Page 33 of Out of the Shadows
“Give Tess time. We’ve dumped a lot on her plate today, and we just got the information an hour ago. Did you get the picture I sent of the truck turning onto Laura’s street? I sent it to Luisa to see if she can enhance the license plate.”
“If anyone can, it’s Lu,” Margo said. “See you in a bit.”
Bob and Beth O’Neill lived on a cul-de-sac in Arrowhead Ranch, an upscale planned community built around man-made lagoons. A Ford Explorer was parked in the driveway with a decal on the back window with stick figures portraying a dad, mom, big girl, little boy, little girl, dog and two cats.
She knocked on the door and a dog barked twice. No one came to the door, but Margo heard laughter and shouts from the backyard, then a splash. She rang the bell and the dog barked again, and then she heard someone coming to the door, telling “Barkley” to stop barking.
Good name for a dog.
A woman answered the door wearing a tank top and shorts, her skin slick with sunscreen. “Yes?”
“Beth O’Neill?”
“Yes?” she said, more cautious.
Margo introduced herself and explained why she was there. “Have you or your husband heard from Charlie in the last few days?”
“Come in, the cold air is escaping,” Beth said. “Barkley doesn’t bite.”
Margo glanced at the drooling mutt—a hint of Lab, maybe, but definitely a mix. He looked like he was smiling at her.
“Hold on,” Beth said. “I need to make sure my oldest will keep an eye on my youngest.” She left the room and Margo looked around.
The house was comfortable and looked like it catered to their kids. Bookshelves filled with games, comfortable furniture, and based on the dog hair, the couch appeared to be Barkley’s preferred bed. Beth returned a minute later with two water bottles, handed one to Margo. “You look hot.”
“Thanks,” Margo said.
“How is Laura?” Beth asked.
“Good.” She and Jack had already decided not to mention the hit-and-run and break-in, unless they had a good reason to do so. Instead, she repeated her line that Laura was worried that she couldn’t reach Charlie.
“Charlie is not the most responsible person,” Beth said. “I wish Laura would have called me, I would have helped. She didn’t have to hire a private investigator.”
“Actually, my firm is on retainer with her brother Logan, so it’s not a problem.”
“Aw. I don’t know Logan well. When Laura and Charlie were still married we did a lot together. I love Laura. She was always so busy, though, with her clinic and her horses.”
This conversation wasn’t yielding any information. Margo said, “So you and your husband haven’t talked to Charlie?”
“Oh, we have. I was just saying I miss Laura. Bob and Charlie have always been friends, even after the divorce, and I feel that people shouldn’t have to choose one or the other. I just don’t see Laura as much as I would like, and since she moved to Desert Hills, we don’t even get the kids together much anymore. I miss it.”
“When did you last talk to Charlie?”
“He came here Saturday morning and dropped a bunch of things off in our garage. I wasn’t here. I took the kids to my mom’s house in Prescott for the weekend because it was so damn hot, and Bob didn’t reallyaskme. Now I can’t get my car in!”
Margo thought about what Greg Nutter had told her about Charlie looking for a garage to store something.
“What did he bring by?”
“Junk, if you ask me.”
“Would you mind showing me?”
“Sure,” Beth said. She drained her water and put the empty bottle on a shelf as they walked down the hall to a laundry room, then into the three-car garage. She turned on the bright overhead lights.
The one-car bay was filled with toys, sporting equipment, golf clubs, half-packed tents, and a rack for extra goods like toilet paper and paper towels. The two-car bay could have comfortably fit the Ford Explorer in the driveway, except for dozens of boxes, a gorgeous antique desk that needed a little TLC, two solid wood file cabinets and a dining room table with six chairs—one of which was broken.
“Charlie gave Bob a hundred dollars to store this junk for a week. At nine this morning when I went to the grocery store, my car was sweltering and I burned my hands on the steering wheel. Ilikeparking in my garage. I keep the garage clean so I can park here.” She pointed to the spot now occupied by the boxes.
