Page 94 of Paths
“No, I’m positive—he was not dead,” I interrupt. “He was still sort of fidgeting around on the ground when we got on the plane, kind of like a turtle stuck on his back.”
“We—”
“Tell him,” I turn to Grady, “that he would’ve shot you had you not knocked the gun from his hand. Tell him.”
“Baby,” Grady lowers his voice and squeezes my hip where he’s got his arm around me. “Let him talk.”
We’re sitting in the basement inglenook at Whitetail for privacy. Grady and I are on the big sofa and the agent is sitting across from us in one of Addy’s big leather chairs.
Grady came to get me this morning and told me the FBI wanted to question us about what happened yesterday. We just sat down and he started by informing us Byron is dead—even though he was very much alive when we escaped yesterday.
“We know he was alive when you left the airport. We have solid information he was killed later in the day, although we haven’t located his body yet. We’re working on leads,” Special Agent Gordon explains.
“Oh.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Honestly. He could’ve shared that bit of information first, but who am I to tell the FBI how to conduct interrogations? Even though he assured us this is nothing more than a fact-finding trip, talking to the FBI is worrisome, nonetheless.
“Ms. Augustine, can you tell me what you know about MacLachlan Industries?” He flips a piece of paper on his notepad to take notes.
“They’re importers. More like shipping, I guess. They ship a lot of produce from Central America,” I share.
“Do you know of anything else, anything questionable? I know you were with Weston a long time, you’re bound to be close to his family, too. Ever hear anything?”
“No, everything always seemed on the up-and-up, but I didn’t ask or even think to be on the lookout back then,” I answer.
“How long have you been estranged from Weston MacLachlan?” Gordon asks.
I can’t help but grimace. “I broke off our engagement well over a year ago. But he’s an insistent man and wouldn’t take no for an answer. When the pressure got to be too much, I left. No one knew where I was until recently.”
“Ms. Augustine—” Gordon starts before I interrupt.
“Please, call me Maya.” I’ve been called Ms. Augustine my entire life, even as a young girl. I hate it.
“Maya,” he goes on. “Before yesterday, have you ever felt in danger? From Weston MacLachlan or anyone around him?”
I look over and Grady gives me a nod, so turning back to Gordon, I reluctantly lay it all out. “Yes, that’s why I left. Weston never threatened me directly, but Byron, the one you said is dead? He did.”
“How did he threaten you?” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
“I overheard something. It was at my parents’ house before I left, during one of my mother’s attempts to get me back together with Weston. After that, I was approached by Byron and was told if I didn’t get on board, I’d be in trouble. That was when I figured out they were involved in some type of organized crime.”
“What did you overhear that would cause them to give you such an ultimatum?”
My eyes go big and I bite my lip.
“Maya.” Gordon gives me a small frown. “Your ex-fiancé is involved in nefarious activities and incidents. Please don’t feel the need to protect him.”
“Oh, no.” I shake my head quickly. “I have no desire to protect him. It’s just, I overheard him talking to his dad and he said he killed someone. They realized I was there, tried to cover it up, but in the end I didn’t believe them. That’s when Byron came to give me my options. And my options weren’t good. They told me to either get back together with Weston, or else. I figured I knew what that meant and decided to get the hell out of there.”
I feel Grady give me another squeeze, and this time I relax into his side.
I watch the agent lean back in his seat with an assessing look—and I don’t like it one bit.
I must not have imagined it, because Grady demands, “What aren’t you telling us?”
“You were right to feel threatened. We have inside intelligence that says you’re considered a liability by the MacLachlan family, and therefore, a target.”
Well, shit. It’s one thing to assume I might be unsafe, but to have it confirmed by the FBI who has inside intelligence? That’s another level of scary.
“When Byron Murray was killed, things changed and we’ve lost our ears. We have other sources of intel, but feel those will be gone soon, as well. We don’t currently know where Weston MacLachlan is. He fled yesterday and can’t be traced by either his phone or car. He has business associates all up and down the east coast. We assume he’ll reach out to some of them for help, but I need to advise you to take extra precautions.”
