Page 40 of Out of the Shadows
“I want to.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Jack sat there a moment as he sifted through these feelings he had. It would be irresponsible and unprofessional to act on any of them while he was working for Laura.
But after? He was going to ask Laura Barrett on a date. Just thinking about it made him smile.
Jack waited two hours in the lobby for Laura while she was in surgery. The receptionist was friendly and chatted with him between clients. At nine, Laura came out. “Surgery was a success,” she said. “I need to be here for the next hour or so to monitor the patient, but then I can leave. My vet assistant is the best, she’ll let me know if there are any issues.”
“I’ll be here,” Jack said with a smile.
Five minutes after Laura went to the back of her clinic, two men entered. They looked like federal agents in manner and dress, and introduced themselves to the receptionist as Miller and Ramirez from Bishop Securities.
The receptionist looked scared—maybe because she knew that Laura’s house had been broken into and Jack was here as protection. She glanced at Jack, so he rose and said, “Jack Angelhart. What can I do for you?”
The two men glanced at each other, then the taller one said, “Ian Miller. Bishop Securities. Is Dr. Barrett here?”
“You can talk to me,” Jack said. “I’m her representative.”
“We’re actually looking for Charlie Barrett, her ex-husband.”
When they didn’t continue, Jack said, “Go on.”
“We were hired by an individual who wishes to remain anonymous to offer payment for the contents of the storage unit Mr. Barrett obtained on Friday. I can promise, the payment will more than cover Mr. Barrett’s time and expenses.”
The men were too clean-cut, too professional to be involved with a messy break-in—at least that was Jack’s gut talking. These were the type of men who would enter and leave a home and no one would know they had been there.
“I will pass the message on to Mr. Barrett if I see him.
“We were hoping that his ex-wife would know how to reach him.”
“Like I said, I’ll pass the message along.”
Again, the men exchanged glances, then Miller handed Jack his business card. It was simple white linen stock withBishop Securities, LLC, Scottsdale, Arizonain block letters, a phone number in the lower right corner.
“Don’t follow my people,” Jack said as they started to leave.
Miller turned back to him. “I can assure you, we haven’t followed anyone. We only want to discuss a mutually beneficial business arrangement with Mr. Barrett regarding the files he has. That is all.”
Jack watched the two men exit and approach a late-model black SUV similar to the one Margo had described outside Charlie’s condo.
What was so important in those files?
Chapter Fourteen
Margo liked the dogs—Obi, R2, and Bagel were great. When her life settled down a bit, she might get a dog someday.
The chickens and goats and horses? Not so much.
Sydney and Cody worked mostly together to feed the animals, collect eggs, clean out the water trough, groom the horses, and milk the goats.
Milking goats. She’d never seen it before.
She kept an eye on them and on the property, but it was quiet. She walked the perimeter, made note of neighbors leaving for work, came back to the barn.
Her mother called at seven thirty.
“Yep,” she answered.
