Chapter Thirty-Three Ava Angelhart
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ava Angelhart
Ava was grateful Quincy had managed to find her a small room at the prison where she could wait in private, though the guards
watched her like she was the problem. Maybe she was, in her own way. She wanted answers, and no one had any. These guards
were nothing like the guards at Eyman, where she’d built a respectful rapport with the staff. Where she had people she could
call to make sure her husband was safe. Where she could visit almost anytime she wanted.
Here, she was an outsider.
She hadn’t slept well. She hadn’t slept well since Margo confronted her Tuesday afternoon. Guilt, anger, sadness . . . her
emotions were a mess. She had been questioning every decision she and Cooper had made since the minute he told her about the
threat to their family.
She didn’t blame the system for his guilty plea. It wasn’t the system that had threatened their family or killed Devin. But
she did blame it for not asking the right questions. For taking Cooper’s confession at face value. For not being curious.
Of course, she used every tool she had at her disposal to ensure that Cooper’s case was handled swiftly. The county attorney trusted her. She didn’t have to put pressure on anyone, she only had to gently ask for expedited processing, to make it all easier on her family.
And they did.
Back then, she’d stayed quiet out of fear, afraid the wrong word would get Cooper killed, or make their family a target.
But now a woman was dead and two kids were left without a mother.
That, Ava realized, was on her and Cooper. Maybe they had made the wrong decision. When Margo was searching for answers, Ava
had done everything to thwart her because she feared for Margo’s life. Her fear came out as anger and disapproval. But had
Margo found the truth three and a half years ago, maybe Liz Swanson would be alive today.
Or maybe her daughter would be dead.
The coffee she’d filled up on earlier had settled uneasily in her stomach. She chewed a Tums, but doubted anything would help—not
until she talked to her husband.
The door clicked open. Quincy stepped in, and Ava’s breath hitched.
“You have news,” she said. Not a question.
He nodded. “My boss talked to the US Attorney who made the transfer request. On Tuesday afternoon, the US Marshals received
what they believe is a credible threat against Cooper’s life. The information came from a criminal informant inside Eyman.
It’s sealed, no one but the judge has seen it. She apologized for not contacting Cooper’s attorney first, that was an oversight,
but she felt they needed to act quickly.”
Ava’s chest tightened. “What threat? Who would want to hurt Cooper?” Her stomach sank even as she said it. “Whoever killed
the nurse.”
“My guess,” Quincy said carefully, “is that whoever had Liz Swanson killed was worried Cooper might talk when he heard about the murder. The killer took her phone. He might know she called Margo after she discovered the missing medical records.”
Ava’s heart squeezed painfully. “Margo’s in danger.”
“Jack is sticking with her,” Quincy said, though the line in his jaw said he wasn’t fully convinced. Or maybe, as Ava feared,
the killer would go after both Jack and Margo. Ava couldn’t imagine losing one child, but to lose two? What if she lost everyone?
“Hey,” Quincy said as if he could read her mind, “think this through. Margo didn’t get anything solid from Cooper. She was
fishing. But he does know something, and whoever killed Devin Klein and Liz Swanson doesn’t want him talking. That’s why the marshals moved fast.
He’s in solitary for his protection.”
“But the US Attorney doesn’t know who the threat was from or anything about the drug trial that is at the heart of this.”
“No,” Quincy said. “They don’t know why Cooper was threatened. However, they are investigating and have a suspect.”
“They know who made the threat?”
“No, but they believe they’ve identified the individual who may have been hired to kill him.”
Kill him. “Threat” was one thing, but “kill” made it all too real.
Quincy continued. “He’s a prisoner at Eyman and a shiv was found in his room. They have removed him from the general population
and the AUSA and my boss are interviewing him in hopes of getting a name or a lead.”
There was some hope, she thought.
“Who contacted the authorities about the threat in the first place?” Ava asked.
“I don’t have the name. It was a criminal informant who reached out to his handler in the AUSA’s office, which is why it became a federal issue. This is ultimately a good thing, Ava. Cooper is safer here.”
Maybe, she thought. But why couldn’t she see him?
“What could Cooper know?” Ava asked. “If it would have helped him three years ago, we would’ve used it. He didn’t know who
killed Devin then—all we knew was that our family was in danger if he didn’t confess.”
“He must know something,” Quincy said, “even if he doesn’t know why it’s important.”
“He was the person who found Devin’s body. That made him an easy person to frame.”
The door opened again. Rita stepped in, gave Ava a smile.
“Cooper’s okay,” she said. “He’s absolutely fine.”
“When can I see him?” Ava asked.
“I’m working on that,” Rita said. “He’s in solitary for his own protection, at the request of the US Marshal’s office.”
“That’s what Quincy said, but why here? Why not keep him in solitary at Eyman?”
“Possibly the nature of the threat,” Quincy said. “This is a federal penitentiary, and feds like to have control, as I said.
As far as being in solitary here, this is Supermax, and they wouldn’t want him to mingle with the general population. That alone would put him at risk.”
Ava knew what that meant. This prison was for the worst of the worst, the men who needed to be locked up for the rest of their
lives because of the pain and suffering they caused others. Predators would see that Cooper wasn’t like them.
“He’s all alone,” Ava whispered.
“But he’s holding up well,” Rita said firmly.
“He is in good spirits. The marshals told him why he was being transferred, and until they know the threat is gone, he’ll remain here.
He has a Bible to read. Thirty minutes of solo yard time each day.
The guards are strict, but fair. I filed for an emergency hearing to transfer him back to Eyman, but I’ll want to see the threat assessment because he really might be safer here.
I’ll need to be ready if the judge calls today, though realistically it won’t be until Monday. ”
“I’m not leaving,” Ava said. “I’m not leaving Cooper here all alone.”
Rita flicked a glance at Quincy. “Don’t look at him,” Ava said firmly. “Cooper is my husband, and I’m not leaving Colorado
until he can leave this prison.”
As she said it, she realized that was completely unrealistic. She couldn’t stay if he was here for months or years.
Well, she would. She’d get an apartment and visit as often as they allowed. She hoped it didn’t come to that.
“I asked him the questions you wanted,” Rita said and tore a page from her notebook. “Here are the people involved in the
Neurovantix trial. Cooper confirmed most of what we know. Devin got suspicious after Christina Aberdeen died and Jim Novak
experienced side effects. When he discovered ten patients had been scrubbed from the records, he called Willa Blankenship.
She acted surprised, said she’d look into it.”
“But she didn’t,” Ava said.
“Cooper didn’t know anything other than what Devin told him. He connected him with Dr. Pierce, but Cooper never saw the data
or what Devin had compiled, though he knew that he was keeping a copy of his own patient records.”
Ava shook her head. She was certain that Cooper had some knowledge that would help them. But it looked like they had already learned everything he knew after a couple days’ work.
“Oh, one more thing,” Rita said. “Neurovantix was chasing grant money, so there could have been other people involved who
weren’t located in Phoenix. Cooper has no idea who ran the company.”
“Money,” Quincy muttered. “Anytime there’s a new drug, it can mean big money for the company and investors.”
“But the VA’s federal,” Ava said. “They don’t profit.”
“They can,” Quincy said. “Grant funding. Contracts. Royalties if staff helped develop a new drug, even while an employee,
even if on the periphery. One drug can bring in millions, and a successful drug can bring in billions.”
“Tess has been tracking the money,” Ava said. “But it’s buried or not public.”
“Most health care staff don’t need to file financial disclosures,” Quincy said. “Unlike federal agents, judges, politicians.
There are loopholes everywhere, and whenever there is a lot of money to be had, those loopholes seem to get wider.”
“So how do we find it?” Rita asked.
“I usually say follow the money, but if we can’t see the money trail, then we need to follow the people,” Quincy said. “Who
has something to gain when the drug hits the market? Who needs money? Or, who is living above their means and may have been paid to look the other way?”
Greed, Ava thought with disgust. Greed killed Devin and Liz. Greed put Cooper in prison.
She said, “Nadine Pierce mentioned that approval is likely to be next week. That means they can market and sell the drug.
If there is any shadow over the trial, it could put approval on hold.”
Quincy nodded. “Once it’s approved, putting the genie back in the bottle will take time. They’ll make money, and historically,
even when a company is fined for a dangerous drug, they have already made far more money than what they are fined. It’s truly
a disgusting racket and one reason I’ll never go into white-collar crimes. Nearly impossible to prove, and few people go to
prison.”
Rita checked her watch. “I need to get back to Phoenix. If the judge calls, I’ll argue for Cooper’s transfer, if that’s what you want.”
Ava glanced at Quincy. “What do you think? Tell me the truth.”
“I think,” he said carefully, “that for now, he’s safer here, but because the process can move slow, Rita needs to get on