Bound By Secrets (The Dresden Island Book 2) (The Dresden Island Series) Read online

  “I can tell you what we talked about.”

  Marion motioned with her hand for him to carry on.

  “Ryan was the first one we questioned, but he was devastated. He had just arrived from a long business trip but made it back in time to be with his wife for awhile. He was with her the whole night, so it would have been impossible for him to put the poison in her food without anyone finding out. You know how these Dresden residents are, they are nosy.”

  Olivia tapped at her phone relentlessly. Marion seemed deep in thought.

  “Where did he go for business? We haven’t been here for years, Jordan; we didn’t even know that Betty got married," Marion commented.

  “He went here," Jordan said, pointing to an area on the map he pulled up on his computer screen. It was completely across the world, on a different continent no less.

  “Russia’s pretty far, don’t you think so, Marion?”

  Jordan could notice that Olivia had figured something out.

  “What’s on your mind, Olivia?”

  “I think Ryan killed his wife," Olivia said with no hesitation.

  “What led you to this conclusion? I already talked to him, I can’t go back and start accusing him. He’s mourning Olivia.”

  Jordan rubbed his temples.

  “And he's a very good actor, Jordan. I know I don’t have solid proof, but if we went and talked to him now, we can get it," Olivia insisted.

  Jordan looked unsure.

  Olivia held up two fingers.

  “I can think of two reasons he would kill his wife. One, he did something bad and she caught him. She’s the one with the money and so she cuts him off. Two, with him doing business on her behalf, he got confident and tried to take over. Did you cover those possibilities with him, Jordan, or did you let him go after he cried in front of you?”

  Jordan looked around uncomfortably. Eventually he bowed his head and sighed. He then got up and grabbed his keys.

  “Let’s go to the DeVos residence," he announced.

  * * * * *

  The DeVos family lived in the same area as the Barlowes. It made sense, since Betty was rich enough to rival the Barlowes. The security guards recognized Jordan, so he was able to drive through the gates with ease.

  “Dr. DeVos will be with you all shortly,” the butler informed them as he led them into a waiting room, “he’s just finishing up with a business meeting.”

  Once the butler was gone, Jordan leaned over to Olivia.

  “He’s very particular about being called Doctor," he whispered.

  Olivia and Marion snickered. Of course he was.

  They didn’t have to wait long before Ryan walked into the room. Olivia and Marion were familiar with who Betty was, but this was the first time that they’d seen her husband. When they had left Dresden, Betty was still proudly single. She had been so busy with her business that she often found it difficult to allot a section of her time for a romantic interest. The time she spent sticking her nose in other people’s business was significant; nothing could touch that.

  Ryan DeVos was in his early thirties. He was a doctor, but he looked like he belonged more on the cover of a magazine. He smiled at his guests and took a seat across from them.

  “Sorry about that; since Betty’s death, I have been entrusted with the company and it’s taking a toll on me.”

  Ryan gazed at the floor and Olivia noticed his shoulders shake.

  “We’ll be quick, Doctor DeVos,” said Olivia as she looked around.

  She signaled to Marion, who handed her the tablet. Olivia scrolled through its contents to make sure that she had gotten her evidence correct. The documents she presented contained details of his previous out-of-country travel, Betty’s autopsy report and Annie’s testimony.

  Olivia handed them over to Ryan who looked perplexed. He looked up and his gaze was ice cold.

  “I am aware that my wife is dead Ms. Hudson. What are you trying to insinuate?”

  He looked to Jordan who avoided his gaze. Jordan had left this interrogation to Olivia and Marion.

  “It seems like you already know, Doctor," Marion replied.

  “Please, tell us. Why did you kill your wife?” Olivia leaned over and retrieved the tablet. She swiftly returned it to her bag.

  “I didn’t—” He faltered.

  Jordan excused himself to go outside. Olivia and Marion remained silent, but they watched Ryan’s movements.

  Olivia looked at Marion, and Marion pressed “record” on her phone.

  “Speak, doctor,” she instructed.

  When he spoke, his gentle demeanor had changed. All sense of kindness was gone and replaced with malice when he looked up and met Olivia’s eyes.

  “Imagine working for years to get to where you are and then have that all taken away from you on a whim.”

  Olivia was confused. She motioned with her hand for him to continue.

  “I did everything for her. Even before we got married, I was never her equal. She treated me like a bellboy.”

  “And you were intimidated?” Marion asked as she raised her eyebrow in disdain.

  “I was not intimidated!” he suddenly yelled.

  Jordan burst into the room and warned Ryan. Ryan gave him a scathing glare that caused Jordan to look at the floor. However, he didn’t leave the room again. Jordan stayed by the door, ready to protect Olivia and Marion should Ryan decide to get physical.

  “She belittled me. I deserved so much more. I even took her surname. Do you have any idea as to how humiliating that was?” he said.

  “So you killed her," Olivia said.

  “That wasn’t the reason," he replied.

  Ryan finally realized what he had admitted. He stared at his hands as if he could not believe what he was capable of.

  “She took me off her will. She thought that she could boss me around for the rest of her life," he said with a harsh laugh. “So what, if I was looking for her replacement?”

  Olivia had heard enough. She nodded at Jordan who pulled out his handcuffs and restrained Ryan. Ryan didn’t fight back. He held his hands out, ready to accept his punishment.

  As Jordan led him out of the house, in view of all their housekeepers, Olivia let out the breath she had been holding.

  “He is a special kind of crazy, isn't he?” she commented to Marion.

  Marion nodded and patted her chest. Her heart had been beating rapidly. Unlike Eustace who used force against the objects around him, Ryan was perfectly fine with using violence on people. It was evidenced by the crazed look that overtook his eyes when he admitted to the crime.

  “Well, there goes the last DeVos," said Marion looking out the window. “What now?”

  “I still have some things to do here. Until I get results on who that second body was, I’m not leaving this place.”

  Chapter 10

  Olivia wrapped Marion’s scarf and coat around her. With everything that happened, buying a coat for the winter had never crossed her mind.

  Marion knew that with the possibility of another case, Olivia would never buy one herself, then end up with a cold. Olivia loved her job, and if she were ever sick, Marion would never hear the end of it.

  “Take your pick and don’t complain," Marion commanded as she unloaded three coats and a bunch of scarfs on the bed.

  * * * * *

  They met Liam on their way to the pier. Gone was his expensive suit and tie, and the person now standing before them was the Liam Olivia had first met. He was dressed warmly and looked the opposite of his status. Anyone could have mistaken him for being a fisherman who happened to pass by. A somewhat distracting fisherman.

  Ever since Olivia had first seen his smile, she couldn’t help but steal glances at him just in case he ever decided to flash it again. Marion seemed to notice and nudged her gently in the ribs.

  “He asked you a question," she whispered, giggling.

  “Sorry, I zoned out. What were you saying?”

  Liam smiled and Olivia held a b
reath. “I was just asking if you had anyone to take Marion over the lake?”

  “Oh no, no we don’t,” said Olivia. “Are you offering?”

  “Yeah, I wanted to do some fishing, so I could take her across the lake.”

  Olivia thanked him profusely and even insisted on helping him carry Marion’s bags onto the boat. Liam stopped her though.

  “The boat gets rocky and we wouldn’t want you to fall over. The water is quite cold.”

  “Okay," Olivia responded almost instantly.

  Marion snickered in a very unladylike manner and Olivia glared in her direction.

  Olivia gave Marion one last hug and waved until she could no longer see them. The fog was thick, and it enveloped them in seconds.

  She turned back and palmed the keys of the truck that Marion had rented. She couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and finally rest.

  Suddenly, Olivia heard heavy footsteps headed in her direction. Olivia grabbed the keys and adjusted her grip on them as she saw a tall man headed toward her. The keys were small, but they could help defend her to some degree.

  He grabbed her and turned her before she could get a good look at his face. Olivia fought him off and attempted to scream.

  “No one will hear you," he hissed into her ear.

  A cloth was put over her mouth and nose. Olivia struggled against the effects of the chloroform, but she felt herself weaken. The man released her as soon as her body went slack in his arms.

  Olivia’s eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

  Then she felt cold.

  She was being pulled down.

  Suddenly, she was thrust back into the light. She blinked her eyes open, squinting against the harsh hospital lights. She put up a hand to block it all out. It hurt her head.

  Next to her, she heard the familiar beeping sound of the machine monitoring her vitals. Olivia raised a hand to her temple and winced.

  As she struggled to get up, she noticed Liam asleep at the foot of her bed. She gently shook him awake.

  “What happened to me?”

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  Bound By Lies (The Dresden Island Book 3)

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