Page 85 of Don't Say a Word
“They were talking. He offered to pay you.”
“Mrs. Martinez didn’t want to accept his money. He already helped with the funeral.”
“Really?”
“He’s a philanthropist.” But now that Angie had mentioned him, it reminded me that I needed to reach out. I didn’t want to wait until Friday to talk to Desi, and Manny Ramos could compel her to talk to me. “How is Mrs. Martinez?”
“Sad,” Angie said. “One minute she was telling me a story about Elijah when he was little, and the next minute she was crying. I didn’t know what to say.”
I caught Angie’s eye. “Just being there meant a lot to her. I think she would like to see his friends every once in a while.”
“Yeah.” She cleared her throat, then asked, “What are you going to do now?”
“Talk to more people.”
“Is that all PIs do? Talk?”
“Actually, we ask questions. Over and over until we get answers.”
She looked skeptical.
“I have a plan. Go to the game, Angie. And remember what I said.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Angie said as she climbed out of my Jeep. “Be careful, don’t ask questions.”
I’d copped an attitude as a teenager, but had I been this rude and dismissive to the adults in my life?
“Angie,” I snapped.
She turned to me, surprised with my tone.
“I’m serious. Keep a low profile. And call me, day or night, if you have questions or get a bad vibe. Understand?”
She nodded, and I think she now took me seriously.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Margo Angelhart
At four that afternoon, I pulled into the small parking lot outside the Cactus Stop on Hatcher. I had part of a plan, and started by calling Manny Ramos’s cell phone number, which he’d written on the back of his business card.
“Ramos,” he answered.
“Mr. Ramos, this is Margo Angelhart.”
He remembered me. “Do you have news?” he asked.
“A request. I spoke to Elijah’s coworkers yesterday, and the manager who worked with him on Friday, Desi, wasn’t in. I’d like her contact information so I can reach out.”
“Why do you need to speak with her?”
“She worked with Elijah on Friday and he may have said something to her about his plans. I still haven’t figured out where he went after work.”
“I see. I very much want to help—I went to visit Alina yesterday, she is holding on, but it’s hard for her. I want her to have answers to give her some peace. But I have privacy concerns, so don’t feel comfortable sharing Desi’s contact information. However, Iwill have my assistant call her and instruct her to reach out to you within the next twenty-four hours. Is that sufficient?”
“Yes, thank you,” I said. “I appreciate it.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”
