Page 80 of Armed ’N’ Ready

She pressed her hands over her eyes, and her body began to tremble. Tears trickled from between her fingers. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “He’ll kill me. Mr. Argyle will kill me.”

Pay dirt.

Scottie got to his feet and rested his head in Meera’s lap, looking up at her from dark eyes partially obscured by long shocks of gray hair.

Now that she’d given up Argyle’s name, he lowered his voice, not wanting to frighten her more. “You were Argyle’s contact with Joe Myer to launder gun money. You’re Mary, aren’t you?”

With her hands still covering her face, she nodded.

“You were the one Myer spoke to over the phone.” Interestingly, he still hadn’t detected even a nuance of a Scottish accent, which could explain why Myer wouldn’t have recognized her voice even if they’d run into each other at the DPC.

She took a deep breath and let her hands fall to her lap. Scottie licked them until she rested one hand on his head. “Yes,” she said on a shaky breath. “I don’t know what happened. I’d been working for him for years and everything was fine. Then he told me to call Mr. Myer regarding some money transfers. I swear to you, I don’t know anything about guns, and I had no idea what that photo would be used for. I would never, ever do anything to hurt Andi. You have to believe me.”

He leaned forward, cataloging everything he’d just heard and observed. She seemed to be telling the truth, but something was pinging his bullshit meter. He couldn’t put his finger on what.

“Are you going to arrest me?” More tears trickled down her face.

“That will be up to the federal prosecutor to decide.” If it were up to him, he’d throw the book at her for putting Andi’s life in jeopardy. But chances were that, if she was completely truthful, she’d most likely get a reduced sentence. By some stroke of fucked-up justice, she might even get away with probation. He doubted it, though.

He tugged a small digital recorder from his other breast pocket. “Tell me everything from the moment you started working for Argyle.” He turned on the recorder and set it on the coffee table.

“You have to protect me.” Her eyes went wide. “He’ll kill me if he finds out I talked to you. He’s a vicious man who’ll murder anyone who gets in his way or disagrees with him.”

Not wanting to mislead her, he told her the truth as he knew it. “What I can assure you of is that with your testimony we can slam Argyle with enough federal weapons and money laundering charges to keep him in prison for a very long time.”

She closed her eyes and began shaking her head. “Oh, Scottie.” She stroked the top of her dog’s head. “What will happen to you if I go to jail?”

The dog lifted its head and stared at her as if waiting for the answer. Nick wasn’t about to say so, but if Meera didn’t have any family, he’d find the dog a good home.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Meera began her story.

When Nick and Eric walked into Conference Room B, Andi was standing by the window with her back to him. She’d been waiting there while they’d re-interviewed Meera with AUSA Bennett and Special Agent Cox.

“I brought you a sandwich and something to drink.” He set the plate and a bottle of water on the table next to her purse, noting the anxious look on her face as she walked toward them.

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry.” She picked up the bottled water, twisting off the cap. “Did you get anything new from Meera?”

He’d already given Andi the CliffsNotes version during the ride from Meera’s house to the federal building, but now they had details. “Her story’s consistent with what Joe told us. Argyle directed the whole thing. Meera provided Joe with account numbers in different countries, to which he wired proceeds from the sale of weapons. She still claims she doesn’t know anything about guns.”

He glanced at his watch. Eleven thirty. Myer was due to turn himself in at noon, so they’d have to get downstairs shortly. Things were happening too fast, and he didn’t like it.

“What’s up?” The crease between Eric’s blond brows told him his friend had picked up on Nick’s concerns.

The timetable he’d set for today was quickly going down the crapper. “In the rush to get Meera in for more questioning before Myer turns himself in, we didn’t get the chance to ask her for Argyle’s records. She’s gotta have contact info for the guy, wire transfers, bank account information. We need to secure her house or office and get a search warrant.”

“I can work on that after we get Myer inside,” Eric offered. “You’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Thanks.” He stared at the clock, watching the second hand tick its way around the dial. Those hairs on the back of his neck—the ones that prickled when something was off—were stabbing sharply into his brain. “I can’t shake the feeling that we’re getting played.”

“By whom?” Andi asked.

“Good question.” Argyle for certain. Myer was still a question mark, and he was still suspicious of Meera Devine, too.

“Do you believe everything Meera told us?” Eric asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. Whether it was intentional or not, every defendant held something back until they’d been interviewed several times. With each successive interview, more information came out.

“You think she’s holding back,” Eric said rather than asked.