Chapter Twelve

Jack Angelhart

Most of Jack's core memories growing up had centered around Sunday dinner. Between their parents careers and the busy lives of five kids—sports, theater, band, community service—regular weekday dinners were nearly impossible to coordinate. Sunday was the day for family. When they were younger they often went hiking after church, or to baseball games—especially during spring training—or took a day trip to Sedona or watched a movie they all wanted to see. As adults, they met at the house for Sunday dinner.

But when Cooper Angelhart went to prison after confessing to killing a colleague, their family night had virtually disappeared. Jack suspected it had more to do with Margo walking away—having Dad gone was bad enough, but with the family divided, dinner reminded them of loss, and the good memories faded away. Jack's marriage had fallen apart and he only saw his son every other weekend. Luisa, then still in the Marines, was stationed in Hawaii. Their dad was in prison, and Margo stopped showing up. Someone was always missing and that hole was felt by all.

Sunday was also the day that their mother drove two hours roundtrip to Eyman Prison in Florence to spend four hours with her husband.

So when Jack walked into the house just after six, Ava Angelhart wasn't cooking—she was sitting outside on the shaded patio drinking a glass of white wine and reading a book about the fentanyl crisis.

She looked surprised to see Jack.

"Hi, Mom," he said when he walked through the back door and took a seat next to her.

His mother had turned fifty-nine last month. She had never seemed old to Jack, not until his father had gone to prison. Now, the fine wrinkles that had framed her eyes and lips were deeper, her makeup more carefully applied, her hair cut and styled short, dyed lighter than her natural brown in order to better hide the gray. She was five foot four, but had perfect posture and always seemed taller.

"Jack." She smiled, but there was sadness in her eyes. The sadness was always there, but Sundays it was on the surface.

Jack had admired both his parents, but it was his mother's steadfast pursuit of justice—first as a prosecutor and elected county attorney, then as a private practice lawyer, now running the family PI firm—that had driven him the most. She was the reason he became a cop, the reason he'd done the job right. He believed in the system—though what happened to his dad three years ago had definitely shaken him. It had shaken all of them.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then sat in the chair next to the lounge she relaxed in.

"Have you had dinner?" she asked.

"I'm heading to the gym, then I'll get something."

"I have Rita's albondigas soup and I was going to make grilled cheese."

She said it hopefully and Jack didn't have the heart to decline.

"I'll come back after the gym, but fair warning—I'll be starving."

"I have plenty. Is seven thirty good?"

"Perfect. Thanks."

Jack knew that his mother missed family dinners as much as he did, as much as everyone. Maybe, if he handled the situation right, this case would bring Margo back—to the business and the family. They could reclaim Sunday dinners and find what they'd lost three years ago.

"I wanted to give you a heads-up that Margo is coming to the office tomorrow morning."

Ava marked her place with a bookmark and put the book on the table next to her. She didn't say a word. He knew his mom well, but times like this he couldn't read her.

"It's about the Desert West case," he said. "We traced Jennifer White to the short-term rental and she met with a man there."

"A buyer?"

"Doubtful. Logan Monroe."

Her brows lifted in surprise. "The entrepreneur?" She sounded impressed.

He nodded. "They were only in the house for a short time before Margo showed up. She was hired by Monroe's wife and had been thinking sex, not corporate espionage."

"Oh. It would explain a lot if she was having an affair with Monroe. Though why would he want Desert West's proprietary information? A rivalry?"

"According to Margo, Monroe cofounded Desert West and sold his half of the company to his former partner last year. But that's not even the big news." He told her everything they knew from the time Margo found Monroe and White unconscious to how White slipped away from the hospital. "White's vehicle is still at the rental house, so Tess is sitting on the place."

Ava smiled. They both knew how much Tess detested stakeouts. "How long will she stay there?"

"I'm taking over at nine. I don't know how long I'll stay, but my gut tells me she'll return after dark to retrieve her car, if she returns at all. She may have been spooked by today's events."

"And what does this have to do with Margo? Other than she is tangentially involved."

"Margo identified two unknown men watching the house from the preserve. She pursued, got photos of them, their vehicle. She shared them with us, and I asked Luisa to enhance them. Margo thinks she recognized one of the men, but we need to confirm."

"Margo is cooperating?"

She sounded like she didn't believe him, though Jack shouldn't be surprised. Ava had once said she and Margo were oil and water; that was wrong, though Jack wouldn't contradict his mother. Most of the conflict between his mom and Margo stemmed from the fact that they were too much alike: stubborn, smart, driven women who always thought they were right. They usually were. So when they disagreed on something, it was explosive.

"I asked her to work with us on this case. She agreed to let me chat with Monroe."

"She couldn't very well do it since his wife is her client."

"And," Jack said, ignoring the snide undertone of his mother's comment, "Monroe claimed that White called him, asked to meet in a private location to share something with him. He claims he doesn't know what specifically, that they passed out before she could show him whatever it was."

"Do you believe him?"

"No."

"Buying information?"

"I couldn't say."

"And Margo agreed to assist?"

"She's thinking on it. I asked her to come to the office at eight. She'll be there."

"We have to tell the CFO about this meeting," Ava said. "Mr. Monroe is familiar with their industry, understands their business, would benefit from inside secrets."

"Except," Jack said, slightly uncomfortable, "I don't see why he would be involved with corporate espionage at a company he probably knows more about than anyone else."

"Did you confirm Margo's information?"

"I have no reason to doubt her."

"Margo bends the rules. She's probably correct, but we need to verify. And just because he used to own the company doesn't mean that he isn't still involved." She thought a moment. "Though, it seems unlikely."

"I want Margo back," he said.

His mom looked sad, defeated. "She never worked for us, Jack."

"And you know why."

At the beginning, the idea for Angelhart Investigations had come from Jack and Margo, and they convinced Ava. It didn't take much—Ava had been burnt out as a lawyer, and private investigation was a natural career shift. Plus, since she was still a licensed attorney, she could take legal cases when she wanted.

Margo had the vision. She'd built her own small successful one-woman practice, but having a staff to handle research and background checks would free her up to be in the field more, to pass off the detail work to Tess who thrived on research. They planned to open the doors as equal partners—the four of them—Ava, Jack, Tess, and Margo.

But Margo assumed their first case would be investigating the death of Dr. Devin Klein, who their father had confessed to murdering. Ava said no.

Your father sacrificed himself for this family, and while I hate with all my heart and soul that he's in prison, his life—all of our lives—would have been at risk if he went to trial. At your father's request, we are not touching anything surrounding Klein's murder.

At the beginning, Jack had agreed with Margo—and he had been just as frustrated that their mother refused to explain the risk to the family. They would have taken any risk to clear their father's name and bring him home.

Ava wouldn't budge and that's when Jack realized that there was something more at stake. Though neither of his parents explained, they wouldn't have asked them to stand down if it weren't important. Jack didn't like it, but he could live with it. He'd always been a dutiful son.

Margo felt betrayed, that it was her against everyone. She refused to join Angelhart Investigations and their mother let her walk.

Though Ava had never said, Jack suspected his mother thought Margo would return in a few months. When she didn't, Ava continued to dig in her heels and Margo grew more distant from the family. Over time, Jack realized that they had taken business from Margo. Because of Ava's reputation, some of the lawyers who had once hired Margo, now hired them. Not because Margo wasn't capable, but because with Angelhart Investigations they had a team of licensed private investigators, a dedicated research staff, access to experts and legal consultants.

"I would love for Margo to join our business. She is a smart, shrewd investigator," Ava said. "But she would never agree to all of my terms."

"Which are?"

"I'm sure she'll avoid the unpleasant, scandalous cases—she detests adultery investigations as much as I do. And I could probably overlook her rule bending. But she'll never stop looking into Klein's death. She lied to me, Jack. Three weeks ago she told me to my face that she hadn't interviewed Klein's former intern. She's putting a target on her back, and it terrifies me that she's going to get hurt."

"Maybe Margo will surprise you."

Ava drained her wine. "I know your sister, Jack. Better than she thinks I do. It pains me every day that Cooper is in prison. But it would kill me if I have to bury my daughter."