Page 8 of Out of the Shadows (Angelhart Investigations)

Margo left Logan’s office without talking to him and drove to his golf resort nestled in Desert Ridge, an area west of Scottsdale.

He’d bought it several years ago with a group of local investors who wanted to bring one of the oldest Phoenix resorts back

to life after years of neglect. Golf was as common as breathing in the desert, and while Margo didn’t particularly care for

the sport, her dad, Jack, and younger sister, Luisa, loved it.

True to her word, Veronica had contacted the resort manager, Annette DuBois, who already knew of Margo from the work Angelhart

Investigations had been doing for Logan. She drove Margo in a golf cart to the far side of the property where the maintenance

building was located.

“Veronica said to help with anything you need,” Annette said with a slight accent. Margo wasn’t good with accents—she thought

maybe European. Annette had been with the resort since Logan and his group bought it.

“Can you tell me anything about Charlie Barrett?”

“I can tell you that he didn’t come to work on Saturday when he was scheduled. I don’t normally concern myself with day-to-day

staff issues, but because it’s Charlie I’m kept apprised.”

“Which means?”

“He’s Mr. Monroe’s brother-in-law, and while Mr. Monroe has said that no one should give him special consideration, that’s

a difficult rule to follow.”

“You don’t want to rat him out,” Margo said bluntly.

“You could say that. Charlie is gifted—he can fix anything, and everyone likes him. He’s friendly, kind, will do anything

that is asked of him, no matter how mundane or complicated.”

“But,” Margo prompted, sensing there was more.

“He’s not punctual, often misses shifts without notice. His work is good, but he’s slow, not from carefulness, though he is

meticulous, but because he’s easily distracted. He might start fixing a sprinkler head, then pause to stare at a tree or get

sidetracked replacing a dead bush, forgetting the original task. His supervisor often has to remind him.”

“That gives me a clear picture,” Margo said. It aligned with what Jack had told her.

“I have a twelve-year-old son,” Annette added. “He’s brilliant, does well in school, but his teachers have told me he daydreams.

Doesn’t listen in class, stares out the window. They have to call his name multiple times. When I ask him about this, he says

he gets caught up thinking through a problem. Charlie’s the same. The difference is, my son is still a child. Charlie’s a

grown man.”

“I get it. I’m sure Logan would want honesty, though.”

“No one has lied to him. Mr. Monroe has turned this resort around in far less time than I thought possible. His vision is

sound, he listens, and he is surprisingly approachable. But no one wants to tell him his brother-in-law is lazy.”

“I think he knows that.”

Annette pulled up to a cement building discreetly built behind a row of palm trees. Employee parking on the opposite side,

and a covered patio area lined with misters for taking breaks. A row of maintenance carts and small trucks were neatly parked.

Annette escorted Margo into the building, said hello to the secretary, who appeared to be doing three things at once, and

walked down the hall to a small office with windows looking out to the green.

“Frank, do you have a minute?”

“Yeah, one sec.” He finished what he was typing—it took him a minute as he used only his index fingers to do so. “Okay, how

can I help you, Annette?”

“This is Margo Angelhart. She’s Mr. Monroe’s private investigator with some questions about Charlie Barrett. Mr. Monroe has

asked that we cooperate fully.”

“Well, damn,” Frank said.

“I’ll let you talk, before I take Ms. Angelhart back to her vehicle.”

“No need for you to wait, Annette,” Frank said. “I have to go to the lodge anyway to meet the contractor about the fountain.

I’ll take her back.”

“Very well, thank you,” Annette said, then nodded to Margo and left.

“Sit, sit,” he said, motioning to a vinyl-covered chair. “Coffee? Water?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He picked up a mug, drank, grimaced, put it down. “Charlie. Damn. What’dya want to know?”

“His ex-wife and children were in an accident last night and neither Laura nor Logan has been able to reach him. Logan asked

me to track him down.”

His face fell. “Are they okay?”

“Yes, they’re fine. Just want to talk to their dad.”

“They’re great kids. What do you need from me?”

“Annette said that Charlie didn’t show up for work on Saturday.”

Frank frowned and nodded. “Didn’t even call, though that isn’t unusual.”

“Does he have a schedule?”

“Yes.” Frank turned to his computer, typed with one finger, then said, “Okay... he works Wednesday through Saturday, 6:00

a.m. to 3:00 p.m. He’s often late, and I dock him for that. He’s always apologetic. Friday he left early—took his lunch at

eleven, which is usual, then told one of the other guys that he might be late getting back, but didn’t return. Typical.”

“How often would you say he misses work or leaves early?”

“Used to be at least once a week, but he was getting better the last couple months. Sure, he still comes in late near every

day, but until Friday, when he just left at lunch without a word, he hadn’t missed work in weeks. I don’t mean to be ragging

on him, I like Charlie. When I really need him—like when the monsoon came through here a couple weeks ago and we worked round

the clock to fix the damage? He’s here, no complaints. If I didn’t like him, I woulda told Logan it wasn’t working out. And

if the guys didn’t like the big boss, they wouldn’t put up with the special treatment Charlie gets being late and skipping

out.”

Between Jack, Annette and Frank, Margo had a good picture of Charlie Barrett. “Did Charlie tell his coworker where he was

going for lunch?”

“I don’t know. Julio didn’t say to me.”

“Do you mind if I talk to him?”

“I’ll need to translate. Julio doesn’t speak much English.”

“I’m bilingual,” Margo said.

“Hold on a sec.” Again, using one finger, Frank typed on his computer. “Okay—he’s out working on one of our flower beds. I’ll

take you to him. Unless you have another question for me?”

“Does Charlie have a locker here?”

“We don’t have lockers.”

“Then I guess we’ll talk to Julio,” she said.

It took five minutes to take the golf cart to a flower bed adjacent to Bar Nine, an open-air full-service bar and coffee shop

at the ninth hole. A foursome were drinking coffee at one of the patio tables, two golf carts parked in one of many slots.

Julio was fixing an irrigation issue on one side of the flower bed, the flowers dug up and placed carefully on the ground

next to him.

Frank introduced them and told Julio to answer all Margo’s questions.

It didn’t take long to learn that Charlie hadn’t told Julio where he was going Friday afternoon. “Do you work with Charlie

regularly?” Margo asked in Spanish.

“Yes,” he said.

“Do you get along with him?”

He shrugged. “Sure. He’s all right.”

“Does he often leave early?”

He shrugged again. “More often than most, but he tries to make it up.”

“His ex-wife can’t reach him. Other times he’s left early, where has he gone?”

“Don’t know. He doesn’t tell me. Not evasive, just says bye, see you tomorrow.”

“So he was planning to work Saturday?”

“Didn’t say he wasn’t. I don’t work Saturdays.” He glanced at Frank.

“Charlie didn’t come in this weekend.”

He frowned at the muddy flower bed. “Aww, that’s why this is so bad.”

Margo asked, “Has Charlie’s behavior changed over the last few weeks?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Has he been more secretive, leaving early more often, acting preoccupied? Any change of behavior.”

Julio thought. “He’s been on the phone a lot over the last week or so.”

“Define ‘a lot.’”

“Six, seven calls a day? And texting. Lotta texting.”

Frank swore under his breath.

“And he didn’t say who?” Margo asked.

“No—well, on Wednesday I think it was, he was texting a lot, and he looked upset. I asked him if something was wrong, you

know? With his family. I know he’s divorced, but he talks about his kids all the time, proud of them, proud of his ex-wife

too—there’s no like, um, anger. Sometimes there is, you know.”

“I do,” Margo said. “So you asked and what did he say?”

“He said it was nothing, a job he was doing for someone.” He glanced at Frank.

“No moonlighting allowed?” Margo asked Frank.

“I don’t care, one of my guys has a house-cleaning service with his wife and sister. Works one day a week with them. But if

Charlie is leaving early to work another job? I’d definitely talk to the boss about that.”

“I’ll find out and tell Logan myself,” Margo said and turned back to Julio. “Anything else you remember about these calls

and texts?”

“Only that he was on a call Friday for fifteen minutes before he told me he had to run an errand and might be late getting

back from lunch. I didn’t hear the conversation, but he looked frustrated. Like, um, if you’re explaining something to someone

and they aren’t getting it, so you explain it again and again.”

“That’s helpful. Thanks, Julio. If you think of anything else, please let Frank know. And if you or anyone else hears from

Charlie, call me.” Margo gave him her card.

“Do it,” Frank said, giving his blessing. “It’s okay with Mr. Monroe and it’s okay with me.”