“Make it quick.”
She speed dialed a number and waited, praying it wouldn’t go to voicemail.
“Cam, please just listen a moment and don’t interrupt me. I was sideswiped by a motorcycle last night. They took me to the hospital, ran some tests, determined I was fine, and released me early this morning. The problem is a DEA agent brought me to their headquarters for questioning on a case they’re investigating. They want to discuss what I might have seen, and question me about my friend. They think he’s connected to some drug lord.”
“That’s enough, Miss Sinclair. We need to go.”
Brooke turned from him, listening to her brother. “His name is Paco Bujazan. No, you don’t have to fly out—” She fell silent, her head nodding at whatever was being said on the other end, and turned toward Kade. “He’d like to speak with you.”
This wasn’t what Kade had intended but he held out his hand. “This is Agent Kade Taylor. Who am I speaking to?” He jotted down the name. “I understand, Mr. Sinclair. Here is the number where you can reach me.” He finished and handed the phone back to Brooke. “We need to go now, Miss Sinclair.”
“Cam, I really must go.” She listened another minute, seeing Kade’s agitation grow and feeling a slight triumph. “Yes, I understand. Thanks. I love you.” She ended the call, and handed her phone back to Kade who slid it into the bag with her purse and other belongings.
“Let’s go.”
******
Kade watched through the one-way mirror as Dennis Johnson spoke with Brooke, still berating himself for allowing her another call when he knew his boss would be waiting. Kade didn’t know Johnson’s boss would also be attending the interrogation. He could see Brooke’s confusion mount as they worked through the initial questions.
Kade felt his phone vibrate. He glanced at the Arizona prefix and decided to let it go to voicemail. It had to be either Cameron Sinclair, her brother, or the other man she’d called. Either way, he’d deal with it later.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Paco is a friend, a fellow student, and nothing more.”
Kade snorted at the lie. He’d followed the two of them for weeks and sat outside Paco’s home late into the night on several occasions. She’d never stayed past one in the morning, but by the way she’d looked leaving the apartment, Kade knew they’d done more than study during her visits.
“I can’t tell you what I don’t know. His name is Paco Bujazan, he’s from Mexico, and is a graduate student. We have the same advisor, Professor Krueger, but I’m sure you already have his name. Maybe he can give you more information.” She sat back, clasping her hands in her lap, deciding she’d said enough.
Johnson and his boss pushed further. To everyone’s disgust, she fell silent, refusing to answer any more questions until she spoke to a lawyer.
“All right, Miss Sinclair. We’ll give you a few minutes to think over our questions.” Both men stood and left, joining Kade to watch her reaction with them out of the room.
“What do you think, Taylor?” Johnson asked, noticing she sat remarkably still for someone who’d just been interviewed about a pending federal case.
“There’s more going on with Bujazan than she’s admitting. I checked her phone and they communicate several times a day, most calls lasting a few minutes. It’s been going on since I started my surveillance.”
“We’ll have to keep digging.” Johnson and his boss left to the continue questioning Brooke.
Kade watched the two men walk away, wondering if he had misinterpreted the relationship between Sinclair and Bujazan, then stopped himself. He’d learned not to second guess his conclusions. When he had in the past, he’d regretted it. The woman knew more about Paco’s family and business dealings than she let on and even if it took days or weeks, they’d find out what they needed.
******
“I’m here to see Brooke Sinclair.” Cameron reached into his pocket to pull out identification when he noticed a man dressed in jeans and leather jacket, hair pulled back in a queue, standing several feet away, staring at him. When the man made no move to walk over, Cam turned his attention back to the clerk who had busied herself checking the visitor log.
“Here she is. And your name?”
“Cameron Sinclair. I’m her brother.” He turned at the sound of the sliding doors opening from the front entry where security checked everyone who came through the building. “Gus, thanks for coming.” Cam held out his hand to Gustavo Hamilton Barker, a criminal defense attorney he hadn’t seen since his last trip to San Diego.
“No problem. What’s going on?” Gus glanced around and noted several agents standing in a couple of small groups. One in particular kept glancing in their direction.
“Like I said when I called, Brooke’s being detained as a person of interest regarding an investigation involving her boyfriend. He’s apparently connected to some drug family in Mexico.”
“Do you have the boyfriend’s name?”
Cam pulled a piece of paper from a pocket. “Bujazan. Paco Bujazan.”
Gus looked around once more then grasped Cam by the elbow and led him several feet away. “Do you have any idea who the Bujazan family is?” Gus’s voice had lowered to just above a whisper.
“Only what I was able to find in a quick Internet search.”
“The family runs one of the biggest drug cartels in Mexico, which means they are a big supplier to the U.S. market. Francisco Bujazan is the head of the family, Paco is his son.”
“Ah, hell.” Cam scrubbed a hand over his face and cast another glance at the leather clad man who kept watching them. “There’s no chance Brooke would be involved with someone like this Bujazan fellow, or anyone involved in drug trafficking.” He took a deep breath.
“Mr. Sinclair?”
Cam walked over to the clerk, Gus close behind.
“She’s being questioned now by Special Agent in Charge Dennis Johnson.”
“This is her attorney, Gustavo Barker. He’ll be accompanying me.”
“Mr. Barker, may I have some identification?”
Within minutes, the two were escorted to a room where Brooke sat with the two DEA agents. The look of relief on her face when she saw Cam walk through the door would be an image he’d never forget.
“Brooke, how are you doing, honey?” Cam wrapped his arms around her, wanting nothing more than to walk out with her right now. He glanced at Gus. “Brooke, this is Gus Barker. He’s an attorney I’ve known for a while. He’s also a friend of Heath’s.”
“Miss Sinclair.” Gus held out his hand to Brooke. “Let’s try to find out what’s going on.”
Cam and Gus introduced themselves to Johnson and his boss.
“Our interview is over for now. However, we’d like you to stay in the area.”
“Agent Johnson, my client will be happy to apprise you of her whereabouts, but unless you provide proof of an eminent arrest, you have no jurisdiction to dictate where she may travel at this time.”
Johnson didn’t like it and neither did his boss. However, they’d learned nothing from their conversation with Brooke, and had been notified by their tech teams they’d been unable to locate anything in her apartment or car connecting her to the Bujazan cartel. Johnson turned toward Brooke.
“Miss Sinclair, we would appreciate it if you would notify us of any trips you plan. This is not a requirement, just a request. Now, we’ll leave the three of you alone.”
Kade stood down the hall, a few doors away from where Brooke met with her brother and attorney. He wasn’t too familiar with Gus Barker, but knew enough he wasn’t happy when Barker walked through the doors. He had a clean reputation, primarily defending those charged with white collar crimes, not drug trafficking.
The DEA’s intent had never been to obtain an arrest warrant. They wanted to scare Brooke enough she’d tell them everything Paco had disclosed to her, then they’d go after the big players, like Francisco Bujazan, and send the other associates, including Paco
, back to Mexico or to jail.
“May we use a secure room for a while?” Gus asked Johnson before the agent closed the door.
“Follow me.” Johnson led them down the hall to a room with glass toward the hall but without a two-way mirror—a room he assured them would be secure.
“It might save time if we talk here, rather than going to my office,” Gus informed Brooke and Cam.
An hour later, Gus reviewed his notes.
“Let’s go over this once more,” Gus said. “You met Paco Bujazan several months ago when attending a function put on by your faculty advisor. Both of you are studying for doctorates in management. You’re close to finishing, he has about a year left. Correct so far?”
“Yes.” Brooke felt herself begin to relax, telling herself everything would be fine now that Cameron had arrived.
“You began to study together once or twice a week, but nothing more.”
“It wasn’t truly studying as you’d think of it. We shared ideas for our doctoral work, offered suggestions, listened to each other, and read and critiqued each other’s work.”
“When did you start seeing him more socially?”
“Several weeks ago, not long before mom had her accident.” She looked at Cam, both remembering when their mother, Annie Sinclair MacLaren, had been hit by a drunk driver in Fire Mountain. “We’d meet for lunch or coffee. He suggested we change our meeting place to his home near the beach instead of trying to find a quiet cubicle in the library. I met him there a couple of times before I got the call about mom. I went to Arizona and stayed for a week while mom recuperated. When I came back, Paco pushed for us to see each other more often, and, well, it seemed time for me to move on.”
“Move on?” Gus asked.
“My fiancé and I had broken off our engagement quite a while ago. I’d stayed pretty closed until my family helped me see the time had come to get on with my life.” Cam placed his hand on Brooke’s and squeezed.
“Brooke, is there anything more to your relationship with Paco than friendship?”
“No. Absolutely not. We started having dinner a couple of times a week, sometimes we go to a movie, or study at his place. We also talk on the phone every day, sometimes several times a day.” A sigh escaped her lips. “He has no family in the states, at least that’s what he said. It can be lonely and hard to meet people on such a big campus.”
Gus took notes, nodding once in a while.
“He never told you anything about his family, his father in particular?”
“He spoke little of his father and mother. He told me his father is a businessman in some type of import and export business. I never learned the exact products. His mother stays at home with the two smallest children, his oldest sister is married.” Brooke pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. “I guess that isn’t much, is it?”
“And you never knew he was related to the Bujazan cartel?”
“I didn’t have a clue.” She stood and paced to the back wall, turned and rested her head against it before closing her eyes. “Here I am a Ph.D. candidate and I wasn’t smart enough to figure out Paco isn’t who he seems.” She opened her eyes in time to see Kade Taylor walk past the glass window of the room and glance inside. Her stomach twisted at the sight of him.
Cam noticed Brooke’s grimace and turned to see the leather clad man walking slowly past their room, not hiding his interest in those inside.
“Who is that, Brooke?”
“Special Agent Kade Taylor. The man who ran me down with his motorcycle and dragged me into this mess.”
Cam wasted no time pulling open the door and looking toward the agent. “I’d like a word with you Agent Taylor as soon as our visit with my sister is over.”
“You must be the brother, Cameron Sinclair.” Kade stopped a couple of feet away, sizing up the man who might be able to help their investigation. “You know, it would be best if you could get her to talk, tell us what she knows of the Bujazan operations and about Paco. What she’s learned could go a long way in helping to close down the cartel.”
Cam, being the president of a large business, had become an expert at reading people and their body language, and what he read from Kade Taylor told him much.
“You don’t really have anything, do you Agent Taylor? It’s all speculation, guilt by association, but no real substance, correct?”
“Right now your sister is a person of interest, nothing more. However, I assure you, if need be, we can get a warrant.” Kade didn’t need to defend himself to anyone, especially not a suspect’s brother.
“I’m sure you must have run a thorough background check on Brooke. And if you did, you already know she hardly drinks, never does drugs, doesn’t party, has few friends, studies way too much, and doesn’t even have an outstanding parking ticket. She’s as clean as anyone you’ll ever meet. Now, what’s your evidence someone like her would suddenly decide to throw everything, including her doctoral degree, out with the garbage to help the son of a drug lord?”
Kade glared at Sinclair, knowing he was right. They had little proof besides her frequent visits with Paco. “I can’t share our evidence.”
“Because you have none.” Cam glanced through the window to see Brooke staring at him and Taylor. “Excuse me. We’ll talk again—count on it.”
Chapter Two
Brooke wanted to go home, take a bath, change clothes, and focus on anything except the hell she’d been through the last forty-eight hours. And, she never wanted to lay eyes on Special Agent Kade Taylor again.
“From everything you’ve told me, I can’t find anything they could use to obtain an arrest warrant.” Gus Barker flipped through his notes once more. “I believe you’re what they indicated, a person of interest because of your friendship with Paco Bujazan. My suggestion is you stay as far away from him as possible until the investigation is complete. In fact, you may want to disassociate yourself from him entirely.” They walked out into the hallway.
Brooke nodded, knowing she’d need to see Paco once more in order to explain why she had to distance herself from him. After all, neither he nor anyone in his family had been convicted of any drug trafficking crimes. Perhaps the DEA had their facts wrong.
“Agent Taylor, may I see you?”
Brooke, Cam, and Gus turned at the familiar voice to see Kade’s boss standing down the hall.
Kade glanced toward Brooke, still with Cam and Gus, then at his boss.
“Yes, sir.”
Brooke watched him leave, hopeful she would never see the man again.
“Come on. Let’s get you home. I’ll take you out to dinner.” Cam wrapped an arm around her. “Gus, why don’t you join us?”
“I’d like to, Cam, but I have plans. Brooke, I would like to meet with you again tomorrow morning at my office.” He held out his card. “I’m sure I’ll have a few more questions after reviewing my notes and would prefer to get everything down while it’s fresh in your mind.”
“Will eleven work? I have a meeting with my advisor at nine.”
“Eleven is fine. I’ll see you then.”
“I’ll be coming with her.”
“You don’t have to—” Brooke began.
“I’m staying, Brooke. I’ve already booked a room.”
The men escorted her outside, Cam pointing to his rental car a couple of rows away. It was then Brooke spotted Kade Taylor, leaning against his black motorcycle, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. She was tempted to do something very unladylike, but instead, kept her anger in check. He wasn’t worth the effort, she told herself as she slid into Cam’s car.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Brooke.” Gus shut the door and walked toward Kade. “I’m giving you notice, Agent Taylor. I’ll be meeting with Assistant U.S. District Attorney Jeremy Flannigan. He and I have worked well together in the past. Once I provide him with what I’ve learned of Brooke and her relationship, or should I say lack of relationship, with Paco Bujazan, I’m certain you’ll be turning t
o other sources for information to bring down the Bujazan cartel.”
Kade watched Cam’s car pull out before focusing on Barker. “Counselor, I do appreciate your insights. I hope you understand I have a job to do.” He grabbed his helmet and secured it on his head before swinging his right leg over the motorcycle seat. “And I assure you, I will complete this investigation.” Kade fired up the engine and started off. Neither he nor the agency were finished searching for answers which could bring down the Bujazan cartel. And Kade wasn’t finished with his surveillance of Miss Brooke Sinclair.
******
“Is there anything else you can tell me, Brooke? Even if you believe it to be insignificant.” Gus had taken several pages of notes, highlighting dates and times Brooke had met with Paco over the last few weeks.
“I can’t think of anything. We don’t talk about his family or mine much of the time. Our conversations focus on the topics for our dissertations, activities around campus, places we’d like to travel, future plans—the usual stuff.”
“Did he talk about specific places he’d like to visit or travel plans?”
Brooke thought a moment, trying to recall the last place he’d mentioned. “Paco’s talked about visiting a lot of places. I believe Hawaii may have been the last place he mentioned, and before that it was Canada.”
“Does he ever talk about traveling to Central or South America?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to clear her head and remember where else he wanted to visit. “I don’t recall him ever mentioning anything south of the border besides visiting his family in Mexico. I’m sorry, I know it’s not much.”
“Neither of you have ever purchased anything relating to a trip together, right?”
“Right.”
Gus sat back. They’d been at it for almost two hours without Brooke stumbling over any question he asked. Her answers were consistent no matter how he phrased each question. He’d sent a friend of his to Brooke’s apartment earlier while she attended the meeting with her advisor. Cam let the security specialist inside and stayed with him as he scanned the apartment for any type of listening or monitoring devices. He found nothing.
All Your Nights (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary series Book 4) Page 2
