Page 23 of Out of the Shadows (Angelhart Investigations)

Tess was her usual brilliant self and located the hotel Jerry Aberdeen was staying at, not far from the storage locker.

Margo grabbed her keys and was heading out the door when her mom stepped out and said, “Margo.”

She stopped, antsy to get going. “I’ll call Jack for backup.”

“Of course you will. You also need to know that Jerry Aberdeen has a lengthy record in California. Assault, battery, theft,

going back to when he was nineteen. Most charges were dropped or reduced, but he spent eighteen months in prison for assault

with a deadly weapon. The last five years he has apparently been clean.”

“Or just got better at not being caught,” Margo mumbled.

“And,” Tess said, “I found a gossip column that says Jerry had a very public falling-out with his mother after his grandmother’s

funeral when he learned she left him a million dollars in her will. He’s quoted as saying, ‘The bitch was worth hundreds of

millions and she leaves me only one.’”

“Only a million,” Ava said, shaking her head.

“He must have known her godson, not even a blood relative, received a two-million-dollar ruby,” Margo guessed. “I’ll give

Jack the heads-up and he’ll meet me there. Thanks.”

Margo called Jack as soon as she was on the road.

“I need backup,” she said. “We found where Jerry Aberdeen is staying.” She told him everything Tess and their mom had said.

“Send me the address,” Jack said. “Charlie’s here.”

“Told you he’d show up there.”

“I didn’t doubt you. And you were right about the ruby—he hadn’t found it.”

“So, do you think he’ll give it to the Thornton family?”

“I don’t know.”

“He should. I mean, legally it’s his, but they didn’t even know it was in there,” Margo said. “The timing is too tight—Thornton probably died before

he received the package from the lawyer.”

“It’s really his partner’s fault for not being more thorough before packing up the office,” Jack said. “Laura wants him to

give it to the family, and maybe they’d pay him whatever he spent on the unit. But we’ll deal with that after Laura and the

kids are safe.”

“It’s going to take me thirty-five minutes to get to Aberdeen’s hotel. I hate downtown traffic.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

“Did you call Logan?”

“No, there’s a lot going on here right now.”

“I’ll call and fill him in. Do you think Luisa can handle the four of them?”

“Luisa can handle anything,” Jack said, “but I’ll lay down the law and explain the danger. Looks like we’re putting Charlie

under our protective wing.”

Margo ended the call, then called Logan and told him what they knew.

“I’m going over there.”

“No need. Luisa is holding down the fort while Jack and I track down Aberdeen.”

“I didn’t ask for permission. Charlie betrayed my trust, and he put my sister in danger. He never sees the error of his ways;

he will this time.”

She wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it, so she didn’t try. “Jack’s telling everyone to stay inside, doors locked, until

he returns. Luisa is there, she’s well-trained and a Marine. She knows what she’s doing.”

“I have no doubt that she is as competent and capable as you and your brother. Let me know when you arrest Aberdeen.”

“Logan, I’m not a cop. We can’t arrest anyone. But if we see a damaged truck that matches the one that hit Laura, we can call

the police to investigate.”

He paused. “Oh. Right. I’ll talk to you later.”

He ended the call. She wanted to tell him about Brittney and the congresswoman’s son, but she should probably tell him in

person. It might not matter, but Margo didn’t trust the woman, and Logan needed to know.

“There’s his truck,” Margo said to Jack, who she had on speaker. He was right behind her as they circled the lot of the hotel.

It was a black Dodge Ram pickup with damage to its passenger side-bumper. Luisa hadn’t been able to enhance the video enough

to get all the numbers on the plate, but the last three were 733—and these matched.

And California plates. Bingo.

“I’ll call the officer who investigated the hit-and-run,” Jack said. “If he doesn’t jump on it, I’ll call Rick.”

“I’ll park behind the truck so he can’t get out.”

“Stay alert.”

Jack ended the call and Margo put her Jeep in Park behind Aberdeen’s truck. He had a partner—but was it someone he knew or

someone he’d hired? He had no close family and he wasn’t from Phoenix.

But he was a criminal, and probably had connections in that world.

She’d been piecing together the puzzle, and figured the most likely scenario was that Aberdeen had gotten Charlie’s name from

the storage center during bidding. Except how did he know where Charlie lived? If he followed him, wouldn’t he have jumped

him to get the jewels? Or known that he went to Los Angeles? He would have no reason to go after Laura if he knew how to get

to Charlie.

Charlie hadn’t answered his phone and had told Jack and Laura that he’d lost it. What if Aberdeen had grabbed the phone and

paperwork from the U-Haul truck at the facility? It would have Charlie’s personal information on it. Except Charlie had called

his friend Greg and his friend Bob on Friday and didn’t drop the boxes off in Bob’s garage until Saturday morning, and Bishop

Securities hadn’t seen the two men entering Charlie’s condo until Saturday night.

Something didn’t quite fit, Margo thought. Aberdeen saw Charlie on Friday... could he have bribed the U-Haul manager? Or

the Storage Spot? Maybe he didn’t have to bribe anyone; the manager at the Storage Spot said they’d had a break-in the night

before the auction. Could Aberdeen have broken into the facility a second time to access Charlie’s contact information?

The break-in at Charlie’s had been Saturday night. Aberdeen hadn’t found the jewels, maybe waited around to see if Charlie

would come home... When he hadn’t, or when he’d seen the Bishop Security team, he’d left—with Charlie’s computer and information

about Laura. Followed her, maybe to see if she’d lead him to Charlie. When she didn’t, they ran her off the road and searched

her house.

It fit, but not perfectly, and Margo hoped she’d have the opportunity to ask Aberdeen. She considered how lucky Charlie had

been to avoid running into Jerry Aberdeen every step of the way. And then Charlie went to Los Angeles to meet with the lawyer

who’d sent the jewelry to John Thornton and no one knew where he was or what he was doing.

Jack called her. “I don’t know when the police are going to get here, but they are aware of the situation. They already have

nine calls holding, and this isn’t an active crime in progress.”

“Did you call Rick?” Rick was a sergeant in the precinct that bordered the 200, where the hotel was located.

“He can’t send anyone, they’re all out on calls, but said he’d come himself if we need him. Wait—shit, he’s coming out the

side door.”

“Alone?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll have a conversation with him.”

“Margo—”

“Just stay where you are—I’ll put in my earbuds, you’ll hear everything. Back me up. I’m not as physically threatening as

you.”

She stayed in her Jeep blocking Aberdeen’s truck. When he saw her he didn’t think twice. He walked over to her driver’s window

and tapped.

She rolled it down a crack. “Yeah?”

“You’re blocking my truck.”

He wore sunglasses and she couldn’t see his eyes, but it was Aberdeen.

“I was looking for you,” Margo said. “You’re Jerry Aberdeen, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know you.”

“I have some questions. Do you have a few minutes?”

He was suspicious and stepped back.

“You’re not a cop.”

“No, I’m not,” she said with a light laugh. “I’m a private investigator, and your truck may have been involved in a hit-and-run

on Sunday night.”

“Nope, not me,” he said with a cocky grin. “Sorry. Now move, I have places to go, people to see.”

In her earbuds, Jack said, “Let him go and we’ll follow him.”

She didn’t want to, but it was the smart move.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yep.”

“Then how did you get the damage to your car?”

“Some asshole backed into me. Look, I really have to go. So move or I’m calling hotel security.”

“Sorry to bother you,” she said, then put her car in Drive and pulled away.

Jack said, “Okay, I’ll tail, you get behind me since he saw your Jeep.”

Margo did as her brother said, driving around the hotel perimeter until she was behind Jack, who was already moving in pursuit.

Jack said, “I’m putting you on a three-way with Rick.”

A few seconds later, Margo heard Rick saying, “I’ll pull him over. Do you know if he’s armed?”

“He has been in prison for assault with a deadly, so assume yes.”

“Don’t confront him,” Rick said. “I read the hit-and-run report, and the truck matches the description, the California plate

is a big plus.”

“He’s heading north on 17,” Jack said. “That’s in the direction of Laura Barrett’s house.”

“I’ll call DPS,” Rick said.

In the background, Margo heard Rick calling for assistance over the radio to be on the lookout for a vehicle suspected in

a felony hit-and-run Sunday night. He rattled off the plates that Jack had given him and the current location of the driver.

A few seconds later, Margo heard acknowledgment from dispatch, then a minute later dispatch relayed that there was a DPS officer

at the Pioneer exit who had been alerted to the suspect’s vehicle.

That wasn’t far—but it was past the exit to Laura’s house.

“Shit,” Jack said, “he’s getting off on the 303.”

And that was the exit before Laura’s.

“Did he see you?” Margo asked.

“I don’t know,” Jack mumbled. “He’s heading west on 303, approximately seventy miles per hour. Now seventy-five.” The speed

limit on that stretch was seventy.

Rick relayed the new information to his dispatcher, then told Jack, “Stay back. I’m gaining, do not confront him.”

“How would I do that without lights and sirens?” Jack snapped.

A moment later, Rick said, “DPS are sending two units toward your location.”

Then Jack said, “He’s bolting. Just floored it to ninety.”

“Stand down, Jack,” Rick said.

Jack didn’t respond and Margo saw him pull away from her, speeding to catch up with Aberdeen.

Margo loved her old Wrangler, but the Jeep didn’t like going over eighty. She got up to eighty-three and still Jack was pulling

away. As they approached a wide curve, Margo lost sight of him.

She said, “Rick, Jack’s pursuing.”

“I’m not letting him get away,” Jack said. “Aw, shit.”

Margo heard the squealing of tires and rubber and then a crash. “Jack!”

She pushed her Jeep and rounded the curve. She saw Jack stopped in the median. Two cars and a minivan had somehow hit each

other, and one was blocking the third lane—particularly dangerous because of the curve behind them.

Jack said, “He sideswiped a car that then swerved and hit two others. Possible injuries. I’m helping. Dammit! He’s gone.”

Rick relayed the accident to dispatch, and Margo ended the call. She pulled her Jeep behind Jack and got out. He and one of

the other drivers were pushing the vehicle that was blocking traffic to the side, but it was seriously damaged and they could

only get it into the fourth lane, not all the way over. Margo pulled out three flares from her emergency kit and lit them,

running back to drop them intermittently at fifty-foot intervals. Then she returned to the accident.

The minivan was full of kids—two of whom were in car seats. The mom was sitting behind the wheel. Margo went to her because

Jack and the other driver were still trying to get the third vehicle off the road. That driver appeared to have a head injury.

“Are you okay?” Margo asked the woman in the minivan.

“Yes. That truck—he hit me! And just left!”

“Police are on their way,” Margo said.

“I got his plates,” a teenage boy sitting in the front seat said. He rattled them off. “A California plate.”

“I hate California drivers,” the mother muttered.

The kids all appeared to be uninjured, but Margo told them to stay in the car. She asked the mom, “Is your car drivable?”

“I think so. I don’t know. It feels like the alignment is off.”

Margo walked around and inspected the damage. Aberdeen had sideswiped the minivan, the scrape was evident, and the front passenger

wheel well was seriously dented, the wheel axis crooked. She went back to the mom. “You’ll need a tow.” She saw Rick’s patrol

vehicle speed up and park between her Jeep and Jack’s truck. He looked pissed. She decided to stay with the minivan and let

Rick yell at Jack. No use having both her and Rick go at her brother.

And if she was going to be honest with herself—which she usually was—she would have pursued Aberdeen, too.

She called Luisa.

“Hey—Aberdeen caused an accident and got away. Jack and I will be there as soon as we can, but be alert.”

“I am. Logan just got here. He and Charlie are in a heated argument.”

“Jack was a witness, he can’t leave yet; I can. Be there in fifteen.”