Page 48 of Don’t Say a Word (Angelhart Investigations #2)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Margo Angelhart

Gabriel’s grand house was bustling with our large extended family.

Even most of the uptight Rubios showed up—his two sisters brought their families.

I didn’t think much of his mother, who I’d only met once at their engagement party.

She’d subtly belittled Tess, making my sister uneasy, so I was glad she wasn’t here tonight.

Tess outdid herself for Mom’s birthday. Sure, Uncle Tom—Josie’s dad—was in charge of the food, and Tess had hired his staff to help with the event.

But the decorations? That was all her. The house was overflowing with flowers in soft whites and pinks—Mom’s favorite colors.

A single banner hung gracefully, and balloon bouquets in pink, white, and gold adorned every corner, adding a festive touch.

Tess had seamlessly transformed into the epitome of the Elegant Hostess. Gabriel, as always, was the perfect Debonair Host. They really were made for each other.

Mom’s fifty-ninth birthday party was everything we could have wanted for her—except that Dad wasn’t here.

I helped myself to food—I was starving because I’d skipped lunch—and stood in the kitchen with Uncle Tom’s staff because I wanted to eat before I socialized. A hungry Margo is a grumpy Margo.

Luisa found me mid-bite. “Flash drive?” she asked.

“One sec,” I said with my mouth full. I swallowed, reached into my pocket, and handed it to her. “I don’t know if what’s on there is going to help, but it was hidden and password-protected, so it could be something interesting.”

“Shouldn’t take me long,” Lu said. “You were followed?”

Word got around. “I lost him. If I didn’t have a kid in the car with me, I would have called Jack and found a way to trap him. If I see him tomorrow, I’ll engage.”

“If you need me, let me know. No classes on Friday.”

“Will do.”

Nico came in. I glanced around for his boyfriend and was grateful Quincy was nowhere in sight. I loved Nico; I didn’t love his arrogant FBI boyfriend.

Nico hugged Lu. “I’m late because of you,” he said to me.

“So I don’t get a hug?”

He kissed my cheek.

“I’m going to hunt down Josie and her new boyfriend,” Lu said.

“Give him hell,” I told her. “He’s in Fire and an only child.”

Lu laughed. “Oh, that’ll be fun!”

“Josie will kill you,” Nico said.

“She already wants to because I accidentally let my nickname for her slip around her partner. But—” I quickly added before Nico could chastise me “—I didn’t know he was in the car with her or that she had me on speakerphone.”

Nico barely suppressed a grin. “I pulled up Elijah’s file. Because the case is fairly recent, I was able to get my hands on hair samples to personally analyze them. There is no sign of long-term drug use.”

“I didn’t think so,” I said. “Does that cover all drugs?”

“No, but almost any long-term drug use will show up in hair. I might not know what specifically without further testing, but I can see a change. I also read the report in detail and there was no sign of long-term use in the organs. The liver usually takes the brunt of the hit, but depending on the type of drug, the lungs, brain, and stomach can also show signs of prolonged toxicity.”

“The detective should have explained that to his mom,” I said. I liked Rachel King less and less with each passing day. “King made it sound like Elijah was a statistic in a sea of overdose deaths.”

“He could be,” Nico said. “It doesn’t take repeated use for someone to die.”

Nico didn’t have to tell me that, but at the same time, knowing Elijah wasn’t a habitual user further validated my theory that someone had poisoned him.

“Did you test the cup found in the trash near the body?”

He didn’t say anything.

“Nico, it’s important.”

“No, because there is no evidence that the cup belonged to him, and because the case was—”

“Closed as an accidental overdose, yada yada.” I was getting sick and tired of that line. “Can you do it now?”

“No. Even if the detective orders the test, and I could find DNA or prints on the cup, that won’t tell you if he was poisoned or if he willingly ingested the fentanyl.”

“But he did ingest it. I read that in the autopsy.”

“That’s true.” Nico touched my arm. “These cases are always difficult, for cops and for families.”

“He was murdered, Nico.”

“I don’t see how to prove that, not based on the physical evidence.”

“If King had done her fucking job, she may have been able to prove it,” I snapped, then mumbled an apology. “I don’t mean to take my frustration out on you.”

“If anyone can find the truth, it’s you.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” I said, “but this time, I’m stuck. I know there’s something weird going on, but every time I think I see one small part of the puzzle, I get three more pieces that don’t fit at all.”

“Don’t force them,” Nico said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in forensics, it’s that every piece is a truth, but not all pieces fit in the same puzzle.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Don’t force what you know into a box, Margo. Figure out where each piece goes and proceed from there.”

Nico left to find Quincy and I rinsed and stacked my plate with the other used dishes. I grabbed a beer and mingled. Talked to family, friends, and even managed a five-minute conversation with one of Gabriel’s sisters. I didn’t remember if she was the heart surgeon or the college professor.

Yes, Gabriel’s family were all overachievers.

Laura walked in with her two kids. Jack immediately made a beeline to her. I was thrilled he’d finally found someone who made him happy. He deserved it.

Cody ran over to me. “Margo, we can bring you your kitten anytime you want.”

“It’s not my kitten.”

He grinned. “Just call! After four, because that’s when we’re home from school. There’s Austin!” And he was off.

That kid could charm Scrooge.

“What do you think?” Tess asked as she came over to me. “Is everyone having fun?”

“You can’t tell?” I looked pointedly around the huge great room at the dozens of people eating, drinking, talking, and laughing. “Yeah, everyone’s miserable.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, it’s good. Mom is happy.”

“I don’t know how we’re going to top this for her sixtieth.”

“I have an idea—”

“Save it until after you get back from your honeymoon, okay?”

“Oh, I was going to text you, but I got distracted.”

“I wonder why,” I mused.

She reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a folded note, handed it to me.

“I had a few minutes, so I ran John Brighton for you. He’s twenty-five, graduated from ASU with a degree in business economics. And, more importantly, he’s the corporate manager for the Cactus Stop. Basically, he oversees the management of all thirteen Stops.”

That explained why he was at the store, but it didn’t clarify why Elijah had taken his picture or looked up his address.

Maybe I was chasing a dead end, but I felt the need to talk to this John Brighton guy.

Perhaps he was stealing from the company, and Elijah had caught on.

Then again, maybe Elijah had reached out to Brighton about something suspicious he noticed at the Stop, which could explain why he visited the Cactus Stop corporate page the week he died.

“Thanks, Tess.”

“I’ll be in late tomorrow, but text if you need anything else.”

She was summoned by someone I couldn’t see, and a headache started scratching behind my eyes.

I went to the bar to grab a second beer.

Josie introduced me to her boyfriend, Ryan.

He didn’t seem like a deer caught in the headlights—he looked like he was having a blast. I definitely liked him at first glance.

They left early because Ryan’s shift started at six in the morning.

I loved family, and I loved catching up, but my heart wasn’t completely into the festivities tonight. I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer on Mom’s birthday, so I slipped outside into the beautiful evening to unwind.

I had a dark sense of foreboding that I was missing something.

I’d asked Christina and Eric all the questions I wanted.

Both were forthcoming—even Eric, who hadn’t initially wanted to talk.

I thought I’d finally convinced Angie that she needed to stay clear of the Cactus Stop, so I worried about her a little less.

I was curious about the message from Dwight Parsons, however.

It might be nothing—maybe he just wanted to talk about his dead girlfriend.

Or maybe he had information that could help me figure out what the hell was going on with Elijah before he died.

At least he was an insider at Sun Valley and might be a good person to brainstorm with.

Megan’s phone. Dammit, I left it charging in my office.

I would swing by on my way home and pick it up.

There could be nothing there... or the answers to all my questions.

I was specifically looking for any relationship with Elijah—romantic or platonic.

If there was something going on between them, that would explain why his nighttime activities started after her death.

My apprehension boiled down to being followed today. That told me I was on the right track. Who the hell was that guy? Why me? What had I done to get on his radar—and how could I trap him next time I saw him?

Because there would be a next time.

Uncle Rafe sat down next to me. He was sipping a beer. “Thank you again for the tequila. I’ll have you over one evening and cook for you, then we can enjoy a glass.”

I grinned. “Make your famous Mexican gumbo?”

“Aw, yes, that would be nice. I haven’t made it in nearly a year.”