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“There are no legal grounds for anyone to do that. Mr. Skylar proved he earned every dollar. Although he used an alias to pay taxes, he did pay them. The Feds are willing to overlook it in exchange for the ledger.”
“It’s a conditional arrangement?” Morgan asked. She wondered what would happen if the ledger got lost now that it was out of her hands.
“It’s how the agents are writing up the agreement. A justification for removing the penalties for the falsified tax returns. Since your grandfather has passed, he can’t be made accountable. Getting the ledger smooths over a lot for the FBI. Regardless, you have no liability for any of it. Every dollar you’ve earned and spent is accounted for.”
“I assure you if my Pops was still alive, you and I wouldn’t know anything about the ledger.”
“I’m sure you are correct.”
“What next?” she asked.
“Do you still have the ledger?”
“I mailed it to a friend. I’m on my way there to pick it up. We figured it was safer in the U.S. Post Office than it was with us. I’ll be there in a couple of days. I’m staying off public transportation.” She then told him about her biological father and his motorcycle buddies visiting her employment and breaking into her apartment and threatening her neighbor.
“Are Fontana’s men still after you and Sebastian Bartoli?”
“I guess it depends on which Fontana you are talking about?”
“What does that mean, Morgan? This is serious. I didn’t mention anything to the FBI about Fontana sending his men to the lake cabin to find Sebastian Bartoli, and how you became involved. I was afraid it would muddy the waters. Would Fontana’s men have any way of knowing about the ledger?”
Morgan felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. There is no way anyone else could possibly know about it. Bash and I only found out about it when we went to Pops’ cabin. Enzo Fontana couldn’t have known about the ledger when his goons came after Bash at the lake house. Bash and I had never met until I knocked on his cabin door in Guntersville. Max didn’t send those men after them. Enzo Fontana did. A chill ran through her.
If the ledger really is Max’s motivation, I just mailed it to him. No fuss. No muss. It is headed to a P.O. Box that I can’t legally access. Am I really the dumbest person on earth? No, I’m not. I know people, and Max wouldn’t do that to me. I trust him. Besides, Beth and her father were the only ones who knew I was going to be at the cabin.
“It wasn’t Maximillian Fontana who sent the men after us. It was Enzo Fontana. Sebastian and I met with Maximillian Fontana in Charlotte, North Carolina, at a very public place. We were shot at by some men who Mr. Fontana recognized as employees of his cousin Enzo. It’s a long story, but Enzo Fontana is trying to take over the Fontana business. We’ve been on the run ever since.”
Her attorney was silent for a few minutes. Morgan wondered if they had gotten disconnected. Finally, she heard him take a deep breath. “Let me get this straight. You have Enzo Fontana, a reputed gangster dressed in a fancy suit, and Asa Kline, a violent ex-con and outlaw motorcycle gang member, both trying to find you. And you think they have two different motivations? And Maximilian Fontana, the CEO of Fontana Properties & Development, who employs Enzo Fontana, has nothing to do with it? You strike me as an intelligent young woman, Morgan. You can’t believe it’s a coincidence.”
“I…” words escaped her.
“Hold on a moment, Morgan. I have another call from the FBI coming through. It could be an update, and I need to tell them to contact the Dunwoody Police Department and get the information about the break-in at your apartment. See if they have an APB out on Asa Kline. Don’t worry. I won’t mention the Fontana involvement. I don’t want our deal to go up in smoke.”
Morgan felt the blood drain from her face. Pops had always been there to protect her. Made these kinds of judgement calls on her behalf. Kept her safe. Livingston made a lot of sense. How could it be a coincidence? If Max was only interested in getting the ledger, and it was all some elaborate plot, then why was he still here? In a small RV? Eating steak and Twinkies? All he had to do was hop a plane to Maine, pick up the ledger, and use it for whatever purpose he saw fit. Her heart sank. If Max planned to use the ledger to gain power over the men in influential positions, then she and Bash were threats. Her attorney had already contacted the FBI. She doubted Max would hurt his own son. But I’m nothing to him. An inconvenience. Her whole body began to shake. Her imagination ran wild. She couldn’t think straight. Get away. Get away. Get away.
“Morgan? Morgan? Are you there?”
The sound of her name pulled her back from her thoughts. “Yes. Sorry. What were you saying?”
“It’s not good news. The FBI was already fully aware of the incident in Dunwoody. Your neighbor and her infant were held hostage and terrorized while the Dragon Fire gang broke into your apartment. They were able to identify three of the four men, including Asa Kline, who all have felony records.”
“I already knew all of that,” Morgan said, wanting to get off the phone. She needed space. A place to think. Figure out a new plan.
“There is something else. The outside cameras picked up two men in suits approaching the gang members on their bikes in the parking lot of your apartment complex immediately after the attack.”
Morgan felt lightheaded. “W…What?”
“After the FBI analyzed the tapes, they believe the initial contact appeared adversarial. As they began speaking to Asa Kline, the temperature seemed to settle down. One of the suits made a phone call and spoke for a few minutes. He exchanged a few words with Asa. Then everyone leaves, heading in the same direction.”
Morgan’s voice was tight. “They have been working t…together?” The thought made her skin crawl.
“There is no way to know for sure, but from the dynamics of the conversation, they appeared to be strangers. The FBI is doing facial recognitions on the men in suits, but I think you and I both have an idea who they might be or at least who employs them. They may have found a common goal and decided to work together. Because of client confidentiality, I am not obligated to volunteer information to the FBI on my suspicions. But Morgan, if these two groups of thugs are coordinating their efforts, no matter how it happened, the situation just became extremely volatile. Maybe we should tell the FBI about Fontana’s involvement.”
“No!” The word shouted from her lips before she could contain it. She felt faint. Shook it off. Had to get her head on straight. Get out. Now. “Mr. Livingston, I’ve got to go.”
“There is just one other thing. Maximillian Fontana’s wife reported him missing today. Swears he’s been kidnapped.”
“What? That’s not true… I mean, he’s fine. Why would she do that?” Morgan whispered.
