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“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.”
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Avery scanned the room,taking in the details for the first time. The windowless space was large, outfitted with a wall of bunks, lockers, a rudimentary kitchen, and shelf upon shelf of packaged foods. The area was clearly designed to house the ship’s small crew for days, or maybe weeks at a time.
“No signs of a struggle,” she said, her voice still shaky. “Looks like he was taken by surprise.”
The smell of blood and gunpowder hung heavy in the air, making her nose itch. She could taste the coppery tang of it on her tongue, and she had to fight the urge to gag.
“Single shot, close range,” Mason said, his voice clinical.
A chill ran down her spine. Whoever had done this was likely still on the ship, maybe even watching them right now.
She forced herself to focus, to take in every detail of the scene. The angle of the body, the placement of the wound, the way the blood had pooled around him.
“No shell casings,” she said, her voice steady. “Either the killer used a revolver, or they policed their brass.”