Page 78 of Enigma
Near six p.m., their colleagues arrived.
Her teammates had all been wrapping up an assignment together in Oklahoma, so the timing had worked out remarkably well. They’d picked up some barbecue on the way, and everyone grabbed dinner to eat as they worked.
Within thirty minutes, the living room had been transformed into a command center. Nova had set up multiple laptops on the dining table, Mitzi spread printed copies of the photographed documents from Lloyd’s safe across the coffee table, and Trick assembled surveillance equipment near the window.
Patrick “Trick” Grimshaw had a trim build and curly, dirty-blond hair. He claimed to have mischievous Irish roots, something that was believable with his easy grin. He was also capable of quickly charming women.
Mitzi McGraw was beautiful, blonde, and bodacious. In her early thirties, she was an extrovert and had an instantly likable personality. Right now, her hair was pulled back in a bouncy ponytail, and she wore a focused expression.
Nova Levington was a tech genius. Petite and curvy with a small waist, her dark hair had distinctive purple streaks at the edges. She wore bright-blue glasses, and her clothing choices were notable for being either very colorful or entirely black, with no in-between. She loved cosplay and cats.
“Let’s start with what we know.” Mitzi pulled up a chair.
Olive walked the team through everything that had happened—Lloyd’s disappearance, Simon Long’s revelations about her potentially alive mother, and the financial records Tevin had uncovered showing Anton Karakov was involved.
“So we have a missing doctor, a criminal mastermind, and someone named Sarah Mitchell, who might be Olive’s mother,” Nova summarized. “Plus Elena Vasquez, who’s supposed to be dead but is very much alive and trying to kill people.”
“Don’t forget the bigger criminal infrastructure,” Tevin added. “Based on the financial patterns, this isn’t just about fraud. They’re funding something much larger.”
Trick’s lips twisted into a frown. “Human trafficking?”
Jason craned his neck, showing his skepticism. “I hate to think that’s true, but it’s a viable theory. Small towns like Oasis would be perfect for moving people or goods without detection.”
Mitzi studied the documents spread before her. “These medical records Lloyd kept—some of these patients don’t exist. But others . . . others look like real people with real injuries. The kind of injuries you’d see from forced labor or abuse.”
“So maybe Lloyd was treating trafficking victims,” Olive murmured, stealing a quick glance at Jason.
He flinched at the words but otherwise remained composed and professional. Still, she knew her words had to sting.
“Possibly. Or documenting their conditions for insurance fraud while they were being exploited.” Mitzi’s expression was grim. “Either way, he was deeper into this than he let on.”
Nova held up Elena’s phone. “I’m making progress on this, but it’s going to take time. The device has professional-grade encryption. Whoever Elena works for has serious resources.”
Yes, whoever she worked for did have serious resources.
Olive pressed her eyes closed as the next question slammed into her mind.
Was the person Elena worked for Olive’s mother?
CHAPTER 50
Everyone worked for several minutes in silence.
Then Jason leaned back in his chair, let out a sigh, and asked, “What’s our next move?”
The question wasn’t surprising considering he was generally a man of action.
Olive was glad he asked because she’d been thinking about their game plan for the past several minutes. “I say we split up. Cover more ground. Gather more intelligence.”
Mitzi nodded at the documents. “I’ll keep analyzing these records, see if I can identify patterns.”
“I’ll keep working on Elena’s phone,” Nova said. “And see if I can trace more of Sarah Mitchell’s financial activities.”
“I’ll do surveillance,” Trick said. “Someone needs to watch Dr. Schmitt. If he’s involved, he might lead us to Lloyd or give us intel on the network’s operations.”
“I’ll go with him,” Tevin volunteered. “I can work on the computer while we keep watch.”
“And I’ll coordinate security here and keep alert for any unwelcome visitors,” Jason said. “After what happened at the diner, we can’t assume we’re safe anywhere.”
