Page 76 of I’ll Be Watching You

“You’re his lawyer! Didn’t you talk to him? Anything?”

She was panicking, and that wasn’t going to do any of them any good.

Rita shook her head, eyes briefly flicking to Quincy before settling on Ava. “They wouldn’t bring him out. Orders of the warden. The warden wasn’t available, so I talked to the assistant warden. He seems understanding, but he can’t countermand the order.”

Ava’s mouth fell open, but no words came out. The weight of the room pressed in on her. “But . . . he didn’t do anything. Why is he in solitary?”

Rita’s voice dropped. “Ava, the assistant warden assures me that Cooper is safe and secure, and he’s going to see what he can do. He needs to talk to the warden, look at the order, understand the situation. Cooper arrived early in the morning and he agreed it was unusual. I’m going to petition for my rights as his lawyer to have a consult with him. Maybe I can get in later today, but most likely it’ll be morning. And I asked specifically that you, as his wife, be allowed to visit with him.”

“How can you know he’s safe?”

Rita hesitated, and Ava’s stomach dropped.

“You can’t know,” Ava said.

“I felt strongly that the assistant warden was forthcoming,” Rita said. “He knows we’re in town and aren’t leaving until we talk to Cooper. He assured me he is safe in solitary, and that they don’t want anyone hurt on their watch. I’ll continue to push, and I will talk to him tomorrow even if I have to file an emergency request with the court. We will find out what’s going on. Okay?”

Ava looked away, her eyes filling. She shouldn’t take this out on her sister; none of this was Rita’s fault.

She turned to Quincy. “We should have brought all this to light years ago. I should have fought harder. I let him go to prison for a lie we both told, and now he’s locked away and I can’t even see him.”

Quincy said, “I’ll make some calls, find answers. I promise, Ava, I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that Cooper is safe. Solitary may be the best place for him here.”

She looked up at him, eyes wet, nodded. He might be right.

Ava wouldn’t get any closer to seeing Cooper if she pitched a fit in here, and they might ban her completely from the facility.

“Okay,” she said. “We go to the hotel and call everyone who can get us answers. But if we don’t have the answer I want in the morning? I’ll call in every favor with every prosecutor, judge, and governor I know. Cooper doesn’t belong in here, and I swear to God, I’m going to bring him home.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Margo Angelhart

I was not above breaking the law when absolutely necessary, but I really hoped that Luisa wouldn’t get caught for hacking into the VA.

I decided that I couldn’t stress about that at this moment; I had my own work to do, which, from my perspective, was a lot easier than Lu’s job.

I didn’t actually need to find Mildred Maddox. Tess had already sent me her contact information for both Wyoming and Scottsdale residences, in addition to her résumé that had helpfully been posted on LinkedIn. I had phone numbers, emails, and the name of her spouse.

Wyoming was cold this time of year, so I figured Mildred would be in Scottsdale, if she was a traditional snowbird who enjoyed Arizona’s mild winters. I figured right.

I just hadn’t figured on a gatekeeper.

“Mrs. Maddox cannot come to the phone right now. May I take a message?” a female voice said very formally.

“This is Margo Angelhart,” I said. “I need to speak with Mrs. Maddox regarding a clinical trial that she oversaw at the VA.”

“I will give her the message.”

“I would like to speak with her now, if possible.”

“I’m sorry, she is unavailable. If you would please leave your number and spell your last name, I will give her the message.”

Irritating, but I complied. I’d give her twenty minutes to return my call. She should recognize my name. Yes, the VA is a large entity, but most doctors don’t confess to murder.

If she didn’t call, I’d track her down in person. It could be a complete waste of time, but it had to be done.

I considered that she might be involved. Possible. Yet, she was retired. If she had been involved, then there would be something in her financial records that may show that. But getting them—legally—would be virtually impossible, though I could find basic information through public records databases.