Chapter 5 - The Waitress Becomes the Target
Pier Nine appeared deserted.
Eric’s men spread around the warehouse perimeter.
Emma stayed inside the vehicle until Eric opened her door.
“We found Michael’s car.”
“Is he inside?”
“Probably.”
They entered through a side door.
Michael sat tied to a chair.
Victor Salerno stood behind him.
Anthony was beside Victor.
Michael looked at Eric.
“Took you long enough.”
Victor smiled.
“Family reunion.”
Eric’s voice was cold.
“Let him go.”
Victor laughed.
“Give me the letter.”
Emma stepped from behind Eric.
Victor’s smile disappeared.
“There she is.”
Emma held the paper.
“The waitress.”
“The granddaughter,” Victor corrected.
Eric glanced at him.
Victor continued.
“Samuel was always the problem.”
Emma’s voice hardened.
“You knew my grandfather?”
“I knew he should’ve stayed quiet.”
Eric moved slightly in front of her.
Victor noticed.
“Oh, Eric.”
He smiled.
“Don’t tell me you’ve become protective.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve become stupid.”
Victor’s expression tightened.
Eric continued.
“You kidnapped my brother and brought him to the exact location written in Carlo’s message.”
Victor looked toward Emma.
“She brought you here.”
“Exactly.”
Emma understood what Eric was doing.
Making Victor talk.
Victor shook his head.
“You still don’t understand.”
Emma raised the letter.
“I understand plenty.”
“No, sweetheart. You translated what Carlo wanted you to translate.”
“What does that mean?”
“There’s another message.”
Emma’s eyes narrowed.
Victor smiled.
“That’s why I need the original.”
Emma looked at the blood patterns.
Not random stains.
Her mind raced.
Her grandfather had taught her another trick.
Rotate the page.
She turned it sideways.
Faint marks aligned with the handwriting.
Numbers.
Coordinates.
Eric saw her expression.
“What?”
Emma whispered, “The blood isn’t hiding the message.”
Victor moved.
“The blood is the message.”
Eric’s men reacted immediately.
Victor stopped.
Emma studied the coordinates.
Then she laughed.
Victor frowned.
“What’s funny?”
“You never figured it out.”
His face changed.
Emma held up the letter.
“These aren’t coordinates for money.”
“What?”
“They’re shipping container numbers.”
Eric looked toward Michael.
Michael suddenly understood.
“Empty ships.”
Emma nodded.
“The ledger entries marked ‘empty ship’ aren’t empty.”
Eric turned toward Victor.
“They’re your shipments.”
Victor’s confidence disappeared.
Michael laughed from the chair.
“Carlo documented everything.”
Emma continued reading the hidden pattern.
“Dates. Container numbers. Payment accounts.”
Victor stared at her.
“You’re lying.”
Emma looked directly at him.
“And one more thing.”
“What?”
“Carlo sent copies.”
Victor froze.
Eric smiled without humor.
“Where?”
Emma read the final coded sentence.
“To three attorneys and a federal investigator if Carlo didn’t cancel delivery within seventy-two hours.”
Michael looked at Victor.
“You killed the one man who could cancel it.”
Victor’s face collapsed.
Sirens sounded outside.
Emma looked at Eric.
“You called the police?”
“No.”
Michael grinned.
“I did.”
Everyone looked at him.
He raised his bound hands slightly.
“My watch has an emergency transmitter.”
Eric stared.
“You’ve had that the whole time?”
“I was waiting for Victor to confess.”
“You could’ve mentioned it.”
“I was tied to a chair.”
The warehouse doors opened.
Victor looked toward Emma with pure hatred.
“This happened because of you.”
Eric immediately stepped between them.
“No.”
His voice became dangerously quiet.
May you like
“This happened because you underestimated her.”
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