Page 31 of Everyone’s a Liar

“Did they recognize him?”

“Morgan ran a facial recognition and got a hit on an ex–New Orleans cop named Larry Sutton.”

“A cop?” Livia struggled to accept what her friend was saying. “Are you sure?”

“Ex-cop,” Bryce emphasized. “He was fired for taking bribes. And no, it’s not certain it’s him. The image was fuzzy and Morgan warned me that there was only a fifty-fifty shot that it’s the right guy.”

Livia dismissed the warning. “Did you get any information on Larry Sutton?”

Bryce veered onto the exit road that would lead to the highway. “He has an office in New Orleans and he’s a licensed private investigator.”

“Private investigator?” Livia grunted, feeling as if she’d taken a physical blow. Then, with a shudder of reluctance, she forced herself to dredge up her unwelcomed memories of Jacob Pearson. When they’d first met she hadn’t questioned his claim that he was in finance. Despite his easy charm, he’d possessed a natural air of authority along with a hint of arrogance. Something she expected from a successful businessman. But those were also the personality traits of a cop. And the fact that he’d been caught taking bribes wasn’t at all shocking. The creep had lied about everything. “I should have sensed that there was something sleazy about him,” she muttered, angry that she’d been so easily conned.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions until we know for certain,” Bryce warned. “Larry Sutton is an ex-cop and current private investigator. We don’t know he’s Jacob Pearson the catfish. If it is the same guy, I promise you we’ll find out what game he was playing and if someone was paying him to play it.”

With a shake of her head, Livia turned her thoughts from who had been lying to her to why they’d been lying.

A private investigator didn’t randomly catfish women. They were paid to hunt down missing people or expose secrets, right? She wasn’t missing. And as far as she knew she didn’t have any secrets. So why?

“It’s surreal. I’m so ordinary.” She glanced out the passenger window as they hit the highway and zoomed toward New Orleans. Her stomach was twisted into a tight knot. “Actually, I’m probably the most boring person I know. It doesn’t make any sense to have a private investigator going to such extremes.”

“Hopefully we’ll soon have the answers to your questions.”

“Yes, Lord. Please,” Livia rasped, her mind struggling to accept that there was yet another massive twist in her brief, regrettable relationship with Jacob Pearson. It felt like a prank that’d spiraled out of control. Or a case of mistaken identity. Maybe he realized it was a different woman he was supposed to be investigating and that’s why he’d disappeared.

“Are you okay, Livia?”

Livia glanced toward her companion, abruptly realizing she was being completely self-absorbed. She hadn’t bothered to question how much time Bryce had spent digging up information on Jacob Pearson or even how she was able to do this road trip on a weekday. Some friend she was.

“What about your job?” she demanded. “I don’t want you having to use your personal time off to do this. I can check out Larry Sutton on my own.”

“I’m on official duty. Finn insisted.”

“That’s remarkably generous of him.”

Bryce kept her gaze locked on the thickening traffic. “Not really. You’re currently staying in our official district. It’s our job to protect you along with the other citizens of Rushville. It’s always possible that Jacob Pearson might follow you to the Willows.”

Her voice was oddly stiff, as if there was something she wasn’t willing to share, but Livia didn’t press. It was enough to know that Bryce had convinced the sheriff to allow her to include the investigation into her duties. Gratitude raced through Livia.

“Thank you. But what about—”

“Josie is spending the next week with Benjamin’s parents,” Bryce interrupted before Livia could ask if she was taking Bryce away from her daughter. “They always rent a cabin in the Ozarks during the Fourth of July for a family reunion. Josie loves it. There’s a huge lake and playground, plus she gets to spend time with her cousins who she rarely gets to see. It’s good for her.”

“What about you?”

Bryce looked confused. “What about me?”

“Are you okay with her being gone?”

“Absolutely,” Bryce admitted with a refreshing honesty. “I adore my daughter, but I feel no shame in fantasizing about a few peaceful nights soaking in a hot bubble bath and sipping a cold glass of wine.”

Livia smiled, suddenly wondering if Bryce’s stiff tone when she was referring to Finn Maxwell was personal.

“Are you alone in that bubble bath fantasy?”

“Livia.”

Livia chuckled at the unmistakable chastisement. “Fine, you can keep your fantasies to yourself. I promise we’ll be back to Rushville in time for a full soak. Both with bubbles and wine.”