Chapter 15 - The Shipment That Hadn't Left

The serial number pointed to another batch of faulty communications equipment. It hadn't shipped yet. If it reached its destination, soldiers might lose contact when they needed help most.

"Marcus wasn't only trying to get home," I said. "He was trying to stop the next failure."

Ellis's team matched the number to a pending procurement transfer. A judge authorized further searches based on the accumulating evidence. Officials halted the equipment release, preserving the inventory for inspection. The supplier denied wrongdoing; the records said otherwise.

The investigation widened. Raymond wasn't the person at the top. He was an eager middleman who had traded access and silence for money, then decided he deserved more. There were executives, subcontractors, and officials whose decisions had to be investigated individually. I had seen too many scandals simplified into a single villain. Real damage was often an assembly line.

A message came through diplomatic channels: the medical vehicle from the ferry terminal had reached a safe house. The operators holding Marcus no longer controlled it. Someone inside the network had turned against Vale and was negotiating to release the prisoner.

"Is Marcus there?" I asked.

"We have reason to believe so," Price said. "But there are still people between us and confirmation."

That evening Harrison called, his voice rough. "I saw the news about the contracts. They're saying Raymond might have put soldiers at risk."

"The case is ongoing," I replied. "Don't speculate."

"I should have listened to you."

"Yes."

"Can you ever forgive me?"

I looked at the hospital bracelet Ortiz had put on my wrist for monitoring. I could forgive a mistake. I didn't yet know what to do with a pattern.

"I'm not making that decision today."

He cried quietly. It was the first time I'd heard him cry since his own father died.

Moments later, Price stepped in. "We have verified audio from the safe house."

A man coughed on the recording. Then a voice said, clear and unmistakable:

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"My name is Marcus Bennett. Tell my wife I'm coming home."