The modifications I'm tracking now match the signature of the weapons that killed Blake. ATF's firearms forensics lab confirmed it three weeks ago—same machining style on the autosears, same threading pattern on the suppressors, same file marks on the trigger assemblies. Either the same person is still operating, or someone learned their techniques well enough to replicate them.
Finding them won't bring Blake back. But it might prevent another agent from bleeding out on a convention center floor while civilians scatter and criminals vanish.
Personal motivation compromises objectivity. I know that. Doesn't change the fact that this case matters more than any I've worked since.
I close Blake's file and return to the Iron Brotherhood evidence. Focus on what I can prove, not what I'm feeling.
The vendor photos show Ironside Customs logo visible in backgrounds, but that's not evidence of criminal activity. The shop is located on Harbor Street in Anchor Bay. Gun shows across the Pacific Northwest all happen in convention centers within driving distance. Ironside Customs is a legitimate custom motorcycle shop with a strong regional reputation. They could have clients who attend the same shows. Their work trucks could be visible in vendor photos without any connection to illegal weapons sales.
Except the shipping manifests tell a different story. Six weeks of subpoenaed records from FedEx and UPS show custom motorcycle parts were delivered to those shows. Parts ordered from Ironside Customs, shipped to convention centers, picked up by vendors who then sold illegal weapons within hours of receiving the packages.
That's more than coincidence. That's a pattern suggesting someone's using the shipping schedule to coordinate illegal sales.
The question is who.
Background files compiled over the past two months sit in neat stacks. Public records, business registrations, basic militaryservice verification: the information any competent investigator can access with time and proper channels.
Will Lawson, club President. Army veteran, honorable discharge. Business owner on record for Ironside Bar. Married to Gemma Holloway according to county marriage records—Cole's sister. Clean criminal record, legitimate business operations for over a decade based on tax filings and business permits.
Shaw Riley, listed as Sergeant-at-Arms in the club's articles of incorporation. Marine Corps veteran. Currently employed as fire investigator with Anchor Bay Fire Department—verified through city personnel records. Also clean record.
Nathan "Tate" Morrison, Road Captain per club documentation. Navy veteran. Business manager for Ironside Customs according to state business filings.
Danny Hayes, club Treasurer. Army veteran. Handles financial records and business accounts based on his signature on corporate documents.
Jackson Rivera, full patch member per club roster. Army veteran. Works at Ironside Customs according to employment records subpoenaed from the business.
Mike Barrows, full patch member. Marine Corps veteran. Owns The Anchor restaurant based on business licensing.
I finish reading info on the rest of the members of the club. Every Brother has military or first responder backgrounds—information that's part of the public record. Veterans who found brotherhood after service, built legitimate businesses, contribute to their community.
On paper, they're exactly what they claim to be.
Also on paper, they have the skills, resources, and organizational structure to run a weapons trafficking operation sophisticated enough to avoid federal detection for months.
My notes from today's search fill three pages of detailed observations. Federal body cam footage won't be processed for days, but documentation doesn't wait for evidence processing.
Cole positioned himself near the back hallway during the search, monitoring who went where with the kind of awareness that goes beyond tactical. Hunting for threats, assessing each agent like he was calculating response strategies. How the other Brothers deferred to his authority without question, the kind of instant obedience that comes from knowing exactly what he's capable of.
Hierarchy. Discipline. Operational security.
All consistent with military culture transplanted into MC structure. Also consistent with criminal organizations run by men who know how to eliminate threats efficiently.
Cole's behavior during the search tells me more than any file. The way he deflected questions about the building behind the bar with the kind of professionally cooperative resistance they teach in interrogation survival schools. Not evasion. Manipulation.
He gave me just enough information to satisfy legal requirements while feeding me nothing that could justify expanding the search. Every word calculated, every response a tactical move.
The bastard was playing chess while most people panic during federal searches.
Smart. Lethal. Exactly what I'd expect from someone with his training protecting something he doesn't want discovered. Or someone who'd eliminate problems before they became threats.
The building on Waterfront Avenue bothers me. Separate address, different owner according to Cole, but positioned close enough to suggest connection. County records accessed during the drive back show the property owned by an LLC registered in Oregon. Public information available through the state's onlinedatabase. Corporate veil designed to obscure true ownership, standard practice for businesses wanting privacy.
Breaking through that veil takes time and paperwork. Requests pending with the county assessor's office won't move on federal timelines. Could be days before confirmation of who actually owns that building.
My instincts say the Iron Brotherhood owns it. Cole's body language during the search—not just protective, but territorial. The kind of watch a predator keeps over something valuable. His careful language about "different owner," the immediate deflection when I asked questions. All tells that suggest he's guarding something connected to the club. Something he'd hurt people to protect.
Could be storage. Could be administrative offices. Could be where they're actually running the illegal operations.
