Chapter 40

Ryan’s callhad come less than twenty-four hours later. None too soon for Avery. The more time she spent around Mason and his uber-competent crew, the harder it was going to be to watch them leave.

At least the meet would keep her busy.

Avery crouched behind a stack of crates, the fishy scent of seaweed mixed with diesel fuel assaulting her nostrils. She peered through her binoculars, focusing in on the massive container ship harnessed to the dock below and trying to ignore the way the drizzle was slowly soaking through her jacket and making her skin feel clammy.

Rain again. Of course.

Beside her, Mason was doing the same, his face a mask of concentration. She couldn’t help but admire his pinpoint focus, the way his eyes narrowed like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.

She shook her head, trying to banish the thought. This was no time to be getting distracted by her partner’s rugged good looks.

The comlink in her ear crackled to life, and she had to resist the urge to flinch. It was still taking some getting used to, having a direct line to Mason’s team. But she had to admit, it was a handy little gadget.

“Just like old times, huh?” Mason’s voice came through the comlink, low and teasing. “You. Me. Drizzle. Watching for bad guys.”

Avery snorted, adjusting her position slightly. “Yeah, except this time we’ve got backup,” she said, tapping the comlink. “And a whole lot more tech.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Just then, Paul’s voice came through the comlink, loud and excited. “Hey, do you think they have any snacks on that ship?” he asked, his voice eager. “I’m starving.”

Avery bit back a laugh. Leave it to Paul to be thinking about his stomach at a time like this.

“Yo, dude.” Mason responded. “Stake out. Not picnic.”

“Yeah, fine,” Paul said, his voice disappointed. “I could really go for a candy bar right about now.”

A groan came over the comlink. “Man, now I’m thinking about a Snickers,” Tai complained.

“Snickers? What kind of jarhead are you?” Fenn added. “I thought you Marines went straight for the pure chocolate. For me it’s Hershey’s all the way.”

Mason sighed, and Avery could practically see him rolling his eyes. “Can you please focus on the mission? We’re kind of in the middle of something here.”

“Right, sorry,” Paul said, his voice sheepish. “I’ll keep my mouth zipped from now on.”

Mason spoke again. “No worries, bro. I was talking to the supposed professionals.”

Avery felt a warmth spreading through her chest, a fondness for the two brothers. It was nice to see them starting to thaw out, shedding some of the tension and resentment that had built up over the years.

She only wished she could be there to see how things progressed between them. But for her, the winding down of this mission was bittersweet.

On the one hand, there was the familiar jolt of energy that came with being on the cusp of closing a case. From getting ordered to abandon the investigation to being within minutes of taking down a counterfeit drug ring, it was heady stuff. The kind of thing that kept her in the Bureau, despite all the long hours and sleepless nights.

On the other hand, there was a sense of melancholy, a wistfulness for what might have been. She couldn’t help but think of her father, wondering if he’d felt the same way at the end of a case. Was he up there somewhere, watching over her, proud of the agent she’d become?

She blinked back tears, trying to focus on the task at hand.

Tai’s voice crackled over the comlink. “Heads up, guys. Our boy Lars is in the house.”

Avery snapped to attention, her eyes glued to the parking area. A shiny black Mercedes rolled into the lot, picking its way slowly between the machinery littering the dock in front of the huge ship. The vehicle stopped at the base of the steel gangway. Stenberg climbed out of the vehicle and hustled up the walk, head on a swivel.

“Nervous much?” Kate’s rhetorical question made Avery want to laugh.

A slender man in a ship’s overalls met the owner at the top of the gangway.

She and Mason watched as Lars followed the first mate around the deck, weaving between cargo containers until they reached one that they opened and went inside. Tai’s tiny drones would take the surveillance from there.

The ship’s officer was silent, following Stenberg’s directions to open the container, then the pallet. Lars appeared nervous, shifting from foot to foot.

The team listened as Stenberg inspected the merchandise, his voice impatient and demanding. He was particularly picky about the fake prescription labels and barcodes on the packages, examining each one with a critical eye.

Finally, he seemed satisfied. “Load it up,” he ordered the man. “I’ll transfer the funds now.” While the crewman re-secured the container’s doors, he pulled out a cell phone.

“I’m loving this,” Tai said. “Getting some nice screen captures here. Bank website. Accounts. Transfer amounts.”

“Copy that.” Mason sounded fully satisfied.

As was she. They had Stenberg now.

How stupid to get caught exchanging funds for counterfeit meds in public. Tai’s drone footage would be completely admissible in court. Add that to her eyewitness account and she could now tie Stenberg directly to the purchase of counterfeit meds. Plenty of evidence to arrest him, certainly. Tying him to the four murders would easily follow. Even if he hadn’t known about them, or ordered them himself, they were committed in the service of hiding his criminal activity. In the eyes of the law, he’d be just as guilty as the actual murderer.

For the first time in weeks, she tasted victory.

“It’s done.” Stenberg told the first mate.

Without a word, the man led him back toward the gangplank.

“How do you want to play this?” Mason asked her.

“We’ve got enough for an arrest,” she said.

“Tell me you brought your badge?” Mason teased.

She laughed. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Stenberg’s face. “Right next to my handcuffs.”

“Let’s do this,” Mason crowed. “Most vulnerable point will be between the gangway and the vehicle. Avery and I will take Stenberg. The rest of you, secure the evidence. That about right?” he asked her.

“Works for me. Thank you all,” she added, and stuffed her binoculars in their case.

Before the crewman could lead Stenberg off the ship, another man in a ship’s coveralls joined them. “Mr. Stenberg, the captain wants to see you.”

Stenberg muttered an oath. “What now?” he protested but followed the crewman.

Half an hour later, Stenberg still hadn’t emerged from inside the ship. Tai deployed his drones, but the interior of the accommodations––the tower that held the offices and crew cabins––was a maze of stairwells and dead ends.

“I got nothing,” Tai admitted. “Bridge has been empty the entire time. All other rooms with windows, too.”

But most of the rooms in the five-story white tower would be internal. Windowless.

Mason had long ago sat up. He stared through his binoculars again, checking the deck. “I’m not liking this.”

“Copy that,” Graham agreed. “No way he’s having tea and cookies.”

Avery watched the last of the crew head down the gangway, duffle bags over their shoulders. There’d be barely a skeleton crew left on board until the ship was reloaded. The solution was obvious. “We should head in there.”

“Copy that,” Mason agreed. “Avery and I will get eyes on the prize,” he told the team.

“My drones’ll have your six,” Tai assured them.

Now they had to figure out a way to board the ship unseen. Avery studied the area one more time with her binoculars. Dock crew in hardhats swarmed around the ship, directing the massive, claw-like cranes that plucked the containers off the deck as easily as children unstacked blocks. The deck of the ship itself, though, was deserted.

Maybe they could simply walk onboard.

Mason wasn’t studying the ship. He had his binoculars trained on a modular office at the back of the lot. “I have an idea. Follow me.”

He stowed his binoculars and sprinted toward the stairs. By the time she climbed to her feet, he was already two stories below her. Once she reached the dock office, he was already exiting the modular structure, two sets of overalls and a couple yellow hard hats in hand.

He held them out. “Don’t say I don’t travel in style.”

She accepted the oil-stained garment. Whew. Sweat and machine oil. Nice.

Still, it would get the job done. Disguises on, they headed toward the gangway with purposeful strides. The rest of the team hung back, monitoring the comms in case they needed to intervene.

Guided by Tai’s drones, Avery and Mason wound their way through the complicated structure. At least they didn’t run into any stray crewmen.

Checking every door they passed, they quickly realized that the bottom levels were empty. Most of the crew had indeed headed off to shore. They had one level to go before they reached the bridge. Tension mounted as they headed toward the final room.

“Stay behind me,” Mason ordered.

Weapon raised, he inched toward the door and tried the handle. The latch opened smoothly. He peered inside, then swung the door wide. “Unoccupied.”

Avery shoved her way past him into the room. Her stomach plummeted. Except for a couple round table and chair sets, a few posters about workplace safety and a galley set up on one wall, the plain white room was completely empty.

Avery’s stomach plummeted. They’d started at the base of the accommodations tower. Between her and Mason and the tiny drone army, there was no way Stenberg could have slipped past them.

No way in the past ten minutes. She wanted to kick the wall. Somehow, he’d found another way off the ship.

Mason lowered his weapon. “Looks like we’re done here.”

She followed suit. “Looks like.”

“I’m looking through security footage of the docks,” Paige said. “I’ve got nothing. If Stenberg slipped away, he swam.”

“He’s behind the wall,” Tai announced.

Mason shot her a skeptical look. “Uh, dude? There’s nothing here.”

Two fly-sized drones buzzed around the blank wall facing them. “There’s a heat signature behind that wall,” Tai insisted. “Check the floor.”

Sure enough, curved scrapes arced from the corner of the wall out into the room. The left panel opened.

“The back wall moves. Stenberg disappeared behind a movable wall,” Tai said over the comlink, his voice grim.

“Panic room,” Mason muttered, his eyes narrowing.

“Yup,” Tai agreed.

Paige’s voice chimed in over the comlink. “I’ve got the ship’s schematics pulled up,” she said, her voice focused. “There’s no evidence of another exit. I’m betting that’s Stenberg in there.”

Mason nodded, his jaw clenching. “Find a way to shut down the cranes and block all exits to shore,” he ordered, his voice firm. “Nobody gets off this ship until we find the target.”

The team affirmed over the comlink. Graham, the team’s sniper, was hiding across from the docks, ready to take down any escapees with a nonlethal round.

“I’ve got clear sightlines on the dock side of the vessel,” he announced, his voice calm and steady.

Mason approached the edge of the wall, his weapon in hand. Avery followed close behind, her own gun at the ready.

“How are we going to get in there?” she asked. “If it’s really a panic room, it’ll only open from the inside.”

Fenn’s voice crackled over the comlink. “I’m on my way,” he said, his voice eager. “I can get us in there in no time.”

Mason shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Belay that,” he said with amusement. “I just found a way in.” He turned to Avery, his eyes twinkling. “They didn’t latch the door.”

Avery raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. “I’ll cover you,” she said, as Mason prepared to swing the door wide.

The steel door swung open on oiled hinges, revealing the interior of the panic room. But what they saw inside made them both freeze in their tracks.

Stenberg was dead, his body sprawled on the floor, face up.

“Single shot to the chest,” Mason muttered.

Avery felt her stomach lurch, bile rising in her throat. This was not how she had expected this to go down. Had Ryan done this? He could have snuck onto the ship before they arrived.

The thought made her sick. No sense jumping to conclusions.

She stared at the body, her mind clicking into gear. “We need to secure the scene and call law enforcement. Now.”