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“I suggest,” Miriam said carefully, “that you focus on your business, and I focus on mine. We’ve had a good working relationship over the years. I would hate to have something come between us.”
“Did you know when I arrived at the house both Ms. White and Mr. Monroe were unconscious?” A flicker in her eyes. Surprise that they were incapacitated? “The house was leased by Monroe’s company, but sent to Ms. White’s email. I deduce she was the likely target. If she’s in danger, I should offer my services. Maybe even bring in the police.”
Miriam turned angry.
“Stay out of it, Margo,” she said sharply. “You have no idea what’s going on, and you’re going to create more trouble for everyone—including yourself.”
“Trouble’s my middle name.”
I walked out.
So... Jennifer White. That was Miriam’s interest. And she had been surprised that they were unconscious. That relieved me. I couldn’t be certain Miriam had nothing to do with it, but that seemed to cross a legal line I didn’t think Miriam would cross.
I wanted to know why Miriam was following Jennifer White, especially in light of yesterday’s events.
After I started my Jeep, I called Tess. Her voice came through my car speakers. “Tess Angelhart.”
“Found White yet?” I asked.
“Nope. Hasn’t picked up her car in Paradise Valley, hasn’t been back to her condo, but she called in sick for work.”
I wasn’t surprised. “Do you think White knows that her boss is investigating her?”
“Maybe. She told Monroe that she thought someone was following her. I don’t think she spotted us. Jack, Nate, and I rotated shifts, different cars, different times, and I think it would be unlikely...but we can’t rule it out.”
Jack was too experienced to be caught tailing, but there was always a chance if the target was paranoid. And right now, everything Tess had told me—and what I had witnessed—showed Jennifer White to be both paranoid and scared.
“Miriam didn’t spill everything,” I said, “but she’s tracking White. I don’t think she was behind the drugging—she seemed genuinely surprised when I told her—but I can’t discount it. What I know is that Miriam was hired to find, follow, or track White.”
“She’s certainly become popular this last week,” Tess muttered.
“She called Monroe and wanted to show him something on her computer. She didn’t plan to stay in the house—if she had luggage with her, she left it in her car. No food to prepare, and if she was in hiding, I think she would have bought groceries. So I’m thinking the computer is the key.”
“All evidence points to her downloading the software. I think this meeting is proof, but Jack says it’s not enough.”
“Other people could want the information.”
“There are easier ways to steal a laptop.”
Much easier. “I have to check in on Monroe’s whereabouts and dig into a few other things. Call me if you need me. And if you get a line on White, she hasn’t seen me, so I can track her for you.”
“I’m looking deeper into her family—our standard background found nothing suspicious, but there really wasn’t much there. Also, she has no social media footprint.”
Definitely odd for a twenty-six-year-old computer expert, I thought.
“No Instagram, no TikTok, no Facebook,” Tess continued. “Even her personnel file is bare bones—high school in Miami, college in Austin, Texas. And she never had social media, even in college.”
“Maybe Jennifer White isn’t her name,” I mumbled.
“What?” Tess said.
“Nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.”
“No footprint, minimal background...maybe she changed her name.” I thought of Annie and her new name. Running from her abusive spouse. April Carra would never have a social media platform. “Did you look into that?”
“No,” Tess said. “I had no reason to believe she changed her name, but I can check court records.”
