Chapter 9 - The Boat
Vale sat inside the Coast Guard interview room like he owned it.
Seventy years old.
Silver hair.
Retired rear admiral.
Pelican board member.
The same man who toasted my father’s honor four hours earlier.
Cross looked worse.
Sweating.
Shaking.
He asked for counsel immediately.
Vale did too.
Nobody confessed.
Of course.
McAllister did not confront them personally.
Investigators took over.
I watched through secure video with Jonah.
Vale said he left gala because Cross called about a “family security concern.”
Cross said he left because Chloe exposed classified injuries and he feared media attention.
Why boat?
Vale claimed Pelican hosted a private reception offshore.
Scheduled.
Records showed boat reservation made that morning.
Possible.
Then the crew manifest.
Only Cross and Vale.
No reception guests.
Less possible.
Then a bag found aboard.
Three encrypted drives.
One Pelican laptop.
Cash:
$46,000.
Vale said corporate travel funds.
Cross said nothing.
Then passport.
Cross.
One way ticket from Mexico City to Panama tomorrow.
That looked like flight preparation.
Still circumstantial.
Then one drive opened under warrant authorization? Fiction process compressed. It contained archived procurement data.
Black Harbor period.
Shipment manifests.
Medical packs.
Satellite relays.
Encrypted radios.
Official destination:
US supported humanitarian logistics hub.
Actual routing:
Pelican subcontractor warehouse in Djibouti.
Then to private intermediaries.
Some ended in militia hands.
Dr. Rahman had discovered mismatch.
He copied records.
Operation Black Harbor intended to extract him.
Vale approved operation.
Meaning he knew Rahman existed.
If Vale was connected to diversion, sending a Navy team could be a way to control recovery.
Then ambush.
McAllister looked sick.
“He sat beside me in the planning review.”
“Did you trust him?”
“For twenty years.”
“Welcome to the club.”
Jonah almost smiled.
Then the drive contained an email.
From Pelican executive to a coded account.
BLACK HARBOR MUST FAIL BEFORE RAHMAN REACHES AIR.
Recipient name hidden.
Metadata routed through Navy network.
Then another:
ATLAS CONFIRMS ROUTE ACCESS.
Atlas.
McAllister’s face hardened.
Vale might be financier or sponsor.
Atlas operational insider.
Cross?
Kane?
Someone else?
Then investigators found a deleted text on Cross’s phone.
To unknown number:
SCARS EXPOSED. MCALLISTER RECOGNIZED HER. VALE MOVING.
Timestamp from gala.
Cross had warned someone.
The number belonged to a prepaid device.
Last network location:
Coronado.
Still on base area.
Whoever received it had not left with Cross.
One traitor had indeed been standing on the beach.
Maybe still nearby.
Then another text came into Cross’s phone while investigators held it.
Unknown:
DID SHE REMEMBER ATLAS?
Nobody responded.
The sender was active.
McAllister ordered immediate trace.
Location narrowed.
Not Kane’s residence.
Not Vale.
A secure government building.
May you like
Pacific Special Operations headquarters.
McAllister’s own command.
