“I’m working on it and hope to have it soon,” Swede assured them. “For now, out here.” Swede left the call.
“Rooster and Reid are flying over from Oahu to Lanai to talk with the stevedores who work the cargo operations at the harbor there,” Hawk said. “I’ll let you know what they find as soon as I hear anything. If that’s all for now, I’m out here.”
Hawk ended the call.
Kimo’s cell phone buzzed with an incoming text.
She glanced down at the message, expecting it to be from Leilani or Hawk with further instructions. The call was from neither of those people. The caller ID was Unknown.
As she read the words, all the air left Kimo’s lungs.
Unknown: Your camera for your friend.
Chapter 8
What?” Rex leaned over the console to stare down at Kimo’s cell phone screen.
“They want my camera,” Kimo whispered, her face pale. “That means they know I have proof of what was inside that container.” She glanced up at Rex. “The only way they could know that is if Alana told them.”
“She’s alive,” Rex said. “They wouldn’t use her as a bargaining chip if she wasn’t.”
Kimo’s eyes swam with tears. “She’s alive.”
Rex wanted to pull her into his arms, but the console sat between them. As he thought about the message, his brow dipped. “That text probably came from a burner phone, given it’s an unknown caller ID. Text them back and demand proof of life.”
Kimo held her phone in front of her, her fingers poised over the screen. “What do I say?”
“Tell them to give you proof that Alana is alive.”
Kimo’s hand shook as she keyed the message. She had to back up several times to correct the spelling when she hit the wrong keys. When she’d entered Rex’s exact words, she met his gaze.
After he gave her a brief nod, she sent the message. For a long moment, she stared at the screen, waiting for that proof.
As a minute passed, then another, her concentration never wavered.
When her cell phone chirped, she jerked and almost dropped the device.
“It’s a video,” she said and clicked on the image.
The feed blinked into view with a video of a blond-haired woman with brown eyes.
“It’s Alana,” Kimo said, her voice cracking.
“Kimo, whatever they want, don’t do it,” she said.
A hand lashed out, backhanding Alana across her face. Her head jerked back.
“Alana!” Kimo cried.
Alana sagged forward. The camera remained on the blonde as a disembodied voice said, “The camera for your friend. Or she ends up like the others.”
Kimo keyed into the phone.
Kimo: If my friend dies, the camera and the images on it will go directly to the police
Unknown: If the images get out, your friend dies. No negotiation
“Can you play the video again in slow motion?” Rex asked.
