Chapter 15 - Midnight at the River Plant
Ethan walked through the main entrance carrying Claire's flash drive in a clear plastic case.
An earpiece sat deep in his right ear.
Chen's team waited outside his line of sight.
"Keep him talking," she whispered.
Grant's voice came through an old speaker.
"Put the drive on the conveyor."
Ethan placed it where instructed.
A motor groaned. The belt carried the drive into darkness.
"Where is Maya?"
A light clicked on across the turbine floor.
Maya sat tied to a metal chair on a raised platform.
Travis stood behind her with a gun.
Grant stepped from the shadows.
He looked exhausted, not frightened.
"You always were lucky," Grant said.
"Claire wasn't."
Grant's face tightened.
"Claire should have minded her own business."
"She was company counsel. It was her business."
"She was going to destroy everything."
Ethan took one step forward.
"So you had Travis touch her car."
Grant smiled faintly. "Careful. You want a confession too badly."
"Camila already gave us one."
For the first time, Grant looked surprised.
That was all Chen needed.
"Move," she ordered through the earpiece.
Officers entered from both sides.
Travis dragged Maya backward.
Grant ran.
The turbine room erupted in shouts.
Ethan reached Maya as Travis fired into the ceiling and fled down a service stair.
"Are you hurt?"
"Mostly furious. Untie me."
Then a deep mechanical alarm began to howl.
Red lights flashed.
Maya's eyes widened.
"What is that?"
Ethan looked toward the old control panel.
Water-pressure warnings blinked across it.
Grant had opened the river gates.
May you like
The lower tunnel was flooding.
And Detective Chen's team had chased him into it.
