Deadly Cargo

by Jodie Bailey

  It might be Jasmine’s.

  She’d stopped at the door to a small break room. “What are we doing?”

  “Not much.” Will kept his voice low. “Without a warrant, we can’t search. I want to ask your bosses some follow-up questions, see if they slip up. You can give us a tour of the building, but I’d like to get a look around the hangars. It’s a gray area, but if I’m out there at your invitation and Scout happens to alert, then we’re on safe legal ground.”

  Jasmine’s eyes slipped shut, but she nodded. She obviously still wasn’t on board with his theory, even though Keith’s comment had been chilling.

  “Who’s flying today?” Sean stepped up next to Will, and Grace sat at his heel.

  “I’m off today. I think Keith is taking a run up to Windward Fort. He typically takes off around eight.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s a little after seven now.”

  “Jasmine.” A voice from up the hall drew all of their attention. A slim man in his early thirties with dark hair and blue eyes stepped closer. “What are you doing here?” He glanced at his phone and thumbed through a few screens, then typed something. “I don’t have you on the schedule for today.” When he lifted his head, he eyed Will and Sean with a wariness that was either suspicion or concern.

  Jasmine gave a small wave. “Darrin, this is Trooper Will Stryker and Trooper Sean West.” She gestured back toward the man. “This is Darrin Hawkins, the co-owner of Kesuk Aviation.”

  Darrin hesitated, then stepped forward and shook both Will’s and Sean’s hands. “I’m sorry we have to meet under such circumstances. I was on a flight yesterday and missed the excitement here. I hear you’re going to continue to fly with Jasmine, Trooper Stryker? We’ll help in any way we can to stop the flow of drugs to the frontier.”

  “That’s not what your brother said.” Will’s voice held a slight edge. If he kept Darrin off balance, he might slip the way his brother had.

  “Keith can be overly cautious, and he’s concerned about Jasmine.” The answer was even and polished.

  Almost too polished. “Yesterday he seemed more concerned about the damage to his planes.”

  Darrin smiled softly. “That sounds like Keith. He’s the numbers and the brains here. Without him, we’d have folded on year one.” His gaze never broke from Will’s.

  The hairs on the back of Will’s neck bristled. From experience, that kind of forced, direct gaze usually indicated someone was hiding something and didn’t want to look like they were hiding something. It wasn’t natural. “And what do you do around here?”

  “I’m the face of the business. The handshaker. The one who brings in new clients and smooths over things with the old ones. Keith’s all about numbers. I’m all about people.”

  That explained the manufactured smoothness that crawled under Will’s skin. The guy was a salesman, and he was playing that role with all he had.

  There was a standoff as the three men sized one another up while Jasmine watched. Outside, the whine of a plane’s engine revved, then passed as it lifted. The sound was loud in the silence.

  Darrin looked away first. He glanced at his phone. “I’ve got a call with a potential new client in Anchorage, so I need to head back to my office. Is there anything I can help you with, Jasmine? Did you need something?”

  “I just wanted to check on the planes. That Twin Otter is my baby, you know.” She spoke the line just like Will had asked her to. Her delivery was flawless. Good job, Jas.

  “Jerry’s in the hangar with the Twin Otter now. She should be good to go for you to fly tomorrow. The Piper’s going to take longer. Keith is flying the King Air this morning.” He addressed Will. “And what’s your reason for being here?” He glanced at Jasmine with a raised eyebrow as though hinting at something personal between them.

  No way was Will taking that bait. “Jasmine was the target of a false tip, sabotage and a shooting. If it’s okay with you, we’d like to stay close to her while she’s here. We’d also like to look around to see if our evidence team might have missed anything after the shooting.”

  Darrin shrugged. “Be my guest. Just don’t get in anyone’s way. With two planes grounded, we’re pushing hard to stay on top of things.” He moved to step around the men. “Jasmine, you’re on the run to Innesreh and Winchinechen tomorrow, right?”

  “That’s the plan. I haven’t looked at the latest schedule, so I’ll take your word for it.”

  “You haven’t?” Darrin’s head drew back slightly, but then he shrugged and typed something into his phone. “I’ll have Christy print you a copy.” When he was finished with his phone, he pocketed it. “Guys, it’s good to have you out here. I’ve seen what the drug trade can do to the frontier. Fewer drug supply lines makes things better for everybody.” With a nod, he walked away and disappeared around the corner of the short hallway.

  Sean and Will both watched him go.

  “He rubs me the wrong way in a big way,” Sean muttered.

  “Same.”

  With a loud sigh that said more than words ever could, Jasmine held her hand out to the room at her right. “You wanted a tour? This is the break room. Your basic fridge, snack machine, table and chairs kind of place.”

  Stepping into the doorway, Will dropped Scout’s leash and gave a quick command.

  The K-9 squeezed past him and sniffed around the room. Near the drink machine, he hesitated then seemed to follow some sort of trail back to Will, but he didn’t alert. Instead, he sat at Will’s feet and looked up, ready for whatever came next.

  And he was certainly disappointed. Scout’s training had taught him to associate the scent of narcotics with a favorite toy and a treat. Coming up empty on a search was no fun for his partner. Will gave him a quick pat on the head when he reached down and picked up the leash. It had been a busy and frustrating couple of days. He’d have to make sure Scout got some good playtime this afternoon. A restless border collie was prone to mischief, even one as well trained as Scout.

  They proceeded to the T in the hallway. Jasmine pointed in the direction opposite of the way Darrin had gone. At the end of the hall, a heavy door stood sentry. “We’ll go that way last. Keith’s office is down there, as you know from yesterday. There’s a supply closet and a small room we use on the very rare occasion we have a meeting.”

  Will scanned the area, noting Keith’s office door was tightly closed. “You said he’s on a flight?”

  “He’s probably out in the hangar doing final loading and prep.” Glancing at her watch, Jasmine led them in the direction Darrin had gone. “We’ll catch him before he leaves if we don’t take too long in here.”

  As they walked down the short hallway, Will kept his attention on his surroundings, looking for anything out of place. Behind him, in an unspoken agreement, he knew Sean watched their backs and also surveilled the area.

  He tightened his grip on Scout’s leash as they passed a closed door that bore Darrin’s name. From inside, the man’s voice drifted out, but it was impossible to make out any words.

  It would be interesting to know who he was really chatting with, because Will was almost certain it had nothing to do with clients in Anchorage. Especially after that one comment, the one about how it would be better for everyone when there were fewer drug supply lines. Not no lines, but fewer lines. Fewer meant more money in the pockets of the ones who managed to escape detection.

  Will bit the inside of his mouth. Either Keith and Darrin were both prone to verbal slips, or he had become way more cynical and suspicious than he’d ever wanted to be.

  After a quick walk-through of a small waiting area and a brief introduction to a woman named Christy, who manned the radio and generally assisted Keith and Darrin, Jasmine led the way back toward Keith’s office and shoved open the outside door.

  Unlike the wide glass doors in the waiting area, which led directly out to the runway, this doo
r placed them next to the hangars. It was the same door they’d entered yesterday when the shooting had stopped.

  Jasmine led the way, looking over her shoulder as she walked. “This first hangar is where the King Air lives. I don’t see it on the runway so Keith must still have it in the hangar. It’s about an hour before he typically takes off, so he might still be loading.”

  As they walked around the front of the building, she entered the huge hangar doors then stopped suddenly, looking out at the airfield.

  Will already knew what she saw. The plane—and Keith—were gone.

  The leash in his hand pulled taut.

  Will glanced down. Scout strained against his hold, eager to explore the hangar, so he let him go.

  His partner sniffed around the floor, then trotted to the center and sat, watching Will with an expectant gaze.

  Behind him, Sean muttered something unintelligible, but Will didn’t have to understand the words to know what he’d said.

  There had been drugs in the hangar. This morning.

  TWELVE

  What was going on? Jasmine stepped into the hangar, part of her hoping she’d somehow missed the plane. The building was small, meant to house only one aircraft, and there was no way it was hiding behind a tool box or a ladder. Other than Scout sitting in the middle of the floor watching Will, there was nothing.

  Once again, she walked to the door, shielded her eyes, and scanned the single runway and the rest of the airfield. No sign of the King Air and no sign of Keith.

  “He left already?” Will stood beside her, but he wasn’t looking at her. His tone and stance said he was more suspicious than ever of the men she considered to be her friends.

  But even she couldn’t deny the behavior was odd. “I don’t see him.” She exhaled slowly and thought through the conversation with Darrin. He hadn’t indicated his brother would be heading out early. “Keith is one of those people who values his routine. Every flight, barring a weather hold, he takes off at the same time, without fail. It’s not like him to break protocol.” Her gaze followed Will’s, which wasn’t on her. It didn’t even appear he was listening to a word she said.

  Instead, he stared at Scout, who had planted himself in the middle of the hangar watching Will intently, an eager gleam in his eye.

  He’d done the exact same thing in her condo. The dog was waiting for a treat, because the scent of drugs meant a reward was on the way.

  Her stomach roiled. No. Will and Sean couldn’t be right. If they were, that meant she was working for the very kind of men who had ruined her life the first time. It meant she couldn’t even trust people she’d come to rely on as family. It meant her job, her life and everything she knew was about to evaporate before her eyes, whether her identity was safe or not.

  It meant Darrin and Keith were the kind of men who’d hurt others to line their pockets.

  “He’s wrong.” She shook her head slowly from side to side. “Scout has to be wrong.”

  Will bit down on his lower lip, no doubt holding back an assertion like Scout is never wrong.

  “Maybe it’s not what it looks like.” An idea sparked and she walked closer to the trooper, praying he’d hear what she was about to say. “Maybe Keith had a prescription supply to run up today. We don’t fly them a lot, but he’s the one who takes the cargo when we do. Maybe Scout’s alerting to a perfectly legal shipment of medications.”

  Will glanced at Sean, then dipped his head toward the main hangar door. When the other man led Grace to the opening and stood watching the runway, Will turned to Jasmine. “You and I both know how legal medications are shipped, at least the ones Scout would alert to. They’re in sealed containers inside locked boxes typically made of metal. My partner’s good at what he does, and it’s true he can latch onto residue left behind off someone’s clothes, but he can’t smell through sealed metal boxes. Even he’s not that good.” He reached down, scratched Scout behind the ears, and pulled a red rubber chew toy from his bag.

  Scout settled down with the treat, happily gnawing away.

  The collie made this look like a game, like fun was waiting to happen. This was so much more than that. This was life and death for people living on the frontier. And it was an upending of Jasmine’s life once again if things got out of hand. What if she had to testify again? Wouldn’t that bring her out into the open? Lord, I said I’d do anything, but I need You to give me the strength to do it.

  He’d come through in the past. She had to believe He’d come through again.

  She straightened her shoulders and prepared for battle. “Okay, let’s say you’re right. Just for the sake of argument, and not because I think you are. Then it’s an easy fix. You treat Keith like you did me. You meet him when he lands at Windward Fort and you sweep the plane. You’ll either find something or you won’t.”

  “I wish it was that easy, Jas. But it took twenty-four hours to set up the operation and get into place to board your plane. We had permission from Keith and Darrin to do so, so we didn’t need a warrant. This time, if Keith is truly ferrying drugs, I highly doubt they’ll clear our path like that again.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Besides, if they are behind this, I don’t want to show them yet that I know. They could shut down for a while and keep us from finding anything, then start back up again when the heat is off them.”

  “Plus, he’s got a good twenty-minute head start on us.”

  Will narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

  “When we were inside, talking to Darrin, a plane took off. It sounded like it could have been the King Air, but we get a lot of personal planes in and out, too, so I really didn’t pay that much attention. However, given that Darrin said Keith was still here and that he’s not here now? And also considering that’s the only plane I’ve heard leave?” She didn’t want to say it, but she also wouldn’t hide the truth. “I’m guessing Keith took off when we arrived.”

  “Darrin was texting someone when he saw us. Could have been a warning.”

  “Or it could have been the company in Anchorage that he’s courting.” She wasn’t ready to buy that her bosses were the problem, that they were responsible for a good man like Casey Bell overdosing and having to be flown out of Landsher in a fight for his life. “You know, up until I saw Anton Rogers shoot a man, drug dealers and smugglers were always faceless and nameless. In my mind, all they did was ruin lives and sit around counting their money and building up their arsenals. I never imagined they were the kind of people you might be eating beside in a restaurant or passing in the grocery store aisle.” Or be working for.

  The pain in her stomach nearly doubled her over. There was no way she was working for smugglers. No. Way.

  A worse thought whipped through her. “Will.” Jasmine’s voice came out in a ragged whisper. “What if I’ve had drugs on my flights before and didn’t know it? What if someone loaded a shipment in with my cargo?”

  Without a word, Will drew her to him and held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the beat of his pulse in his neck. “Jas, you can’t live in the hypotheticals. That’s my job. If this is true, I don’t think they would risk their profits or their freedom with someone who might randomly find their stash. Based on the evidence so far, Keith is probably flying the real drug flights.”

  This couldn’t be true. Her whole world was upside down if it was.

  Will’s arms tightened around her. “Give me a copy of the flight schedule, and I’ll see about gathering enough evidence for a warrant so we can get an operation rolling to board his plane the next time he flies.” His words brushed against her hair. “Until then, all we can do is wander. We have consent from Darrin to be here, so if Scout stumbles on something, it’s admissible.”

  He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands. “You’re right that all I have right now is essentially circumstantial. I’m going to need more. And I’m going
to need your help to unearth it.”

  With a nod, Jasmine backed away from his touch. Everything about her roiled in conflict, from her stomach to her heart to her head. Will was the closest thing she had to a real friend. The only person who knew who she really was and how deep her suffering ran. He was also the heroic state trooper who was out to protect the men and women on the frontier from the drug dealers who would destroy lives to stuff their bank accounts.

  But he was also the man who was accusing the people she cared about, the employers who offered her the livelihood she loved. Everything in her hoped and prayed she was the one who was right.

  Will’s investigation made him the enemy to her friends and to her comfortable career. She couldn’t reconcile that truth with the man who not only truly knew her heart, but who was starting to hold that heart in his hands as well.

  She’d lead them on a tour of the rest of the airfield, then she’d visit Jerry and see how the Twin Otter was coming along. In the process, maybe she’d be able to prove that Kesuk Aviation had simply been the victim of a false tip, and that everyone she worked for was who she believed them to be.

  “The storage sheds are between the hangars, so Scout can have a sniff at them, but they’re locked. We keep cargo under lock and key unless we’re loading and unloading. Too many people would love to plunder the kind of stuff we move in and out. They’d make a fortune on the black market. After that, we can check the hangars and stop back by the office to get the flight schedule from Christy.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Will gave Scout a command, then placed the chew toy back in his backpack. He petted the collie on the head when Scout heeled, then they headed toward the door with his K-9 on the leash between them. “I know this isn’t easy for you. Don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re doing.” Will’s voice was low, meant for her ears only.

  It coated her heart with something warm. Something she really wasn’t sure she wanted to feel about him.

  “Okay, Sean.” Will raised his voice so the other man could hear as they approached him. “Jasmine’s going to finish giving us the tour.” He stepped into the sunlight.