Chapter 4 - The Harbor Master
The black SUV navigated the winding, rain-slicked roads along the Chesapeake coastline.
Adrian sat silently beside me, typing rapidly on his encrypted phone.
I kept my eyes fixed on the window, mapping our route in my head.
We were heading toward the industrial shipping docks, miles away from the tourist district.
"Who are we going to see?" I asked, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
"The Harbor Master," Adrian answered without looking up.
"He is the one who sent you that text message during dinner," I guessed.
Adrian finally looked at me, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement.
"He intercepted some cargo manifests that belong to me."
"He threatened to send copies to your department unless I paid him a pension."
The SUV lurched to a halt in front of a rusted, corrugated metal building.
"You are going to walk in there, show him your shiny gold medal, and seize those files under official DoD authority," Adrian ordered.
"Then you will hand them directly to me."
He unholstered a heavy pistol and rested it casually on his lap.
"If you try to be a hero, I make the phone call, and David dies."
I nodded slowly, stepping out into the freezing rain.
I walked up the metal stairs to the Harbor Master's office on the second floor.
The door was slightly ajar, creaking loudly in the wind.
I pushed it open, pulling out my flashlight to pierce the heavy darkness inside.
The beam of light swept across a desk covered in scattered papers.
Then the light hit the ceiling.
The Harbor Master was hanging by his neck from a thick shipping rope, his eyes wide open in terror.
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Red and blue police lights suddenly flashed through the window, illuminating the dead man's face.
Four police cruisers skidded to a halt directly below the office, trapping me inside.
