Chapter Twelve Jack Angelhart
Chapter Twelve
Jack Angelhart
Jack picked Austin up from school that afternoon and talked to his teacher, who was happy to give Austin the work he would
need to do to keep on task for the week. Jack promised he’d get the homework done and thanked her.
While driving to the West Valley, he’d weighed what to tell his son. Austin was eleven. What should he know and in what detail?
When his dad went to prison, Jack had been going through a whirlwind. Whitney demanded a divorce, he was leaving the force
for a variety of reasons, and then there was Austin, who had worshipped his grandfather. He knew Cooper was in prison—Jack
brought Austin down to Eyman once a month to visit. And he knew why, in as simple terms as Jack could tell him when he was
not yet eight.
Grandpa hurt somebody and has to go to prison for a little while. He feels really bad for what happened.
Because it was nearly impossible to explain that his beloved grandfather had shot and killed a man—a friend—in cold blood.
Or that he had confessed to murder and might be innocent.
Austin knew more now, but Jack wasn’t quite sure what he knew because he had never asked Jack questions. And Jack didn’t know what Whitney had told him, especially when she was
angry with Jack—as had been the case more often than not even after their divorce. Admittedly, it had gotten better since
Jack sat down with her two months ago to tell her he was seeing someone. And Whitney had been seeing more than one someone,
which Jack tried to ignore. As long as it didn’t impact Austin, he had no say in how Whitney lived her life.
When they arrived at the house Jack had bought when they first married fifteen years ago, Whitney wasn’t home. She worked
part-time for the local public school district in the mornings. Jack knew she hated the job, but he had insisted. He paid
the mortgage and child support, but he was not going to support her when she had a master’s degree and was perfectly capable
of holding down a job. When Austin turned eighteen, they would sell the house and split the proceeds fifty-fifty, which irritated
Jack but those were the terms of their divorce agreement; in exchange, he received liberal visitation.
A note on the counter explained her absence.
Since you’re taking Austin early, Wendy and I are adding a couple days to our Sedona spa trip.
Wendy was Whitney’s younger sister and the person, Jack believed, who was most responsible for Whitney’s dissatisfaction with
their marriage. Wendy had married a wealthy older man and divorced him five years later with a huge settlement. She dated
a long list of wealthy older men and had brought Whitney along on expensive double dates. Jack didn’t see how these relationships
could bring joy to either of them, but he tried not to be judgmental. Whitney had agreed to keep any men out of Austin’s life
unless she was serious about one of them, and so far, there had been no one serious.
Austin was talking a mile a minute, excited about spending time at Logan’s large Cave Creek property.
“Do you know that Logan has a giant theater? Cody said we can watch all the Star Wars movies with surround sound and it’s like we’re in a real theater!
And he even has an arcade with, like, a whole bunch of
video games.” He glanced at Jack, hedging. “I know, I can’t play more than thirty minutes on school nights, but since I don’t
have to go to school, does the rule still apply?”
“You’re free to play within reason. Laura will decide what’s within reason.”
Austin grinned. “And he has a swimming pool that’s, like, five times bigger than Grandma and Grandpa’s.” He hesitated for
a minute, then asked, “This job you’re doing, it’s not dangerous, is it?”
Austin shoved a second pair of shoes into his suitcase. Jack reorganized the clothes so they would fit.
“No more dangerous than my other cases, but it’s more important than any of them.”
“This is really sudden. I mean, you’re never spontaneous.”
Jack considered that, realized it was probably true.
“The case I’m working may get a bit dicey. Since your mom had plans this weekend, and I might not be able to spend much time
with you, I thought it would be better for you and the Barretts to spend a long weekend at Logan’s.”
Austin stopped packing, looked at him. “Why? I mean, I could have just stayed with Pops and Abuela, right?”
He wanted to lie because he didn’t want Austin to be scared that something might happen to him, but honesty was always better
than lying.
He sat on the edge of Austin’s bed. “It’s about Grandpa’s case. New information has come out and we’re all working to prove
that he didn’t hurt anyone.”
“You mean kill Dr. Klein.”
“Who told you?” Jack said, taken aback by Austin’s blunt statement.
“Dad, um, it’s on the internet. And you and Aunt Margo talk about it a lot. I’m not, like, um, deaf, you know?” Austin looked
sheepish. “I googled it last year. He pled guilty and went to prison. But I’ve overheard enough to know that no one in the
family thinks he did it. I just didn’t want to ask you because it makes you so sad.”
Jack rubbed his eyes. They burned. “I’m sorry, Austin. I should have told you exactly what was going on, but you weren’t even
eight when Grandpa went to prison, and I didn’t want to burden you.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” Austin hugged him. “Does this mean Grandpa is getting out? That he’ll be home for Christmas?” His
eyes sparkled with hope.
“Pray for that outcome,” Jack said. “I don’t know, but for the first time, I think it’s a possibility.”
While proving his dad’s innocence might be more difficult than Margo thought, Jack thought it was possible. Yet, he was acutely
aware of the danger they all faced. That, he knew, he would not tell his son. Austin had known when Jack was a cop that his
job was dangerous, and if he still believed that, fine. Jack didn’t want to add an additional burden on his son.
Jack drove Austin to Logan’s house in an exclusive neighborhood called The Boulders in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix. They’d
become friends after Jack and Margo helped him in May, and then closer when Jack started dating his sister, Laura. Logan was
nothing like Jack expected him to be.
Cody took Austin immediately up to the room they would be sharing, and Laura gave Jack a hug. Her dogs had come with them to Logan’s, but Laura would be going back to her small farm—with a bodyguard—to tend to her horses and other animals. Just as a precaution, he’d told her over the phone.
I don’t believe you, Sydney, and Cody are in danger, he’d told her earlier, but Austin was threatened, and it’s possible whoever is behind framing my dad could go after him. I just can’t take the risk.
She had been so understanding and supportive that she uprooted her life for the next few days. She was the best thing that
had happened to him since Austin was born.
“You must be so worried,” she said. “Logan said he’s going to work from home, and he’s already brought in two bodyguards.”
“I met them outside,” Jack said. “I didn’t tell Austin that there was a possible threat against him, just that I was working
on my dad’s case and things were dicey.”
“I understand,” she said. “He’s safe here, and we’ll have fun.”
“Make sure he does his homework.”
She laughed softly, touched his cheek. “They will all get it done before any television or video games, I promise.”
Jack hugged her tightly. “I love you, Laura.” She stiffened in his arms and he leaned back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve known
I’ve loved you almost from the beginning. But I shouldn’t have just dumped it on you.”
She kissed him softly. “And I’ve just been waiting for you to say it,” she said lightly. “So I can say, I love you too, Jack
Angelhart.”
He leaned forward, his forehead against hers, and said, “We’re going to make this work.”
“Yes we will,” she said.
Jack double-checked the security, then said goodbye to Austin and gave Laura another kiss. Did he have a right to be so happy
right now when everything around him was falling apart?
Yes, he figured, he did. It had been a long time coming. And if they could prove that his dad didn’t kill Dr. Klein and get him released from prison, they would really have something to be thankful for at the end of November.
Five minutes later, he headed to Anthem, where Sheriff’s Deputy Clive Otter—or Otto, as he was known to his friends—lived.
Earlier, Jack had talked to Otto about the shooting and asked for more information. While Maricopa County Sheriffs didn’t
have jurisdiction, Jack had heard from his contacts that Peoria PD had requested assistance from the sheriff’s department.
Otto answered the door himself. “Jack, come on in.”
The house was quiet, save for the sound of a basketball game in the back of the house.
“Thank you,” Jack said. “Where’s Mickey and the kids?”
“You arrived during the lull before the storm,” Otto said with a wide grin. “She’s making the rounds picking up the boys from
four different practice fields. We have about forty minutes of peace. Can I get you a beer?”
“No, thanks,” he said. “I’m working tonight.”
Otto motioned for Jack to follow him to the family room. The large screen TV showed the Phoenix Suns playing the Boston Celtics.
He enjoyed basketball, but he hadn’t followed the Suns much this year after they had imploded the last couple seasons.
Jack nodded to the screen that showed the Suns down by five. “How’s the team doing?”
“Holding their own. We might squeak this one out, but damn, the Celtics are looking good again this year. That we’re within
five points at the end of the third quarter is a good thing, but I don’t see playoffs in our future.”
“Kids doing good? Mickey?”
“All is good in the Otter house,” Otto said, picking up the remote and muting the game. “But you’re not here to catch up. You want info about the double homicide. Tell me why.”
He motioned for Jack to sit, which he did.
“The female victim, Liz Swanson, was on her way to meet Margo when she and her husband were killed. She had information that
may have helped our dad.”