Page 79 of Cause of Action

“Oh my God.” Simon ran his hand down his face. “I can’t believe this. So, your real name isn’t Morgan Ashley?”

“It’s Madison Morgan Lucido.”

“Hold on a second. I’ll be right back.” He went inside the house.

My seat faced the ocean. As I stared at it, I could hear the whispers of the waves crashing against the shore. Simon returned with his laptop.

“The police ruled it a break-in?” He glanced up at me.

“Yeah. They made it look like a robbery. My father had a Rolex that his father had left him when he passed away. He wore it with pride every single day and never took it off. They took it from him.”

“Were you in the house that night? Because according to the report, nobody else was home.”

“I was there, and I watched Agent Weathers shoot my father three times from upstairs. I ran and hid in my secret room behind a bookcase. Once I knew the two men had left, I ran downstairs and called my uncle.”

“But you were a witness. You could have nailed that son-of-a-bitch right then and there.”

“How many corrupt friends do you think Agent Weathers has, Simon? Think about it. He would have sent anyone he could after me. I never would have been safe. So, we neededto make it look like my father was the only person at home. Colin Weathers has many off-shore accounts in the Caymans totaling over five million dollars.”

“Excuse me? Where the hell did all that money come from?”

“We believe he is and has been laundering money. Four years ago, he was placed on administrative leave while being investigated for shooting and killing a store owner, which was a front for money laundering.”

“Jesus Christ.” He tipped the bottle to his lips. “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’ve been waiting fourteen years to nail that son-of-a-bitch.”

“What about his partner?”

“He’s in Seattle running his own security firm. I went undercover and got a job there. I friended him and his wife to get close enough to find anything I could, tying him to Agent Weathers and my father. But then he started to get suspicious, and I had to get out.”

“I’ll see what else I can find out about him,” Simon said.

“Discreetly, right?”

“Always.” He grinned. “You need to be careful, Morgan. He’s dangerous.”

“And the daughter of a murdered father is more dangerous,” Roman said, gently squeezing my hand.

CHAPTER 28

Morgan

I pulled into the parking garage of the FBI building, staring at the license plates until I found Agent Weather’s vehicle.

“There you are.” I parked, climbed out, and placed a tracker under his vehicle. I heard voices from behind. Turning around, it was he and another agent, perhaps his partner. I climbed back into my car, watched as they entered theirs, and drove off. I followed them to a restaurant in Chinatown. They went inside. After waiting a few moments, I entered the restaurant and saw them sitting at a table in the corner.

“How many?” the hostess asked.

“Just one. Would I be able to sit at the table over there?” I pointed to the one a few feet from where they were sitting. “My boyfriend and I always came here, and that was our special table. He was recently killed in an accident, and sitting there would bring me comfort.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. Of course, you can sit there.” I followed her to the table, sitting in the seat that faced the FBIagents and carefully listening to their conversation. It wasn’t hard because Agent Weathers had a voice that carried across a room, no matter how quietly he tried to speak.

Nothing. He said nothing of importance. His words were complaints about his wife, his marriage, and how he didn’t know how much longer he could take it.

After I finished my lunch, the server laid my bill on the table, and a hand reached over and grabbed it.

“It’s on me, little lady.”

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