Chapter Sixteen

Theo Washington

Theo had mapped out Logan Monroe's properties, both personal and corporate. No sense in wasting gas, he plotted the shortest route that would take him by each place in the greater Phoenix area. If Margo wanted him to check out the place he had in Flagstaff or the out-of-state properties, she was going to have to pay him in advance.

Theo drove his five-year-old Honda Civic to the property farthest south—a large parcel of undeveloped land south of the airport. Snapped a photo for Margo, but there was nothing here—just cacti and scraggly trees, garbage and fallen barbed wire. He then checked out the commercial building Monroe's company owned downtown—again, took pictures, but he couldn't imagine someone hiding out in the four-story office building. One of his companies occupied the top floor, and he leased out the other offices, but he didn't actually work here.

A guy who looked familiar walked by the building. Hispanic, shortish hair, stocky build. Theo would have taken a picture, but he turned into the building, the door swinging closed behind him. Maybe someone Theo had seen with Monroe? He'd been helping Margo track the guy for the last ten days. But Theo didn't think so. He would have followed, tried to ID him, but he was here to check properties and see where Monroe could be hiding a female computer expert.

Theo glanced at his list, then headed down Washington Street. He always got a kick seeing his name on the street sign. And in four weeks, he'd be starting his internship at the crime lab, right on the corner of Washington and 7th Ave.

He could have turned up 15th, but decided to continue down Washington. He passed the Sandra Day O'Connor US Courthouse. The huge building sort of creeped him out—it was too contemporary, glass and metal. Sure, clean and new, but just toomuch. It didn't fit with the Phoenix vibe. But what did these days? They were putting up so much new stuff, the old stuff seemed to just disappear. His grandma would talk about places she went as a kid that are no longer around and he wished he could go see them, just to have that connection with her.

The light was red at 7th. He stopped at the line, looked over at the crime lab. He'd toured it with his forensics class from Paradise Valley Community College, and then again with Margo's brother Nico. The internship was part of his AA degree program, but he knew that Margo had talked to her brother to help Theo get assigned to Nico's team. It meant everything to Theo that she had faith in him.

Three years ago, he couldn't have imagined he would be enrolled in community college or on the path to getting a totally cool job doing something that could make a difference. He'd been on the fast-track to major life fuckup. Hanging with the wrong people, not giving a shit about school, making every excuse under the sun about why he had no options. His dad was in prison in California, his mom was a drug addict who came and went, he'd had two older brothers, now both dead—one shot and killed while dealing drugs, one who died of a drug overdose.

The only person who'd stuck with him was his grandma. When he screwed up big-time, his grandma came to him, said, "Do you want to live or do you want to die, Theodore? Because that's your choice. You want to die, I'm saying goodbye right now, because I don't want to be burying anymore kids or grandkids. You want to live, you have to stop doing what you're doing. I'll help you. Right now, you make your choice."

"I want to live, Gramma."

"Okay. I know a girl who can help. You do exactly what she says, and maybe this mistake can go away when you turn eighteen next year. But you don't get no more chances, understand?"

"Yes, Gramma."

"Good. I love you, Theodore. We're going to get through this."

His grandma called Margo, Margo helped him work out a restitution deal with the store he'd robbed, got him probation, and if he didn't fuck up, his juvie record would be wiped. Not sealed, but erased.

He followed the rules. Graduated from high school—barely, but he'd done it. Actually did better at community college because the classes were more interesting and he was paying for them with money he earned working for Margo and then for the last year being an Uber driver on the weekends. He lived with his grandma in her tiny house in Sunnyslope, not far from where Margo lived, and helped her with expenses. His grandma was almost sixty, worked at the high school cafeteria, liked her job because she said being around kids kept her young.

Theo knew he was lucky having his grandma in his corner. Too many of his friends didn't have anyone to help them when they screwed up, to set them on the right path. For the first time in his life, he was thinking about his future. He was excited about working in forensics.

Theo checked out several short-term rental houses in Paradise Valley and then Scottsdale. Jennifer White wasn't at any of them. Monroe also co-owned a small shopping mall in north Scottsdale with high-end restaurants and shops, and his main office where he actually worked was in the Scottsdale Quarter. No real place for someone to hide out in either location.

He avoided the 101 freeway, which had endless construction projects that added to delays, and took Carefree Highway across the north end of Phoenix to Desert Hills, a rural community with houses on large multi-acre lots where nearly everyone had a horse or two. Monroe owned a five-acre spread out here where his divorced sister lived with her two kids. It would be a good place to hide out, Theo figured, especially since it was next to impossible for him to stake out the place without being spotted. The narrow roads had no sidewalks, nowhere to park, and neighbors would be suspicious of a strange vehicle on the dead-end road.

Theo drove to the end, turned around, slowed down. No activity outside, but there was a four-car garage with all doors closed. A barn was behind the house with an enclosed rink in between the two buildings, but he didn't see any horses. To him, this would be the best place to hide, and he made a quick note for Margo. She'd probably want to check it out herself.

As he approached the driveway, he saw a black SUV parked just outside the pillars. The same stocky Hispanic guy he'd seen downtown walked toward the house.

Theo stopped the car, zoomed in, and snapped several photos, then he left the neighborhood and the first place to pull over, he sent the pictures to Margo. The guy might have seen him, but he didn't pursue.

Thirty seconds later, she answered the phone.

"Where are you?"

"This is the horse ranch Monroe's sister is living at, in Desert Hills. I saw that guy at Monroe's headquarters on Washington. He's familiar, but I don't know why."

"Frank Sanchez. Works for Endicott. I'll bet he's also looking for Jennifer White."

"What do you want me to do?"

"How many places do you still have to check out?"

"The last six are all clustered near Westgate."

"Follow Frank if you can. Don't engage. If he spots you, disappear. Let me know where he goes and what he does."

"Okay, boss."