Page 17 of I’ll Be Watching You

“This is Georgia Smith.”

“Ava Angelhart.”

Silence.

She continued. “Did you talk to a nurse named Liz Swanson, who worked with Cooper? Did you tell her if she saw anything odd at the VA that she should call Margo?”

“What do you want from me?” she said, her voice tight and nervous.

“The truth.”

“So what if I did?”

“She’s dead.”

Silence.

“Georgia, did you talk to anyone other than Liz? What did you say?”

Instead of answering her question, Georgia said, “What happened?”

“I don’t know. We had an arrangement!”

“I quit the best job I ever had and changed my name for you.”

“For Cooper. You did it for Cooper, and I paid you very well.”

“Ava, I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened, but it sucks that Dr. Angelhart went to prison. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, we both know that.”

“You know why!”

“The police could have put you all in protective custody while they figured it out.”

“Us, our five adult children, our grandson? My parents? My brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews?” Ava knew she sounded shrill and tried to temper her rising panic.

“Why are you calling me now?” Georgia said, her voice weary.

“Because Liz talked to Margo last night, and now Liz is dead. Margo’s not backing down. So help me God, I might need your help.”

“I told you in February that I wasn’t moving again. I’m done.”

“I mean—” Ava took a deep breath “—to tell Margo what you told me.”

“You tell her,” Georgia snapped. “This whole situation is fucked, Ava.”

She bristled, but said, “She might have questions I can’t answer.”

“I’m not doing it. I wanted to find the truth three and a half years ago, but you made it clear that if we asked questions I would be risking my life and yours. I went along with it, but it’s never sat right with me. And it’s your husband in prison.”

Ava was desperate. She felt so guilty for what she’d done and said to Georgia, how she pressured her to change her name and leave the state. But Ava had been terrified that she was going to lose her daughter.

“I was hoping the threat was gone,” she said, “but someone killed Liz Swanson this morning.”

“Good luck. I did what you wanted, I’m out of it.”

“Georgia!”

But she’d already hung up.