’t open her eyes, but a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

“And you were being such a good girl,” he said teasingly as he stepped farther into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub.

“Everything OK?” she asked as she opened her eyes.

He brushed hair back from her face. “I’m not sure yet. In the interest of full disclosure, I called Peter, and he’s going to track Fiona’s movements from after she left work that night.”

Olivia rolled her shoulders and looked up at him. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Thanks for not being too freaked out by all this. Have I ever told you how proud of you I am? You make me so proud, baby girl.”

She frowned. “Because I took a bath?”

He laughed. “No. Because you’re a successful businesswoman following her dreams. Because you never do anything small. It’s always go big or go home with you. It’s impressive to watch. I’m proud of you.”

Her cheeks turned a cute shade of pink, and she turned her head away from him.

“Thanks, Daddy. Can I get out now?”

He stood and grabbed a towel. “You sure? I don’t mind leaving you alone to relax for a little while.”

She shook her head. “An orgasm is more relaxing.”

He hummed. “What makes you think you’re getting one of those?”

Her mouth fell open, but she quickly closed it again.

“Smart girl. I’ll take care of you.”

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