The Keystone Protocol (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 8) by R.J. Patterson

Author:R.J. Patterson [Patterson, R.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Green E-Books
Published: 2023-05-25T16:00:00+00:00

HAWK ZIPPED through sparse traffic along the streets of New York, comprised of little more than taxi cabs and rideshare drivers. While there were some restaurants that appeared to still be teeming with diners, the majority of eateries were winding down for the evening. With the windows down, Hawk drew in the city’s distinct odor, a mix of ethnic food and foul sewage, a smell as unique as the city itself.

Alex’s phone buzzed and she answered a call from Mallory before reporting the details of their conversation to Hawk and Big Earv.

“She hasn’t found anything yet,” Alex said, “but she’s thinking like we are. Barinov isn’t going to leave on a cruise ship. He’s going to try and sneak onto a friendly tanker.”

“Did she identify any targets for us?” Hawk asked.

“She’s forwarding me the names of a couple ships that are Russian or friendly to the Russians,” Alex said. “She’s watching satellite imagery now off the port, though it could be too late. Barinov could’ve already made it to the port by the time we told Mallory about him. But just in case, she’s watching for any unusual movement.”

“Any of those ships seem likely to you?” Hawk asked.

“I would think he’d want to leave right away,” Alex said. “So, I’m just playing a hunch here. But if he got on the very first Russian tanker leaving the country, we might be able to stop it, inspect every square inch of the ship and eventually find him. So, he’d want to leave on the second ship leaving, an Estonian tanked named Skorpion. It leaves a half-hour after the Russian tanker, and it doesn’t set off all the red flags either.”

“But he’d have to know someone on the ship,” Big Earv said.

“Not necessarily,” Hawk said, wagging his finger. “Barinov could either bribe his way on—or force his way on. Either way, I think he’s going to be on a ship somewhere in that port.”

“When do the other ships leave?” Big Earv asked.

“There are two that leave closer to midnight, but that’s two hours away,” Alex said. “I doubt he’d risk waiting that long knowing we’d be after him.”

After they arrived at the port, they checked with security and the customs agents about seeing any suspicious activity in the last hour. They denied seeing any, but Alex asked to review the recent security camera footage. Then Big Earv and Hawk headed for the Skorpion, the Estonian tanker due to leave in an hour.

The two men hustled up the gangway just as one of the crew members was preparing to release it from the ship’s deck.

“Wait a minute,” Hawk said as he flashed his badge. “Can we speak with your captain?”

The man grunted and then gestured for them to follow him. He led them to the bridge and handed them off to the captain. The bearded man was busy making his final checks before departure, scowling at the sight of the two visitors in the doorway.

“What do you—” the captain said before he glanced at the badge Hawk held up.

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