Chapter Twenty Jack Angelhart
Chapter Twenty
Jack Angelhart
Jack escorted his mother and Aunt Rita through the busy Sky Harbor Airport, staying close in case either of them needed a
steadying arm, while also watching for potential threats.
His mother’s left hand was tight around the strap of her purse, while her right hand pulled her small carry-on suitcase. Aunt
Rita had a similar suitcase she rolled behind her. Rita tried to reassure his mom that they would have answers when they landed,
but all three of them knew that might not be the case. They might not get in to see him today. Rita had a meeting with the
assistant warden, but there was no guarantee they’d see his dad. It was a maximum security prison with far stricter rules
for visitors than Eyman.
Quincy hadn’t returned his call this morning, and Jack was irritated.
He hadn’t said for certain that he would be going to Colorado with them, but he had implied it wouldn’t be a problem.
Jack didn’t want to let his mom and aunt go by themselves, not when there were uncertain dangers, but he also needed to be here to help his sisters find answers.
So he promised to stay until they were safely through security.
He knew of a private security company in Colorado that Angelhart Investigations had worked with a few times over the years; he’d hired someone there to drive his mom around and stick with her if Quincy didn’t show.
The escalator carried them upward, the low hum of the bustling all around them: rolling wheels, boarding calls, the smell
of coffee and antiseptic floor cleaner. Halfway up, Jack heard his name sharply over the noise. He turned.
At the base of the escalator, FBI Agent Quincy Truman had just stepped on, raising one hand in greeting. Even out of his usual
suit, with a dark windbreaker zipped nearly to his throat, Quincy looked every bit the agent. A garment bag was slung over
his shoulder.
At the top, Jack guided his mom and Rita off the escalator to a nearby bench. “Sit here, okay?” he said softly. “I’ll just
be a minute.”
Rita held his mother’s hand, leaning in to whisper something as Jack stepped away to greet Quincy.
“Thanks for this,” Jack said when Quincy reached him. “I know it’s not your job.”
“She’s Nico’s mom. That’s all that matters.” Quincy adjusted the strap of his carry-on. “Sorry I’m late. Had to show credentials
to the airline so I can carry my weapon on board. I’ve gone through TSA training and didn’t want to risk checking it. So technically,
I’m on duty.”
“We’ve still got an hour before boarding.”
Quincy’s eyes flicked past Jack toward Ava and Rita, then back. “I’m worried about Nico. This whole situation, the whole ‘we
don’t know who’s coming after the family,’ means we have no idea where the threat will come from, if anywhere. Nico is a lab
tech. He’s smart, but not built to defend himself.”
“He’s being careful,” Jack said. “He’s at the crime lab all day and promised not to leave. I also told him he’s staying with me at Mom’s house, at least for the next couple days.”
“He didn’t tell me,” Quincy grumbled. Then, “We’ll be back as soon as Ava sits down with Cooper and she gets the answers she
needs.”
“Speaking of answers,” Jack said, “any word on what happened with the transfer? Who requested it?”
“No. Can’t get anything. Even my boss says it’s unusual. He wants me to stay out of it because of my connection to your family,
but he’s digging. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“Appreciate it. When I’m done here, I’m heading to the lab to talk to Nico about the shooting.”
Quincy nodded. “Nico sent me the updated police report. The female victim didn’t have her phone in the vehicle, and it wasn’t
at the house. GPS tracking shows the last location at her residence.”
Jack frowned. “The killer had time to take her phone?”
“Possibly,” Quincy said.
“I hear a but.”
“The timing would be very tight. Shoot them, the car continues in Reverse and crashes, then he searches for her phone? I’d
think someone would have seen him.”
“Your theory?” Jack asked.
“It’s just a guess,” Quincy said, “but if the shooter held them at gunpoint and demanded her phone, they may have thought
it was simply a robbery. Handed it over. Then he shot them and left.”
“Margo,” Jack whispered. “Liz called her from that cell.”
“If they can break the passcode.”
“I can’t assume that they haven’t, or that they didn’t get the code from Liz before they shot her.
” That put Margo at the top of their list. They could have had that information for forty-eight hours, since Tuesday morning.
No one had gone after Margo yet, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching her.
“Tell Margo not to go anywhere alone.”
“She assures me she won’t, but she’s stubborn,” Jack said. “I’ll give her the information, but the fact that no one has gone
after her in two days might mean they couldn’t get the information they wanted.”
“Or, they want to see what she knows.”
Jack walked back to his mother. He hugged her tightly, then watched as Quincy guided both women into the security line. He
stood there until they disappeared from sight.
Then he pulled out his phone and called Margo. No answer.
He left a message: “The killer has Liz Swanson’s phone. Assume he knows she called you.”