“That’s what we’ve been thinking,” Marcella said.“The thieves can’t be storing these in some random warehouse.They need a proper facility in which to store the collection.”
Waxman’s fingers steepled, the light catching his gleaming, neatly barbered hair.“So where?Hawaii’s not that big, but there are plenty of possibilities.Private estates, commercial buildings ...”
“I have another idea.I cross-referenced Yoshimura’s database with collectors’ property records, searching for likely storage.”Sophie pulled up a new screen, the data cascading and then stabilizing.“Several of the collectors have extensive personal storage facilities.But here’s one that caught my attention—” She highlighted an entry, the name pulsing red.“William Thornfield.Owns a climate-controlled vault on his Wailea, Maui estate.State-of-the-art security system.”
“What made you focus on him?”Waxman said.
“He spends six months a year in Switzerland.According to his social media—yes, this seventy-year-old billionaire has Instagram—he left for Zurich two weeks ago,” Sophie said.“Perfect timing for the thieves.”
“An empty estate with a nice storage facility,” Chen said.“But wouldn’t the security go off with as much traffic as these burglars are creating?”
“Yoshimura had his codes,” Sophie said.“Every alarm, every camera angle.It’s all in her files.”
Marcella’s tablet screen reflected in reading glasses as she slid them on to focus on what she was studying.Her fingers danced across the sleek surface.“I’m checking flight manifests for the past forty-eight hours.If Yoshimura fled with the artifacts ...”Her frown deepened, creating a crease between elegant brows.“No Catherine Yoshimura on any flights out of Hawaii.”
“She could be using an alias,” Chen said.“Or she could still be on-island, waiting for things to cool down.”
Waxman pushed back from the table, his chair rolling smoothly.He paced to the window, his reflection ghostlike against the reflective bulletproof glass.Outside, Honolulu sprawled below, bright and oblivious.“We need to check every storage facility belonging to these collectors.They might not be aware of the thieves’ incursion, or they might be a part of it.Start with the ones who are off-island.”
“I can generate a prioritized list,” Sophie said, already mentally crafting a way to sort through the data.“Based on facility specifications, owner absence.Other factors.”
“Do it.”Waxman turned back, his movement sharp enough to make Feirn tense.“Agent Scott, coordinate with HPD for the searches.We’ll need warrants.”
“Already drafting them,” Marcella said without looking up, her fingers never stopping their rapid-fire typing.
“What about the ‘Mainland Buyer contact?’”Chen asked, leaning back in her chair.“Any leads on their identity?”
Sophie shook her head in frustration.“The communications were routed through multiple VPNs, TOR nodes, etcetera.”
“We need to find Yoshimura.”Waxman’s palm slapped the table, making everyone jump.“She’s our most concrete lead.Every hour these artifacts are missing increases the chance they’ll be shipped overseas and disappear forever.”He glanced up at Sophie.“I want to check Thornfield’s estate, since that’s low-hanging fruit.Sophie, can you access his security system remotely?”
“I can try,” Sophie said, her mind already racing through infiltration protocols.“I need to get back to the lab to work on it.”
“And let’s cast a wider net, too, in case the group’s gone outside of Yoshimura’s database.Agent Chen, compile a list of climate-controlled storage facilities in Hawaii, both commercial and private.Someone might have rented space recently.Sophie, help her with that if you have time.”
“On it.”Chen’s voice was all business, and Sophie met the other woman’s gaze with a nod of assent.
Waxman’s phone buzzed against the table, the vibration seeming unnaturally loud.He sat, read the screen, and scowled.“The Bishop Museum board wants a press conference.They want to offer a reward for information.”
“That’ll cause chaos,” Marcella’s knuckles shone as she gripped her tablet.“Every conspiracy theorist and activist will come out of the woodwork and pile on pressure.”
“I’ll handle the museum board,” Waxman said.“Buy us another 24 hours at least.But people,” his gaze swept the room like a searchlight, lingering on each face, “we need results.These aren’t just artifacts—they’re Hawaiian cultural heritage that a man has died for already.”He typed rapidly on his laptop and stood, dismissing them.“All right, team.Let’s move.Check in every two hours.”
18
SOPHIE
Back in the computer lab,the familiar hum of machines wrapped around Sophie like a cocoon as she sat down in her borrowed workstation.Her belly rumbled with a reminder that she needed food, and she frowned, remembering she’d promised Armita to be home for dinner.She couldn’t take long on this if she was going to make it home on time; helping the new agent would have to wait.
She cracked her knuckles and dove into researching Thornfield’s security system.Feirn dropped to the floor and did push-ups near the door.
The billionaire’s digital setup was impressive—and it should be, because it was designed by Security Solutions, her own company.Sophie smiled at the sight of the familiar login screen.
“Well, this isn’t even fun,” she murmured.“But I can be efficient, at least.”She used a universal admin code to open a back door, and moments later, “I’m in,” she announced, triumph sharp in her voice as multiple camera feeds bloomed across her monitors.“Main house, guest house, pool house, and—hello.”
“What?”Feirn came to her shoulder.
“The storage building.Temperature logs show it’s been accessed three times in the past twenty-four hours.”She enhanced one of the images, pixels sharpening into clarity.“And look at the power usage.It’s spiked.Like someone’s running additional climate control.”
