Say It Again (First Wives, #5)(21)

Olivia Naught, on the other hand, wasn’t so easy to find. No Instagram, Facebook, Twitter . . . social media had plenty of matching names, but none that fit the right age. Olivia’s family was just as elusive. He tried searches all over Scotland on the off chance the origin of her name meant she’d have ties there.

Nothing.

Like she didn’t exist.

He checked everything from obituaries to marriage announcements. Nothing, nada . . . zilch.

AJ looked at the time, calculated the difference between Berlin and Los Angeles. Between him and the man Sasha called Reed.

AJ knew the minute she walked away that he would use her contact in the States. If for no other reason than to find out whom this Reed guy was. Was he a friend, colleague . . . family member? A benefited friend? AJ didn’t see Sasha sleeping alone very often. Sex appeal dripped off her like water from a tornado-drenched roofline. She pulled off the blonde thing with the American accent like a West Coast girl, but the dark-haired mysterious European thing . . . yeah, that did so much more for his libido.

Not that she’d noticed.

AJ tapped his fingers against his phone a couple of times and then gave in to temptation.

A male voice answered on the second ring. “This is Reed.”

“Ah, yeah. Hi. This is AJ. Sasha said I could call you.”

“She did. Can you hold on just a second?”

“Sure.”

Noise in the background lowered and the connection clicked a couple of times.

“I’m back.”

“Is this a bad time?” AJ asked.

“No. I just needed to move so I could hear you better. So, you’re AJ?”

“I am. I’m sure Sasha told you why I would call.”

Reed laughed. “You don’t know her very well, do you?”

“I’m sorry?” AJ wasn’t sure he understood.

“Sasha told me nothing, just that she gave you my number and to help you out if you called.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, Sasha doesn’t elaborate. Ever. But if you wanna fill in the blanks, I’m listening.”

AJ considered retelling the story about his sister but decided to keep things simple. “I’m not sure if you can help with this or not. Sasha gave me two names to research, Jocey Schuster and Olivia Naught. I found Jocey in Arizona using her degree from Richter playing PTA president at her kid’s school. Olivia Naught, on the other hand, didn’t seem to exist after she graduated.”

“How old is this woman?” Reed asked.

“I’m not positive, but it’s a safe bet to say she is between twenty-seven and twenty-nine. She graduated with my sister.”

“From this school . . . Richter?”

“Yeah. Sasha’s alma mater.”

Reed was silent for a second.

“Where Sasha is staying right now. Did she tell you that?”

“She went back to school?” Reed asked.

“Visiting, I think. It’s a boarding school. Safe to assume some of the teachers are like family after living there.”

AJ heard Reed sigh. “Ahh, that makes perfect sense.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Nothing. So, Sasha gave you two names to research, one is present and accounted for, this Olivia lady disappeared, and you wanna know if I can find anything on her?”

“Yeah. If you can do that kind of thing. I’ve been online for hours and nothing . . .”

“My computers are a little better than average. And what am I looking for, exactly?”

“Anything, everything.” It was then that AJ realized that he had to add a little information to the why behind the names. “These women were roommates with my sister back at Richter. Along with Keri Shrum. Now Keri and my sister are dead, and I’m convinced there’s a connection.”

Reed blew out a breath. “I’m sorry about your sister.”

“Thanks. I want answers, which is why I flew all the way here. Only the mouths at Richter are closed. Much like Sasha’s, but she agreed to help me.”

Another pause. “Why is that? Why did Sasha agree to help you?”

AJ shook his head. “I’m not sure. She said because she wasn’t bored. As if I knew what that was supposed to mean.”

Reed started to laugh.

“I take it you understand the woman.”

He laughed harder. “Oh, God, no. I don’t think anyone understands Sasha. But the not being bored part . . . I get that.”

“Has Sasha told you about Richter?” AJ asked.

Before Reed opened his mouth, he realized his question was going to be met with a negative answer.

“No. Only what I read on a brochure.”

“Why would you read a brochure on the school?” AJ asked.

“To learn more about Sasha.”

It was AJ’s turn to laugh. “Let me fill in a couple of blanks. Consider what a military boarding school would look like in post–Cold War Germany.”

“They have them?”

“No. Not in the truest sense. But Richter filled a void when the wall came down and high-profile political families wanted safe places for their children to go to school. Add in a few troubled teens with rich parents, put in some basic survival skills and maybe some arms training, and you have Richter. Some kids leave after high school, some stay on for an accelerated college degree. They finish in three years what takes everyone else four.”