Chapter 6 - The San Pedro Trap
The night air at the San Pedro shipping yards was thick with fog and the smell of saltwater. Richard pulled his dark SUV behind a row of rusted shipping containers, clutching a black leather briefcase containing stolen hard drives from Hayes Global's vault.
He stepped out, shivering in the damp chill, looking around anxiously.
A black sedan glided out of the darkness, its headlights cutting through the mist before snapping off. Two men in heavy coats stepped out, their faces obscured by shadows.
"Did you bring the schematics?" the lead buyer demanded, stepping closer.
"Everything is here," Richard said, his voice trembling as he held up the briefcase. "The full source code for the satellite navigation grid. It’s worth at least a hundred million on the black market. I want twenty million wire-transferred to my Cayman account tonight, and the rest when you clear the code."
"Open it," the buyer ordered.
Richard placed the briefcase on the hood of his SUV and popped the latches. He threw open the lid, expecting to show off the glowing encrypted hard drives.
Instead, the briefcase was completely empty—except for a single, high-powered digital audio recorder resting on a velvet lining.
Before Richard could react, the recorder clicked on.
My voice echoed loudly through the fog-drenched shipping yard, crisp, clear, and unmistakable:
"Did you really think I’d leave the keys to my father’s life work in the master safe, Richard?"
Richard gasped, stumbling backward into the side of his SUV, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at the glowing screen of the recorder. "Amelia...? No... no, you're dead! You fell!"
"Who the hell is this?" the buyer hissed, pulling a handgun from his coat.
Suddenly, floodlights erupted from all directions, blinding the yard. Sirens wailed as armed tactical units swarmed out from behind the shipping containers, rifles raised.
"Federal agents! Drop your weapons! Hands on your heads now!"
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The buyers threw down their weapons and hit the pavement immediately. But Richard stood paralyzed, staring wildly into the blinding light, screaming like a madman into the darkness.
"She’s dead! I pushed her! I saw her fall!"
