Chapter 10 - The Rogue Detective
Detective Miller lowered his flashlight, illuminating Elena standing in the damp shadows, shivering violently in her torn strapless dress.
"I was wondering when you'd drop out of the drainage system, Mrs. Vance," Miller said calmly, stepping closer without drawing a weapon. "Your husband’s panic button alerted our precinct dispatch forty minutes ago."
Elena stepped out from behind the pillar, keeping the titanium pry bar gripped tightly in her hand like a weapon. "If you're here to take me back to Arthur Sterling, you'll have to kill me right here in this sewer."
Miller held up both hands in a non-threatening gesture, his weathered face etched with deep concern. "Relax, Elena. I'm off duty, and I haven't filed an official report yet. The entire police department down at Pier 42 has been bought off by Sterling’s syndicate. If you go up that ladder expecting help from the badge, you’ll walk right into a trap."
Elena lowered the tool slightly, though caution still radiated from every line of her body. "Then why are you down here waiting for me?"
"Because I found the backup server drive Julian tried to flush down his office toilet an hour before the gala," Miller said, pulling a heavy plastic evidence bag from his trench coat pocket containing a scorched flash drive. "Your husband isn't just a gambler, Elena. He’s been laundering cartel money through the hotel’s renovation accounts for three years. Arthur Sterling is just the cleanup crew."
"I don't care about his money, Detective," Elena hissed, stepping forward until she was inches away from the officer. "My daughter is on that freighter. Where is Pier 42 from here?"
"Through that rusted bulkhead door," Miller pointed to a heavy iron hatch set into the damp brick wall. "It leads directly into the lower cargo hold of the passenger liner currently docked next to Sterling’s freighter. But I have to warn you—there are at least half a dozen armed mercenaries guarding that cargo hold."
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Elena stared at the rusted bulkhead door, feeling the cold metal radiate through her skin. She didn't hesitate. She turned the heavy iron wheel, pushing the door open into the roaring sound of ocean waves and diesel engines.
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