Page 58 of Out of the Shadows
“I think so. I don’t know. It feels like the alignment is off.”
Margo walked around and inspected the damage. Aberdeen had sideswiped the minivan, the scrape was evident, and the front passenger wheel well was seriously dented, the wheel axis crooked. She went back to the mom. “You’ll need a tow.” She saw Rick’s patrol vehicle speed up and park between her Jeep and Jack’s truck. He looked pissed. She decided to stay with the minivan and let Rick yell at Jack. No use having both her and Rick go at her brother.
And if she was going to be honest with herself—which she usually was—she would have pursued Aberdeen, too.
She called Luisa.
“Hey—Aberdeen caused an accident and got away. Jack and I will be there as soon as we can, but be alert.”
“I am. Logan just got here. He and Charlie are in a heated argument.”
“Jack was a witness, he can’t leave yet; I can. Be there in fifteen.”
Chapter Twenty
Laura agreed with her brother about Charlie’s behavior, but she didn’t like how he was talking to her ex-husband, especially when the children were within earshot.
“Logan, please keep your voice down,” she said.
“He has no idea that he’s put you and the kids in danger!”
“He knows,” Laura said. “I explained it to him.”
“No one is in danger,” Charlie said, which clearly contradicted her.
“Charlie, we talked about this,” she said.
“The only option you have is to give those jewels to their rightful owner,” Logan said.
“I am the rightful owner!” Charlie said. “I won the bid on the storage locker and they’re mine. I read the contract carefully. Everything inside belongs to me.”
“The owner died and his partner put the goods into storage without knowing what was in there,” Logan said, clearly trying to remain calm.
“He should have paid the bill,” Charlie said, defiant.
“It is immoral and unethical for you to keep that property,” Logan said. “I’ll give you what you paid for the unit, fair enough?”
“What’s a couple million to a multimillionaire? Just give it away! This is myfuture, Laura’s future.”
“It’s notmyfuture,” Laura said. “What has happened to you, Charlie? When we met, you never would have kept something that didn’t belong to you.”
“But I bought it fair and square!”
Luisa stepped into the fray. “Take the temperature down a degree,” she said firmly.
Laura was relieved when both Logan and Charlie listened. Charlie went to the kitchen, and Logan sat down on the couch in the living room.
Laura was torn. Logan looked upset, but Charlie was agitated.
She said to her brother, “Let me talk to him. He’ll listen to me.”
Logan shrugged. “Maybe he will. He doesn’t listen to anyone else.”
Laura went into the kitchen and said, “I agree with you, Charlie. You legally bid and bought the unit. They are yours to keep.”
“Thank you!” he said.
“But it’s wrong for you to keep them. I don’t think the lawyer or his family knew that the jewels had been sent to him—John Thornton died shortly after learning about the inheritance.”
