Chapter 18

Emersyn frowned as she sat at her desk a week later, going through new classified intelligence they'd received on the Sinaloa Cartel. There'd been a big drug bust in Honolulu over the weekend, involving multiple DEA agents and several analysts from her office who'd discovered the movement of narcotics. Emersyn had played a role in the bust by ID'ing several of the suspects with the information she'd been documenting about the cartel's contact with travelers. One tourist had been involved in the attempted shipment of illegal drugs off the island and was brought under arrest with the others. After Emersyn and her colleagues had briefed the DEA Honolulu office, Special Agents had moved in, rounded up the suspects, and made the arrests.

No doubt the drug bust would barely put a dent in the illegal drug trade in Hawaii. The cartels had steady business because of the diverse, transient population on the island. While there were multiple Drug Trafficking Organizations in Hawaii, the most prominent were the Mexican cartels. The Sinaloa Cartel wouldn't stop in their attempts to draw in tourists to their illegal movement of narcotics. While the recent arrests might slow them down temporarily, it was only a blip in the radar.

She tapped her fingernails on the desk of her cubicle, re-reading the latest information that had just flashed across her screen. Her boss Rick was making the rounds to the analysts under his branch. While they briefed in meetings like every other group, he'd drink his coffee wandering through the cubicles and speaking with his team most mornings.

"This is interesting," Emersyn said as he stopped by. "I've been researching the recent incidents of contact the Sinaloa Cartel has made with tourists. This latest occurrence just came across in a cable. There was a man believed to be American trying to locate other U.S. citizens with government connections at the airport in Cancun and questioning them about their knowledge of the Mexican cartels."

"What?" Rick asked, pausing mid-sip.

She nodded. "It's true. It sounds gutsy as hell and like a total longshot, but the incident happened at the gate of a flight originating from Washington, DC, not unlike the recent incident here in Hawaii."

Her boss frowned. "Whoever was questioning the arrivals shouldn't have been allowed at the gate to begin with unless he was flying in or out of Cancun."

"That's a good point. Maybe we could obtain the passenger manifests of flights originating or arriving around that time to see if we can narrow down a list of travelers for possible identification," Emersyn suggested.

"It's a strange way to gather intelligence," Rick said. "The cartel can't really suspect multiple tourists visiting Cancun or other vacation hotspots have ties to DEA and would somehow be able to tip them off on counternarcotics measures. Not everyone in DC works for the Federal Government, and not every Fed has connections to DEA."

"Not even close," she agreed. "Yet each person who reported it suggested that was exactly what the person who approached them wanted. They questioned if they had connections to the U.S. government. Others were approached by Mexicans, believed to be cartel members themselves. This specific incident was different because the man was believed to be American."

"Do we have a description?"

"Male. White. Mid-thirties. Balding."

Rick eyed her. "That tracks with Eric Wilder's photo but seems improbable. There's been no sign of him for weeks. Showing up at the airport where there are multiple cameras at every entrance and exit would be foolish."

"I know. We could try to obtain surveillance footage from the airport to see what we can find. I don't know how cooperative the Mexicans would be."

"We'd have to go through the proper diplomatic channels," Rick said. "Send me a copy of that cable. We'll move it along through the higher-ups to make sure DOD gets eyes on it. They're still looking for Wilder after sending in a Special Forces team to rescue his fiancée. Wilder's dad is livid that his son was never located."

"His disappearance leaked to the news this week," Emersyn said with a frown. "Wilder's name wasn't specifically mentioned, but the fact that a DEA contractor has gone missing in Mexico was blasted everywhere."

"That's problematic for all of us involved in the investigation," Rick said. "But I also wanted to stop by and congratulate you on your assistance with the bust over the weekend. The data you've been tracking involving the cartel's contact with travelers paid off big time. Our agents moved in early Sunday morning and brought multiple men to justice. One of the men arrested was a well-known cartel leader. He wasn't expected to be there, but agents arrested him as well."

"Oh really?" she asked in surprise.

Rick nodded. "I just read the report this morning. It's an interesting connection because Antonio Lopez, one of the cartel ringleaders here in Oahu, is Alejandro Lopez's cousin."

"Wow. What are the chances?" she asked rhetorically. "Odd timing that we're dealing with Alejandro in Mexico on the Wilder case and Antonio here in Oahu. I'm shocked that he was with the lower men on the totem pole. He usually stays out of sight."

"It was a costly mistake for him," Rick said. "A damn good example of teamwork and collaboration in our office, however. I know you weren't specifically targeting him, but all the information you've been tracking was crucial."

"Thank you," she said.

Emersyn got back to work, half-listening as Rick began talking to another analyst. The possibility of Eric Wilder having shown up in the airport at Cancun was concerning. After Kim Burgess's interview with investigators weeks ago, not much more had been revealed. It seemed she was truly in the dark about Wilder's involvement with the cartel. Emersyn didn't even know the woman but already hated Wilder on her behalf. Kim Burgess could've been killed because of her fiancé's greed and recklessness. While he hadn't been seen since the day of her rescue, a large deposit had been made to one of his bank accounts. Before the government could freeze the assets, it had been emptied—every last penny withdrawn, likely ending up in an offshore account. The man was in it for the money, but his specific duties for the cartel were still anyone's guess.

She clicked over to another database, pulling travel records from the airline he'd originally had return flight tickets for. While he'd never arrived back in Texas on that plane, it stood to reason that if he and his fiancée booked flights through the airline this time, he could've used the same one in the past.

Her boss came back over a few minutes later, checking in again before he headed to another briefing. "What do we have on Wilder?" Rick asked.

"I've been combing through records of the airline's flights originating from Texas and landing in Cancun. Wilder was also in Mexico a month ago," she said with a frown.

"Wilder was?" he asked.

"Yes. It was a quick trip one weekend, his return flight Sunday evening."

"He should've reported all foreign travel to DEA. He's got a high-level clearance," Rick said with a frown.

Emersyn studied the manifest, her mind whirling. She'd seen another last name earlier that had jumped out at her. Emersyn clicked a few buttons, then stared in shock as multiple flights booked under Eric A. Humphry Wilder's name popped up. "He was flying down there weekly," she said, her heart racing.

"Wilder was?" Rick asked, peering at her screen. "Let me get Special Agent Mathers in here. He'll want to see this," Rick said, reaching for her secure line and quickly making the call.

Emersyn pointed at her computer screen. "I widened the search parameters, just to see what came up. His recent vacation with his fiancée was booked under Eric Wilder, as was the trip one month ago. He's been coming almost weekly, however, under the name Eric A. Humphry Wilder."

Her boss frowned. "Why the hell would he do that? Using his full name is that much more damning."

Emersyn shook her head. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense, because using an alias would've hidden his movements. Not that this seemed to tip anyone off. Heads are going to roll for this. He was traveling to a foreign country for almost a year without reporting his contact to anyone," she said, scrolling back through the flights once more. "He only reported two trips to Mexico, both booked under the name Eric Wilder."

Special Agent Mathers came hustling through the vault, spotting Emersyn and Rick at her cubicle. Emersyn quickly brought him up to speed, pointing out the multiple flights he'd been taking under his full name.

"Using his full name is interesting," Mathers said. "It's almost like he knew when he was eventually caught—or when he fled the country, disappearing with the cash—his name would be tied to his father's."

Emersyn's eyes widened. "You're right. He was using his full name so it would be more recognizable. When DEA or other authorities eventually figured out his scheme, his name would be blasted in the media. Any investigative reporter worth their salt would want to see the flight records and immediately make the connection between Eric A. Humphry Wilder and his prominent father."

"He's got daddy issues," Mathers said in a hard voice. "Maybe he was trying to bring his old man down with him. Pull one over on everyone with a big ‘fuck you' to his father. But what information was he turning over to the cartel? No one would have new intelligence to sell every single week for an entire year."

Emersyn nodded, her mind spinning. "You're absolutely correct. He wouldn't have that kind of information weekly, even from working in IT. He certainly wouldn't have anything they'd be willing to pay him for each week. The DEA office in Texas was assuming that Wilder was exchanging information for money," Emersyn said. "What if he's been trafficking drugs all along? He knows how to hide the merchandise given his inside knowledge of counternarcotics measures. He could've been moving drugs from Cancun to dealers in Texas all year. From there, drugs could be shipped across the country. He's taking a cut of the money, biding his time, and then he disappears on a trip to Mexico, allegedly kidnapped."

"Let's search other years of his travel as well," Rick said, pointing at the screen. "I want to know exactly how damn long this jackass was moving narcotics across the border."

"He's been missing for weeks," Mathers said. "The incident at the airport with Wilder possibly approaching tourists is suspicious as hell. We need that footage to ID him. What brought him out of hiding now? I don't think he was ever kidnapped by the cartel. He needed an out. An endgame."

"And he'd just up and leave his fiancée?" Emersyn questioned. "Why'd he disappear without her? They were both allegedly kidnapped. Why'd he leave the residence where they were being held by himself?"

"Maybe he was planning to come back," Rick said.

"He'd have to be really trusting to leave her in the hands of the cartel," Emersyn said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "She could've been raped or killed by those men when she was there all alone. What if Wilder was actually still in the residence somewhere?" she mused. "The Spec Ops Team searched the place, but what if he was somehow watching or monitoring the rescue operation? I can't imagine he'd leave her there helpless and alone."

"He didn't know they were coming," Rick pointed out. "Why would he be watching the place if he had no idea that a rescue was about to go down?"

Emersyn's gaze flicked between her boss and Special Agent Mathers. "Or maybe he did. He's in IT. Eric Wilder must somehow still have access to the DEA classified servers. He's hacking in from Mexico. Wilder knew the exact same thing we did—that a rescue operation by U.S. Special Forces was underway. If his father was involved in pushing for the rescue, Eric would want to know every detail. Eric Wilder disappeared but knows every single move we're making."