Chapter 83

83

"What happened to Olivia?" said Colleen.

"Olivia worked for the school newspaper," Cushing said. "I found myself in a tight spot after having attended that fundraiser down in Greenwich. The night Olivia died she saw Frank's car drive onto campus. Olivia thought if she got a picture of his car that she could bust me again for going back on my word and finally get me fired."

"Then what?" Colleen said.

"Frank's people thought it was something much more serious so they chased Olivia. She had actually swum across the river and when they caught her, she kicked one of the security men in the nuts. She wouldn't say who she was or what she was doing so they tuned her up. Broke her nose, her cheekbone, several of her ribs."

"What? They beat her? Some little girl?" I said.

"You must understand," Cushing tried. "Frank Stone does not mess around. He does business in several sketchy countries with some very dangerous people. They thought she was an industrial spy or maybe an assassin. It wasn't until after they had dealt with her that they learned that she was a student coming after me. We didn't know what the hell to do after that since she needed to go to a hospital. All we knew is that she couldn't reveal what had happened. Frank himself was here! So, we looked into her background, her broken family, and concocted the story that she died of an overdose."

"What did she really die of when they put her in the SUV?" I said.

Cushing stared down at the desk.

"Nothing," Cushing said.

"Nothing?" Colleen said.

"Nothing," Cushing said again very quietly.

"Olivia Ramos is still alive."