âWhat?â
Maraâs head snapped up, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at Ivy, completely baffled by her sudden interrogation. Ivy, seizing the opening, pressed on with her questioning.
âWhy are you so adamant that Grandma had an accident and fell? Is there something you saw that youâre not telling us?â
âI didnât see anything, okay? I just think she is getting on in years, and as much as we hate to admit it, life is full of accidents, isnât it? And how that Balfourâs hanging on your every word, itâs like nothing I say holds water anymore. Thatâs fine and all, but shouldnât you be the one trying to calm him down instead of letting him fret like this?â
Maraâs reply was quick, her voice laced with a tinge of hurt.
âOh, really? Is that what you believe?â Ivy wasnât about to be hoodwinked that easily. With everything that had happened, Mara had earned a prime spot on her list of suspects.
But without hard evidence, Ivy couldnât just blurt out her suspicions. What if Mara took it as a personal vendetta?
Balfour touched Ivyâs hand gently and said, âLetâs not get bogged down with this. If we can find evidence, great; if not, weâll just have to wait for Grandma to wake up.â
âShe will wake up,â Ivy stated with a conviction that seemed to steady Balfourâs nerves as well.
âWhy donât you two head back? Weâve scoured the surveillance and come up empty. Staying on wonât do any good, itâll just wear you out.â
Olivia had remained silent through it all, her head bowed, lost in thought.
Mara still wanted to stay, but this time Balfour disagreed, âIâll have the driver take you home. Itâs not convenient for you to stay here. If we need your help later on, Iâll reach out.â As they settled into the driverâs car, Mara still looked like someone had stepped on her toes, while Olivia leaned against the car door, gazing out the window, deep in thought.
âWhy didnât you back me up when I said I wanted to stay?â
Only then did Olivia turn to look at Mara with a hint of sarcasm. âCanât you see that Balfour and Ivy donât want you there?â
âWhat are you talking about? What do you know, huh? Balfour doesnât feel that way. He just couldnât say it outright. Iâve known him for years; I know him better than anyone. what are you? Sitting there pretending to read his mind! If it wasnât for you, I could have stayed. Itâs all because I brought you along. I should have known better, what a jinx.â
Olivia chuckled, âOh, Iâm the jinx? Yeah, I remember how you begged me to come so could use me as an excuse in front of them. And now Iâm the burden? Mara, sometin wonder if you have a heart at all.â
Mara didnât answer Oliviaâs jab but instead questioned why Olivia had contradicted her earlier.
âI warned you not to make those insinuations in front of them. Both of them were there when you asked me what I meant. Are you implying that I have something to do with this?â
Olivia fell silent. It wasnât until after they got out of the car and watched the driver speed away that she turned to face Mara. âDo you really not understand why I said that? I was trying to save your hide, you know. Didnât you realize you were making it too obvious?â