Page 78 of You'll Never Find Me

“I need more.”

“Like?”

“Complaints. Over and above the typical bullshit complaints. Reprimands. The guy was abusing his wife. Margo said he raped her repeatedly. She wasn’t allowed to say not tonight, honey. A man like that isn’t going to be a saint on the street.”

“Hmm.”

Rick didn’t know if Otto agreed with him. He waited, didn’t push. Drained his beer. He didn’t get another. His father was an alcoholic, and Rick didn’t want to end up the same way, chasing beer with bourbon every night until his mood turned dark and violent.

“I’ll talk to Jesse.” Jesse Otter, Otto’s brother, was a lieutenant with DPS. He would have access to personnel records of all troopers, and would know if there were quiet concerns about Carillo that didn’t make it into his file. “I’ll leave Margo out of it, because if she knows where the woman is, she can be compelled by the court to testify. I’m sure Carillo will be petitioning the court for custody or abandonment.”

“Margo says she doesn’t know where Annie is.” Rick wasn’t positive he believed her. He also wondered if she would lie under oath. She could lose her license, be prosecuted, or jailed for contempt. But Margo was a rock—she couldn’t be swayed if she thought she was right. He admired her loyalty as much as he was frustrated with her stubbornness.

“Still, I don’t want to put her in the spotlight,” Otto said.

“I appreciate it.”

“Might take me a day or two.”

“Anything you can learn would be great. I don’t want to go to his supervisor, since I don’t have cause to ask about him. And I don’t know Jesse well enough to go to him with this.” The lieutenant wasn’t as friendly as his brother.

“Is Margo in danger?”

Otto liked Margo. She had that way with people. She could be cynical and surly, but befriended people easier than anyone Rick knew.

He missed her. Seeing her today reminded him how much he missed her. But it was over.

“He ran her plates without cause. Hasn’t confronted her yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Detective Sullivan out of the 200 is assigned to his wife’s missing persons case. I read the report. No sign of foul play, no air travel. She left her passport at home, as well as her phone, her credit cards, wedding ring. Took the kids, didn’t take her car.”

“Margo.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll let you know what I find out.” He rose, dropped his beer bottle in a plastic can on the back porch. Rick followed suit, walked Otto to the door.

“Thanks, buddy,” Rick said. “Best to Mickey.”

“Anytime.”

Rick double checked all the doors, brought the dogs in, showered, and went to bed. He didn’t sleep for a long time.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Margo.

Thoughts about the case faded away to thoughts about the last time he’d seen her—the fight, his anger, her anger, the overwhelming sensation that he was losing something he desperately wanted.

But there was no going back.

Some things couldn’t be forgiven, and Sam was the most important person on earth to Rick.

Thirty-Five

The Thief

He watched the firefighters and police from the ridge above Desert West Financial. He’d bought himself a little time. He hoped it was enough time to turn this miserable situation around.

It had been his idea to set Logan up for cheating, knowing that Brittney would get far more money in the divorce. Between the millions he had stolen from the company and the millions Brittney would get when she left Logan, they could go anywhere they wanted and start their own business, their own life.

But Brittney had screwed everything up. She’d jumped the gun, brought in some PI to track Logan before he’d had time to set up the honey trap. It was Brittney’s PI who had screwed up his plans to destroy Jennifer White’s laptop.