Page 14 of Don’t Say a Word (Angelhart Investigations #2)

Chapter Ten

Margo Angelhart

Gabriel lived in one of the oldest neighborhoods in central Phoenix, the Alvarado Historic District. Roughly four square blocks of discreet wealth, with about thirty large homes and tree-lined streets.

I didn’t fault Gabriel for having money.

He was a pediatric surgeon at the nearby Phoenix Children’s Hospital and worked long hours.

But he also had family money, otherwise even he couldn’t afford to live in this neighborhood.

Not to mention that these houses rarely went up for sale. They tended to stay in the family.

His house was as subtly wealthy as Gabriel himself. Set back from the street, the two-story Spanish-style brick and adobe home looked modest, but it was spacious and the grounds impeccably maintained. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the largest lot in the district.

Tess opened the door before I even knocked.

“You didn’t have to come,” Tess said.

“Yeah, I did. Do you have a few minutes?”

Did Tess not want to let me in? Maybe they were in the middle of a romantic interlude and I had interrupted.

“Of course.”

I stepped inside. I’d been here a couple times, but since Tess and Gabriel started dating after my split with the family, I hadn’t visited often, and only for family events that Gabriel hosted.

The house had been updated since it was first built in the 1930s, but maintained an historic feel. The living room and dining room were stuffy and super formal, filled with antique furniture that was a bit too... perfect. A lot like Gabriel himself, though I’d never say that.

“Let’s go to the den,” Tess said. Maybe she too was a bit uncomfortable in the stately house.

Our mom called our home a “working house.” Five kids all close in age necessitated durable, comfortable furniture to accommodate our rough-and-tumble childhood.

Mom learned quickly to put anything valuable and breakable in hers or dad’s offices, which were mostly off-limits.

Gabriel’s den wasn’t exactly a cozy nook for reading or watching TV—it was nearly the size of my house.

Built-in bookshelves lined the walls, a large-screen TV dominated one side, and a video game system sat beneath it.

Surprising, given Gabriel’s straight-laced demeanor.

But the real showstopper was the backyard view: Lush trees framed a vibrant lawn, with a blue pool at the center edged in Spanish tile.

White lights twinkled over the yard, casting a fairy-tale glow. Cliché, but true.

I sighed without realizing it until Tess said, “It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

“You’d better invite me over for a pool party before it gets too cold.”

Yes, it gets cold in Phoenix. People forget that winter exists in the desert when summer temps soar over one-hundred degrees for months.

“I’ll ask Gabriel about having a family barbecue. It would be fun.”

I sank into the buttery-soft leather couch and imagined I could live happily in just this room. Tess sat across from me on a matching sofa.

“First,” I said, needing to get my apology out of the way, “I’m sorry I snapped at you this morning about the dresses.”

Tess shook her head. “It was me, not you. Well, you were wrong—I can’t have bridesmaids wear burgundy in the spring—but I took out my frustration on you. I know you’re not comfortable with the trimmings of a big wedding.” She bit her lip and didn’t look me in the eye.

“What? You’re not telling me something.”

She glanced toward the door, which she’d closed, and then said quietly, “We have only six and a half months and I’m nervous.”

“About?”

“Everything.”

“Tess,” I said, a warning in my voice to spill it or else.

“You know .”

I did know. “Say it.”

She shook her head.

“Gabriel is not an asshole,” I said. “That’s all you need to know.”

“You didn’t like him when you first met him,” she said quickly and quietly. “Maybe you sensed something no one else does.”

Two broken engagements had really messed with Tess’s self-confidence.

“I don’t like most people when I first meet them,” I said. “Tess, you trust everyone until they prove they’re untrustworthy ; I trust no one until they prove they’re trustworthy. Two sides, same coin.”

Tess laughed. “And to think we were raised by the same parents.”

It was odd that I had always been closest to our dad, who was more like Tess in personality and temperament, while Tess had always been closest to our mom who, I was loath to admit, was a lot like me.

Maybe that was why Mom and I butted heads so often. It was like arguing with myself.

Tess sat there as if waiting for something.

“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“I want to know why,” she said. “Please.”

“Because I love you,” I said simply. “Gabriel just seemed... too smooth, too handsome, too perfect . He’s a pediatric surgeon who saves little kids.

I thought there had to be something in his past, something he was hiding, because no one is that.

.. good .” I couldn’t think of another word. “Just an all-around good guy.”

“Pop and Abuela are great.”

“They are rare,” I said.

Our grandparents—Mom’s parents—were two of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known.

Pop is a retired judge, a true patriarch, whose wisdom is unmatched.

Abuela raised seven kids while running her own business, often with one or more kids by her side.

Her sharp business acumen was a key factor in their substantial wealth, which was build more on her entrepreneurial skill than Pop’s steady income.

“Gabriel loves you,” I said. “He shows it. I think he’s arrogant and has a stick up his ass sometimes, but he makes you happy. That’s all I care about, Tess. You deserve to be happy.”

Tess’s face melted into a warm, sappy smile. “Aw, Margo, thank you. And so do you.”

“I’m happy.”

“You know what I mean.”

I shrugged. “Let’s get you married first, then we’ll worry about me.”

“I have something to show you. I want your gut impression—just give it to me.”

Before I could object, she jumped up and ran from the room. A minute later she came back with a thick binder that was decorated with lace and roses. I had seen that binder too many times to count and wanted to bolt.

Her wedding planner.

Tess put the book down on the table and had her finger in the middle, marking a page. “I’m going to show you two colors. Tell me which one for the dresses. Your gut.”

I didn’t want to be put in this spot, because what if I picked wrong and Tess hated it?

Tess said, “Get that look off your face. Mom and I narrowed it down this morning to these two colors. I love them both. Mom loves them both. And I know you’ll be honest. You’ve always been honest with me.”

I breathed in deeply, slowly let it out. “Okay.”

She opened the book. One side of the page was red—true red, vibrant and bold.

The photos she’d included were of weddings with men in black tuxes with bold red cummerbunds and the bridesmaids in long satiny red dresses.

The flowers were mostly white with red rose accents.

One photo had bouquets of white roses, lots of greenery, and a few red roses and yellow daisy accents. It was stunning.

The other side was subdued and no less beautiful.

Sage green dresses, the men in dark gray tuxes with sage green cummerbunds.

The bouquets were mostly white flowers with a few bursts of color and eucalyptus leaves.

I loved it. Green is my favorite color and I could envision myself wearing the dress.

Yet... red. Tess was red.

Tess was tall, elegant, and graceful, with lush, shiny brown hair.

Luisa and I had inherited hazel-green eyes—greener than our mom’s golden hue, but not blue like our dad.

Tess on the other hand had large, striking chocolate-brown eyes.

With her natural beauty and height, she could have easily been a model, and being surrounded by red on her wedding day would make her stand out in all the best ways.

I pointed to the red page. “This is you. Vibrant. Bold. Classy. You will stand out in your gorgeous white dress, and isn’t that the point?

To shine a light on the bride.” Tears were running down Tess’s face and I swore out loud.

“Well shit, Tess! You told me go with my gut. Okay, do green! I love green. It’s my favorite color. ”

“No, no, it’s that—you’re right. And I love the red. I didn’t think I could get away with it because it is so bold, but Mom said... And then I thought... And it’s going to be perfect.”

She threw her arms around my neck and squeezed.

“Okay, okay,” I said and patted her on the back. “Jeez, Tess.”

“Thank you, Margo. I mean it.”

I didn’t know why she could do red but not burgundy, but decided not to say anything because Tess wasn’t mad at me anymore.

She stared at her book, head tilted. “Do you like the yellow accent? Or blue? Like a deep royal blue.”

“I think you can decide on that later.”

“I have to have the flowers ordered by next month.”

“Ask Gabriel.”

“He’s so busy.”

“I’m sure he’d like to make a small decision,” I said.

“I’ll talk to Mom tomorrow,” she said and closed the binder. “So, why did you come over? I know it wasn’t for wedding planning.”

“Shift gears to Elijah Martinez.”

“I was thinking...” Tess said, then bit her lip.

“What?”

“You don’t think he killed himself, do you?”

“Honestly, I don’t think so, but that’s because I don’t know him .

On the surface he appears to be exactly what his mom said—good student, lots of friends—but Lena Clark admitted he was under pressure because of college and the honors program, plus he had a part-time job.

Teens sometimes don’t think about the consequences of their actions.

Until I know what was going on in his life in the days leading up to his death, I can’t rule anything out.

I’m not running with that premise, but if I learn anything that steers me in that direction, I’ll follow.

Until I talk to his friends I won’t have a clear picture. ”

Friends often knew things that parents and teachers didn’t.

“Mom says that it’s not uncommon for someone to die because they were partying with people who didn’t want to get in trouble.”

It was true, but it disturbed me. When your friend had a medical emergency, you got help, period. Any consequences were nothing compared to death.

“That could have happened, which is the primary reason I want to talk face-to-face with Elijah’s friends.

” I was good at weeding through bullshit.

“If someone intentionally let him die, or someone gave him the drugs without his knowledge, then you’re looking at manslaughter or homicide.

Because the case is closed, no one is looking beyond the obvious.

Anyway, Jack left me a file about a Sun Valley High coach arrested for using students to sell drugs.

His wife was laundering the money. A little bit Breaking Bad but with oxy, pot, and fentanyl instead of cooking meth. ”

“And you think they’re back at it?” Tess asked.

“No, they’re both in prison, but I have a list of the students who were involved.”

“They were minors—how did you get the list?”

“Jack has a friend on the force. But let’s keep that information in-house.

I was hoping you could run them, see where they are, what they’re doing.

Maybe one of them connects with Elijah or his circle of friends.

Especially two people involved—Eric McMahon, who was the backup quarterback, and Scott Jimenez, who was arrested for attempting to kill McMahon. ”

“Send everything to me.” She sounded excited, and probably was—Tess loved research. She took my hand. “Margo, I’m so glad you’re working with us.”

“You’ve told me,” I said.

“But I’ve never said I was sorry. I treated you like crap when you left the firm. I became a PI because of you. So did Mom, though I doubt she’d admit it,” Tess added with a small laugh. “I was so angry at you and Mom, but mostly you. And I’m sorry. You’re my sister, and I love you.”

“All these feelings are going to make me squirm,” I said with a smile. “I love you too, and honestly, I gave back worse than I got. It was my choice to walk away because I couldn’t live under Mom’s rules. But I’m back, and I think we have an understanding.”

The understanding was that I would still look into Dad’s case, and Mom would ignore it. Probably not the best agreement in the world because when I found a thread, I would pull hard on it. Unfortunately, I had been stuck for months.

Gabriel walked in and smiled warmly at us. He wore casual gray slacks and a white polo shirt. “Hello, Margo. How are you?”

“Good, thanks. Just dropping off a research project for my brilliant sister.”

He smiled and stood by Tess. She looked up at him with such overwhelming love and affection that I was almost embarrassed. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Stay for a glass of wine?” Gabriel said. “Or, you prefer beer, don’t you?”

“I do,” I said, “but I have an early morning, so I should go.” I stood up.

“Did Margo pick a color?” he asked Tess.

“Red,” she said with a smile.

“Good. That’s settled, and we’re one step closer.”

“Don’t remind me,” Tess said. “There’s so much to do.”

“Honestly,” Gabriel said, “once you say I do in front of God and family, the rest is icing on the cake.”

It was getting sappy. I mean, I was all for a happily-ever-after, especially for my sister, but I now felt like a third wheel.

“I’ll leave the file here,” I said and motioned to the sealed manila folder. “Email me if you have questions.”

Both Gabriel and Tess walked me to the door and, arms around each other’s waist, watched as I drove off.

As long as my sister was happy, I was happy.

But if Gabriel hurt her, he would pay.