Read Between the Lies by Jasmine Webb

Author:Jasmine Webb [Webb, Jasmine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
Amazon: B0BR4MKZY5
Goodreads: 75375609
Published: 2022-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

After our date, Nick and I walked slowly back along the streets of the city to my place.

“So, you live right over your favorite coffee place, huh? That’s convenient,” Nick said with a grin as we arrived.

“Yeah. I love it. Lily and Laura Belle are the best too. Thanks for dinner.”

“Thanks for saying yes,” Nick replied. He leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek, lingering for just a split second. “Do it again sometime?”

“Absolutely,” I replied breathlessly.

He paused then spoke. “Have a good night, Poppy.”

“You too.”

Nick walked back down the street, and I stood frozen in place, my keys hanging from the lanyard in my hand. I didn’t know how this worked. Was I supposed to invite him upstairs? Had he been waiting for that? Did I just screw this up by not doing it?

God, why did dating have to be so hard? I was almost thirty. I was supposed to have this nailed down by now. It wasn’t supposed to be awkward anymore. And yet here I was, questioning every single decision I’d ever made around him like I was a hormonal fifteen-year-old and had never even kissed a boy before.

I leaned against the outside of the building, closed my eyes, and sighed.

“Poppy?” a voice asked suddenly.

I jumped and opened my eyes to see Steph, Oliver Dorchester’s girlfriend, standing about ten feet away.

“Oh, Steph. Hi.”

“Sorry to sneak up on you like this. I was actually going to call Ophelia, but I was walking back from a friend’s house and saw you. Listen, I have to tell you something.”

Steph looked around nervously, as if worried we’d be overheard.

“Sure. Yeah, do you want to come up to my apartment?”

“No. I’ll be quick. I wasn’t going to say anything. I love Oliver. He’s incredible. He’s so smart, he’s talented, he’s everything. But that girl… murder… that’s something else. I wasn’t sure I wanted to say anything. But if he killed her, he needs to be punished for it.”

I stayed silent and let Steph keep talking. She shifted her weight between the balls of her feet; she was obviously nervous and trying to say something. It was an old lawyer’s technique: if someone was talking, let them.

“Here’s the thing: Oliver was cheating at chess. That woman, Ellie? She was helping him. For months, they’d been working together. They didn’t meet by accident two months ago; they got in touch earlier than that. I don’t know the details. I didn’t want to pry. I thought Oliver was good enough to be the best in the world without cheating, but he’s an adult. It’s his choice. A week ago, Ellie told him she wasn’t going to help him anymore. She said she’d been recognized. Someone contacted her, someone she knew from college. They’d seen her in a crowd, and she couldn’t risk it anymore.”

“Was Oliver mad?”

“Livid. They had a huge argument. I was upstairs, and I could hear it perfectly. Oliver didn’t want her to stop. He said he needed her, but Ellie was adamant.

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