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Jack had admired both his parents, but it was his mother’s steadfast pursuit of justice—first as a prosecutor and elected county attorney, then as a private practice lawyer, now running the family PI firm—that had driven him the most. She was the reason he became a cop, the reason he’d done the job right. He believed in the system—though what happened to his dad three years ago had definitely shaken him. It had shaken all of them.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then sat in the chair next to the lounge she relaxed in.
“Have you had dinner?” she asked.
“I’m heading to the gym, then I’ll get something.”
“I have Rita’s albondigas soup and I was going to make grilled cheese.”
She said it hopefully and Jack didn’t have the heart to decline.
“I’ll come back after the gym, but fair warning—I’ll be starving.”
“I have plenty. Is seven thirty good?”
“Perfect. Thanks.”
Jack knew that his mother missed family dinners as much as he did, as much as everyone. Maybe, if he handled the situation right, this case would bring Margo back—to the business and the family. They could reclaim Sunday dinners and find what they’d lost three years ago.
“I wanted to give you a heads-up that Margo is coming to the office tomorrow morning.”
Ava marked her place with a bookmark and put the book on the table next to her. She didn’t say a word. He knew his mom well, but times like this he couldn’t read her.
“It’s about the Desert West case,” he said. “We traced Jennifer White to the short-term rental and she met with a man there.”
“A buyer?”
“Doubtful. Logan Monroe.”
Her brows lifted in surprise. “The entrepreneur?” She sounded impressed.
He nodded. “They were only in the house for a short time before Margo showed up. She was hired by Monroe’s wife and had been thinking sex, not corporate espionage.”
“Oh. It would explain a lot if she was having an affair with Monroe. Though why would he want Desert West’s proprietary information? A rivalry?”
“According to Margo, Monroe cofounded Desert West and sold his half of the company to his former partner last year. But that’s not even the big news.” He told her everything they knew from the time Margo found Monroe and White unconscious to how White slipped away from the hospital. “White’s vehicle is still at the rental house, so Tess is sitting on the place.”
Ava smiled. They both knew how much Tess detested stakeouts. “How long will she stay there?”
“I’m taking over at nine. I don’t know how long I’ll stay, but my gut tells me she’ll return after dark to retrieve her car, if she returns at all. She may have been spooked by today’s events.”
“And what does this have to do with Margo? Other than she is tangentially involved.”
“Margo identified two unknown men watching the house from the preserve. She pursued, got photos of them, their vehicle. She shared them with us, and I asked Luisa to enhance them. Margo thinks she recognized one of the men, but we need to confirm.”
“Margo is cooperating?”
She sounded like she didn’t believe him, though Jack shouldn’t be surprised. Ava had once said she and Margo were oil and water; that was wrong, though Jack wouldn’t contradict his mother. Most of the conflict between his mom and Margo stemmed from the fact that they were too much alike: stubborn, smart, driven women who always thought they were right. They usually were. So when they disagreed on something, it was explosive.
“I asked her to work with us on this case. She agreed to let me chat with Monroe.”
“She couldn’t very well do it since his wife is her client.”
“And,” Jack said, ignoring the snide undertone of his mother’s comment, “Monroe claimed that White called him, asked to meet in a private location to share something with him. He claims he doesn’t know what specifically, that they passed out before she could show him whatever it was.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No.”
