Page 24 of Out of the Shadows (Angelhart Investigations)

Laura agreed with her brother about Charlie’s behavior, but she didn’t like how he was talking to her ex-husband, especially

when the children were within earshot.

“Logan, please keep your voice down,” she said.

“He has no idea that he’s put you and the kids in danger!”

“He knows,” Laura said. “I explained it to him.”

“No one is in danger,” Charlie said, which clearly contradicted her.

“Charlie, we talked about this,” she said.

“The only option you have is to give those jewels to their rightful owner,” Logan said.

“I am the rightful owner!” Charlie said. “I won the bid on the storage locker and they’re mine. I read the contract carefully.

Everything inside belongs to me.”

“The owner died and his partner put the goods into storage without knowing what was in there,” Logan said, clearly trying

to remain calm.

“He should have paid the bill,” Charlie said, defiant.

“It is immoral and unethical for you to keep that property,” Logan said. “I’ll give you what you paid for the unit, fair enough?”

“What’s a couple million to a multimillionaire? Just give it away! This is my future , Laura’s future.”

“It’s not my future,” Laura said. “What has happened to you, Charlie? When we met, you never would have kept something that didn’t belong

to you.”

“But I bought it fair and square!”

Luisa stepped into the fray. “Take the temperature down a degree,” she said firmly.

Laura was relieved when both Logan and Charlie listened. Charlie went to the kitchen, and Logan sat down on the couch in the

living room.

Laura was torn. Logan looked upset, but Charlie was agitated.

She said to her brother, “Let me talk to him. He’ll listen to me.”

Logan shrugged. “Maybe he will. He doesn’t listen to anyone else.”

Laura went into the kitchen and said, “I agree with you, Charlie. You legally bid and bought the unit. They are yours to keep.”

“Thank you!” he said.

“But it’s wrong for you to keep them. I don’t think the lawyer or his family knew that the jewels had been sent to him—John

Thornton died shortly after learning about the inheritance.”

He frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“I know you’ll do the right thing,” she said. “I’m sure the family will reimburse you for your expenses. Sometimes you go

down the wrong path, but you always end up in the right place.”

“You still left me.”

What did she say to that? He hadn’t listened to her for years. She could repeat herself a hundred times and he still wouldn’t

see that a marriage without trust was not a marriage.

“Are you dating him?” he asked.

She cleared her throat. “What?” Though she knew exactly what Charlie meant.

“The private investigator. What’s his name.”

“Jack Angelhart?”

“Yeah. Are you?”

“We just met,” Laura said. “He’s friends with Logan.”

“That isn’t an answer.”

“It is. I’m not dating someone I literally just met for the first time yesterday.”

But she wanted to. Jack wanted to. They were going to go out when all this was over. The thought made her almost giddy with

excitement, though Charlie was putting a big damper on that.

“If you don’t want what I can now give you, the kids will. I can pay for their college and get a house and they can come live

with me half the time.”

“No,” she said quietly.

“You said when I settled down that we could share custody. I now have the money to be able to settle down and you’re changing

the terms?”

This didn’t sound like the Charlie she knew. This was angry Charlie. He sounded as if she had betrayed him . Maybe he sensed her feelings for Jack, however new they were. She was thirty-six. A grown woman. She knew who she was attracted

to, who she wanted to spend time with, and she trusted her judgment.

“I never said we’d share custody. I have always told you that you can see the kids whenever you want. Big difference. They

live here, they are not going back and forth to two different houses. You agreed stability is important, and I have never

said you couldn’t come by. Not once.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I do. It’s you who needs to accept the truth.”

Luisa came in. “That was Margo on the phone. Aberdeen caused an accident on the 303 and got away.”

Laura gasped. “Is anyone hurt?”

“Appears to be minor injuries. But we need to be on alert. Margo’s on her way.”

“Not Jack ?” Charlie said in a snide voice.

“Stop, Charlie,” Laura said. “Just stop.”

“Fine. I’ll go.”

“No,” Luisa said. “No one leaves. Aberdeen knows where you live, Charlie, and he knows where Laura lives. We need everyone

here where we can keep you safe until the police find him. I’m going to talk to Sydney and Cody and let them know what’s going

on, if that’s okay.”

“Yes, thanks,” Laura said. “Should we all be in the same room?”

“They’re good in the den playing video games,” Luisa said. “Less stressful for them. Stay put, I’ll be right back.”

After Luisa left, Charlie said, “I’m sorry, Laura.”

She waited for the but .

It didn’t come.

Maybe there was hope for him.

“I know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“I still don’t know how this guy knew where I lived. Where you lived.”

She had a thought. “When did you lose your phone?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You called Greg and then Bob, so you must have—”

“I called them before I even picked up the stuff.”

“Where were you Friday night?”

“Oh, I couldn’t park the U-Haul near the condo, so I paid for parking at a garage, then left early Saturday morning. That’s

why I thought I left my phone at home, because I was tired. Why?”

“I’m trying to figure out how Aberdeen found out where you lived. If he had your phone, he could have all your contact information.

And mine.”

“Oh.” Charlie frowned. “Well, yeah maybe. I might have lost it when I was loading up the U-Haul.”

“You’re really lucky that Aberdeen didn’t break in Friday night while you were there.”

Or he needed to recruit someone to help him, Laura thought.

How had Aberdeen known that the jewels were in the storage locker? He must have known the lawyer was given the jewels in the

will... and then he died.

Was it natural? An accident?

Or had Jerry Aberdeen killed him?

Laura called Margo.

“I’m on way back, everything good?”

“Yes,” Laura said. “Do you know how John Thornton died?”

“Um—no. My mom knew that he died earlier this year, but I didn’t ask her the details.”

“He died around the time that he received the inheritance, right?”

“Yeah, so? Oh.”

She obviously came to the same conclusion Laura had.

“Aberdeen,” Laura said. “What if he killed him for the jewels? But either John hid them or hadn’t received them yet.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

When Laura turned around, Charlie was gone.

And so was the jewelry box.