by Carsen Taite
She looked up from the document. “Ida, you said Mr. Gellar has a copy of this?”
“Yes, he wanted to review it before the press conference.”
The camera crews downstairs. Suddenly it was clear. Gellar planned to make the afternoon news cycle with his raid on Gantry Oil. Holy shit was right. In a few hours, if not sooner, Lily would know the U.S. attorney had just devastated the family business. Once news of the raid hit the Internet and airwaves, Gantry’s clients would scatter to the wind.
She forced herself to take several deep breaths. Maybe the raid hadn’t happened yet. Maybe she could get in touch with Bianca and have her hold up until she could talk to Lily and…
And what? She couldn’t say anything to Lily that might be perceived as interfering with her office’s investigation. But she had to do something. She looked at Dale as she processed the possibilities, but before she could come up with a solution, her cell phone rang and she saw Lily’s name on display. She jabbed the accept call button and feigned calm. “Lily, it’s so good to hear your voice. We need to talk.”
Lily was anything but calm. “Peyton, something terrible has happened. I need your help. I’m at my father’s office. Police are everywhere. They just busted in and are totally taking over the place. They said I can’t leave. They said I couldn’t make any calls either, but I had to reach you. I need you.”
Peyton’s stomach sank. She didn’t have time to come up with the perfect plan, but she knew what she needed to do. “Hang up and wait for me there. I’m on my way. Don’t talk to anyone until I get there.” Peyton clicked off the call and turned to face Dale who she was certain had heard every word of Lily’s frantic pleas for help. “I guess you want to know what that was about.”
“I figure you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”
Relieved at Dale’s matter-of-fact reaction, she folded the copy of the warrant, stuck it in her pocket, and started for the door. “Come with me and I’ll explain on the way.”
“We going to Gantry’s office?”
“Damn right we are.”
“You have a plan?” Dale asked.
“We have about three blocks to come up with one.”
*
“This will be much easier if you just tell us everything you know about your father’s connection to Arturo and Sergio Vargas.”
Lily looked at the agent who’d asked the question and projected what she hoped was steely resolve instead of the gut-churning agony she felt.
Since the halls of her father’s office had filled with men and women in black jackets, she’d been trying to figure out what the hell was going on. A man in a jacket labeled FBI stayed in the office with her, but he hadn’t said a word. Within a few minutes, she’d heard voices barking commands and the sounds of things being moved around. The man went to the door and opened it, and she’d seen other officers carting boxes and computers, bound with tape labeled “evidence” down the hallway. While the man talked to someone outside the door, she took advantage of the opportunity to call Peyton. She felt better when Peyton said she was on her way, but as the moments passed, she couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on.
A short while later, a woman walked in wearing an identical jacket to her guard. She nodded at the man and both of them took seats across from her. The man introduced himself as Agent Jeffries and the woman as Agent Cohen, and then he launched into the first question. When she didn’t answer, the woman took a softer tact.
“Ms. Gantry, would you like me to get you a glass of water? You look awfully pale.”
Lily decided to take advantage of their desire to make her comfortable. “I’d like to speak to my father.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” said Agent Jeffries.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s possible. He’s here isn’t he?”
Agent Cohen started to answer, but Jeffries beat her to it. “He’s here for now, but he’ll be headed to prison soon. You don’t want to join him there do you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lily bit her bottom lip to keep from saying more. Peyton had warned her not to talk, but it was impossible not to respond to these ridiculous allegations. The only way she could keep her cool was to get out of here as quickly as possible. Was that even possible? Only one way to find out. “You can’t keep me here.”
Jeffries stood and stepped toward her, waving a leather-bound folder before her eyes. “You recognize this don’t you?”
It only took a glance for Lily to see it was the prospectus she’d given to her father and Nester the day they’d asked her to sign the trust waiver. She had no idea why this agent had the prospectus, but she sensed trouble. She schooled her expression to hide any reaction and waited for the agent to speak.
Jeffries started flipping through the pages. “Looks like you’re in business with your father. Guess that means whatever he’s up to, you’re right there with him.” He pointed at the door. “So, sure, you’re free to leave right now, but if you do, we might not be interested in hearing your side of things when we come to arrest you.”
Peyton’s calm voice echoed in her head, telling her not to talk to anyone. She should wait for Peyton to arrive and guide her through this mess. Peyton worked with these people all the time. She would know how to handle them. Lily fought the instinct to react, but it went against her nature to leave their assumptions unchecked. She stood up and spoke slowly, over enunciating each word. “Neither my father nor I have anything to hide. I’m leaving now and when I find my father, he’ll be leaving too. Now, get out of my way.”
Hoping they couldn’t detect that she was shaking inside, Lily walked to the door and swung it open to find her father and Nester Rawlins standing on the other side. No longer caring what these agents thought, she hugged her father and asked if he was okay.
“Of course. This is all just a big misunderstanding.” The shaky tone of his voice told her he was as nervous as she was. She looked at Nester for reassurance. Nester motioned for them to stop talking and then he turned to the agents. “I’m leaving with my clients. If you want to ask more questions, you’ll do it the right way—through me.”
Nester ushered them down the hall, but when they reached the lobby, Lily stopped them. “Wait. I need to stay.”
“I’ve left a few of my associates here,” Nester said. “They’ll make sure that nothing is taken that wasn’t included in the search warrant, but I want you two out of here now.”
“But I…” Lily wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to leave, but she needed to stay. Peyton would worry if she was gone when she showed up. She had to at least call her and let her know she was leaving.
“Lily, we really need to go.” He punched the button for the elevator as if the subject were closed.
“A friend is coming to meet me. She’s with the U.S. attorney’s office, and I called her when these people showed up. She said she would help and she’s on her way.”
Her father punched the elevator button again and Nester asked, “Who’s your friend? Maybe we can contact her and see if she can convince her colleagues to call off their witch hunt.”
“Peyton Davis.” Just saying Peyton’s name gave Lily comfort. She reached for her cell phone. She’d call her now, tell her they could meet somewhere else. Peyton would find a solution. As Lily was beginning to think everything would be okay, she noticed Nester’s face had taken on a gray pallor. “What is it?”
He pulled a sheaf of stapled papers from his briefcase and thumbed through the pages. When he found what he was looking for, he shoved it toward her, his finger jabbing at a section in the middle of the page. She read the first line, then grabbed the papers and devoured the rest of the page.
This agent accompanied AUSA Peyton Davis to the warehouse at 1420 Rochester Road, Mesquite, Texas. The warehouse is owned by Gantry Oil. Following questioning of the employees at the warehouse, this agent and AUSA Davis were fired upon by persons unknown. Subsequent search of the premises revealed business and ban
king records for Gantry Oil. These records have been examined by a forensic accountant (see attached affidavit) and determined to represent coded entries consistent with the type used by individuals engaged in money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1957.
There was more, a lot more, but Lily stopped there and attempted to digest what she’d read. AUSA Peyton Davis. Gantry Oil. Money laundering. The words blurred on the page. What she needed to know was staring her in the face, but she couldn’t make herself believe it.
Nester’s voice burst into her silence. “Your friend Peyton Davis is investigating your father. How long have you known her?” He didn’t wait for a response. “For all we know she’s gotten close to you for no other reason than to find out about your father’s business. I’m going to need to know every detail of every conversation you’ve had with her.”
Lily looked at her father, the expression on his face one of stark betrayal. At that moment, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. He stood aside to let the occupants out, and Lily was suddenly face-to-face with Peyton and the woman she’d left the Adolphus with the night of the shooting.
Peyton’s face was drawn and her eyes wide with concern. Lily watched as Peyton walked closer, seemingly oblivious to the presence of her father and Nester. When Peyton reached her side, she glanced back at the other woman before leaning in and asking, “Are you okay?”
Lily stared into Peyton’s eyes. She looked sincere, concerned. She looked like the same Peyton she’d kissed less than twenty-four hours ago. But the events of the last hour told a very different story.
She stepped to the side and walked over to join her father and Nester who were already in the elevator. She met Peyton’s eyes one last time and said, “If you want to talk to me again, contact my attorney.” The doors closed, but not before she read the pain on Peyton’s face.
She wasn’t buying it. It was too soon for her to process everything that had just happened, but she knew one thing for certain. She’d completely misjudged the situation between herself and Peyton, and she’d put her family in jeopardy. She would not be fooled again.
*
Peyton punched the button for the elevator, willing the car that carried Lily and her father to return. She punched it twice more before Dale touched her arm.
“She’s gone,” Dale said. “Let’s deal with this.” She pointed to the suite of offices. “And then you can figure out what to do about her.”
She was right, but the knowledge that Lily thought she had betrayed her was devastating. I should have told her about her father. I never should have let her find out this way. The refrain of remorse chanted through her thoughts as she followed Dale back into the office suite. When they reached the reception desk, Dale took the lead.
“Who’s the agent in charge?” she barked at the young FBI agent who’d been posted at the entrance to the offices.
The kid pulled himself to his full six feet and asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m the senior agent on this task force, DEA Special Agent Nelson.” She pointed at Peyton. “This is AUSA Peyton Davis, the lead AUSA. Don’t make either one of us show you our badges or you’ll be tossed off this case faster than you can say J. Edgar Hoover. Now, are you going to tell me who’s leading this mess of a search?”
“Yes, ma’am. AUSA Bianca Cruz and Special Agent Tanner Cohen, FBI.”
“Get them out here now.”
“I was told to stay right here. Not to let anyone in.” The kid flicked his eyes at Peyton like he was looking for confirmation. She stared him down and said, “Go.”
A few minutes later, Bianca walked through the interior office doors. “Hi, Peyton, Dale. Didn’t expect to see either of you here.”
“I bet you didn’t,” Peyton said. “Find an empty room. We need to talk. Dale, will you handle the other one?”
“No problem.”
Bianca, to her credit, didn’t ask any questions, but led Peyton to a small, unused office just inside the suite. Once they were both inside, Peyton shut the door and launched in. “What the hell’s going on?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why wasn’t I told you were executing a search warrant this morning?”
Bianca shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Mr. Gellar said he would fill you in. Have you talked to him?”
“When was he going to fill me in? After it aired on the six o’clock news?”
“Hey, I don’t know why you’re pissed off at me, but I’m only doing my job. Yesterday, we got the preliminary report from Samantha Reed in forensics about the records we pulled from the warehouse. Mr. Gellar was there when they came in, and he told me to go ahead and start work on the warrant. He said he would call you.”
“We talked yesterday and you didn’t mention anything about a search warrant.”
“This all came together after we talked, and Mr. Gellar said he was going to run it by you. It didn’t even occur to me to call you myself. Is there a problem?”
There was, but Peyton couldn’t put her finger on it. Besides the obvious personal problem she’d caused by not telling Lily about her father before she found out in the worst way possible, there was something off about the rushed way this had been handled. She tapped her fingers on the desk as she thought it through. “I don’t understand how anyone could have been able to tell that the records from the warehouse were duplicates of the ones Gantry has here at his offices. You’re just now getting the ones from the office, right?”
Bianca looked like she wished she was anywhere else, but Peyton pressed the point. “What’s going on?”
“Remember our first meeting? I mentioned the FBI has been conducting an investigation into possible fraud allegations against Gantry? They’ve been working with a confidential informant who’s been sending them files to review.”
Peyton felt her blood pressure rise. “Without a warrant? You realize any defense attorney worth their salt can get that evidence tossed? In fact, that could jeopardize anything you just turned up in this search if you used it as the basis for this warrant.”
“I know. I just found out about it. I mean I knew about the informant, but I didn’t know they were sending business records to the case agents. Those agents aren’t on our task force and I wasn’t in the loop.”
“Well, we never should’ve asked Judge Nivens to sign a warrant unless we had all the facts. When he finds out about this, everything we send his way in the future is going to get extra scrutiny.”
“I promise I didn’t know.”
Peyton could tell Bianca was telling the truth and decided to cut her some slack. “You weren’t the one who asked the judge to sign the warrant, were you?”
“No, but—”
“Bianca, there’ll be plenty of times to take the blame when the blame’s yours. I’ll deal with this. In the meantime, I need something from you.”
“You bet.”
“I want anyone who’s not officially assigned to the task force out of here. As of right now, Dale is the agent in charge of this search. The agents who interviewed Lily Gantry need to report to her. Right now.”
Bianca nodded and rushed out of the room. Peyton leaned against the wall and took a breath. The ranch, Neil, her father, the task force, Gellar—trouble was brewing on all fronts, but all she could think about was Lily and the pain in her eyes. It wouldn’t be easy, but she could fix most of these things. As for the growing connection between her and Lily, she feared it might be permanently damaged. The idea was devastating.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It was noon and Lily was in her room where she’d been since she’d left her father’s office the day before. She dreaded going downstairs, especially since her mother had informed her that her aunt, uncle, and cousins had arrived to show their support for the family in this difficult time. More likely they were worried about their inheritance.
At some point she’d have to emerge and deal with the fallout of the day before. One of Nester’s a
ssociates had already called to see when she could come in and debrief about everything that had happened during the search yesterday. She knew what they really wanted was to find out everything she knew about Peyton.
The prospect made her ill. How could she taint what she and Peyton had shared by holding up every detail for their prurient examination? Then again, hadn’t Peyton already done sufficient damage with her lies? Peyton’s promises, spoken and unspoken, had all been broken with this single betrayal.
She’d give anything to take back the things she’d confided in Peyton, about her mother, about her adoption. Her mind scanned her memories of every word she’d said to Peyton since they’d met, searching for anything that could be taken out of context, used against her or her family. Had Peyton ever really been interested in her or, as Nester had suggested, had she only gotten close as part of a ruse to learn more about the family business?
Lily had doubts. If Peyton had been faking her attraction, she was very good at it. Her soft smile, her gentle touch, the intense interest in everything Lily had to say—could all of it been a lie?
She didn’t know who to trust anymore. Everything about Peyton had seemed so real, so genuine. And as for her father, what were the chances that a team of federal agents would descend on his offices for absolutely no reason? Peyton’s vague warning for her not to go into business with her father echoed in her memory.
She’d longed to talk to her father about the allegations, but he’d been absent since Nester had hustled them out of the Gantry Oil offices the day before. The only conversation they’d had in the elevator had been about the envelope he’d handed to her. She’d completely forgotten about it in the chaos that ensued after he left her alone in his office. When she told him she’d left it behind, he had merely shaken his head.
He’d spent the rest of the day and this morning in meetings with attorneys, according to her mother. She knew he was doing what was necessary, but she needed to hear from him that everything would be okay. That everything the FBI agent had said the day before was a lie.