Chapter 5 - The Man From the Night Hannah Died)
Danil had spent three years trying not to say Lucas Vale's name.
The police had said Hannah's accident was simple.
Rain.
A coastal road.
A car that crossed the center line and went through a barrier.
Lucas had been at a charity dinner with Hannah earlier that evening.
Witnesses saw them arguing near the parking lot.
Lucas told investigators the argument was about business.
He claimed Hannah left alone.
There had never been enough evidence to accuse him of anything.
Six months later, Lucas disappeared from the Grant Maritime world.
Danil believed he had moved overseas.
Now Lucas had administrator access to the yacht.
And Vanessa knew exactly who he was.
Danil confronted her in Hannah's cabin.
"How long?"
Vanessa leaned against the wall.
"I don't know what you're asking."
"How long have you been working with Lucas?"
"Working with him?"
"Stop."
His voice was low enough that Emily felt more afraid of it than when he had shouted.
"You lied about the cameras. You lied about Sophie. You have documents with my forged signature. Lucas has remote access to this yacht."
Vanessa looked at Caleb.
"You have no proof anyone forged anything."
Danil held up the folder.
"I didn't sign these."
"You sign hundreds of papers."
"I know my signature."
"So do forgers."
She smiled slightly.
The meaning was obvious.
Anyone could have forged it.
Including him.
Danil stared at her.
Emily suddenly understood the shape of the trap.
Vanessa was not merely hiding what she had done.
She had prepared explanations for every piece of evidence.
Caleb interrupted.
"Remote connection is still active."
"Can you trace it?" Danil asked.
"Maybe."
Caleb typed quickly.
The signal moved through the yacht's network.
"He's not remote."
"What?"
Caleb looked up.
"The device is physically connected to our Wi Fi."
Captain Morris appeared behind Vanessa.
"So he's aboard."
Vanessa's face remained calm.
But she looked toward the staircase.
Danil saw it.
"Lock the gangway."
Morris reached for his radio.
Vanessa moved.
"Don't."
Everyone looked at her.
"This yacht is full of guests," she said. "You cannot trap two hundred people because Sophie told a story."
Emily had heard enough.
"She didn't tell a story. We found the tablet."
Vanessa looked at her.
Emily did not look away.
"You should have left when I told you."
"That sounds like a threat."
"It sounds like career advice."
Danil stepped between them.
"Don't speak to her."
Emily almost laughed at the absurdity.
"You hit me ten minutes ago."
Danil flinched.
She continued.
"You don't get to become my protector because you've finally realized your wife may be lying."
His face tightened.
"You're right."
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
Emily stared at Danil.
It was not an apology.
But it was the first time he had accepted what he had done without defending it.
Captain Morris radioed the bridge.
"Close access points. No one leaves without my authorization."
A reply came through static.
Then the radio cut out.
Morris frowned.
"Bridge?"
Nothing.
Caleb looked at his laptop.
"Network interruption."
The cabin lights flickered.
Vanessa smiled.
"You're creating panic over nothing."
Danil turned toward her.
"What was in Hannah's blue box?"
Vanessa's smile vanished.
Emily remembered Sophie's words.
The box.
Danil continued.
"Sophie said you found something under Hannah's floor."
Vanessa walked toward the door.
Danil blocked her.
"Answer me."
"I never found a box."
Emily watched Vanessa's eyes.
She was looking past Danil toward the bed.
Not at the bed itself.
At the floor beneath the left side.
Emily noticed.
So did Danil.
He moved the small rug.
One floorboard had a narrow scratch around its edge.
Caleb knelt with a screwdriver from his equipment case.
The board lifted.
There was an empty rectangular space beneath it.
Danil stared.
"Something was here."
Vanessa said nothing.
Sophie appeared in the doorway.
Melissa was behind her.
"I told you."
Danil looked at his daughter.
"What was inside?"
Sophie held Emily's jacket around herself.
"Mommy's box."
"What was in it?"
"I don't know."
"Did you open it?"
"No."
"But Vanessa did?"
Sophie looked at her stepmother.
Vanessa's face changed.
The girl nodded.
"She used the gold key."
Danil frowned.
"What gold key?"
Sophie pointed at Vanessa's neck.
Vanessa instinctively touched her diamond necklace.
A small gold key hung behind the pendant.
Danil stared.
Vanessa covered it with her hand.
Emily's heart began to pound again.
"What does it open?" Danil asked.
Vanessa backed into the hallway.
"You've lost your mind."
Danil stepped forward.
Vanessa turned and ran.
Captain Morris went after her.
Danil followed.
Emily remained with Sophie.
Caleb grabbed the tablet.
Then a sound came from inside the wall.
Beep.
He stopped.
Another beep.
Emily looked at him.
"What is that?"
Caleb searched the room.
The sound came again.
He moved toward the antique writing desk.
Underneath it was a small black device no larger than a deck of cards.
Caleb pulled it free.
His expression changed.
"What?"
He turned it over.
"This is a network relay."
"Meaning?"
"Someone installed it to create a hidden access point."
Emily looked toward the hallway.
"Lucas?"
"Probably."
Caleb examined the device.
Then he went very still.
"What now?"
"This relay isn't just connected to cameras."
"What else?"
Caleb stared at the tiny screen.
"Navigation."
Emily felt cold.
Above them, music stopped.
A moment later the yacht's engines surged.
The floor shifted beneath Emily's feet.
Sophie grabbed her hand.
Captain Morris shouted somewhere down the corridor.
May you like
Then the Azure Crown began moving away from the harbor.
Nobody on the bridge had ordered it to leave.
