Chapter 8 — The Last Sailor Out
Security officers surrounded Nathan before he reached the elevators.
He surrendered without resistance.
When Celeste entered the interview room, he sat handcuffed to the table, staring at the floor.
The pistol had not been loaded.
The folder contained a signed statement claiming Celeste ignored safety procedures and caused the fire aboard the Resolute.
Nathan looked older than she remembered.
A scar crossed his throat where smoke and heat had nearly killed him.
“Why?” Celeste asked.
He could not meet her eyes.
“My daughter needs a heart operation.”
Arthur’s people had offered him two million dollars for his statement.
“They said you were already protected,” Nathan whispered. “They said nobody would believe me enough to imprison you. They only wanted to create doubt.”
“You let them turn my crew into a weapon.”
Tears filled his eyes.
“I didn’t know what else to do.”
Celeste wanted to hate him.
Instead, she remembered dragging him through smoke while he screamed that he had a little girl waiting at home.
“What was the gun for?”
“To make them arrest me before I could change my mind.”
He looked toward the mirrored glass.
“Arthur’s man was watching me. I knew if I walked in here peacefully, he might kill me before I talked.”
Moreno entered.
“Who was watching?”
Nathan gave her a description.
Celeste recognized it immediately.
Martin Crewe.
Within an hour, agents found Crewe’s abandoned car near the river. Blood stained the driver’s seat, but there was no body.
Then Nathan revealed something else.
Arthur had not approached him directly.
The payment came through a private security company owned by Vivian’s husband, Daniel Mercer.
Vivian denied knowing anything about it.
Celeste believed her.
Moreno did not.
Daniel was taken into custody that afternoon.
During questioning, he admitted Crewe had used his company to move money and intimidate witnesses. He also admitted Arthur had ordered surveillance on all three Vale children.
“Why watch Julian and Vivian?” Celeste asked.
Daniel looked exhausted.
“Because Arthur trusted nobody.”
“And me?”
Daniel hesitated.
“He’s been tracking you since the day you enlisted.”
Celeste felt cold.
Daniel continued.
“He knew where you were during every deployment.”
“Then why didn’t he stop me from building a career?”
“Because he was waiting.”
“For what?”
May you like
Daniel looked directly at her.
“For a mission dangerous enough to make sure you never came home.”
