Page 52 of Devlin

Todd sped through the footage, pausing at key moments and rewinding slightly when needed. "Camera angle is good," Cole murmured. "For two trucks, we can see to the back and tell that the trailer has been emptied."

"That tells me we need another camera installed," Devlin said, his tone firm. "That way, we’ll be able to see across the entire loading dock and have an angle to capture not only the workers but the full interior of the truck trailers."

"Okay," Todd agreed, already making notes. He clicked ahead. "Here’s the truck that delivered at four o’clock this morning."

They all leaned in slightly, watching as another truck pulled in. But this time, the camera’s vantage point wasn’t enough to give them the full picture. The screen only showed partial visibility—part of the unloading, but not enough to see if anything else was happening beyond the limited frame.

Mia’s stomach twisted. It wasn’t enough to fully understand what was happening. They were missing something. And whatever it was… it was occurring right in front of them, just out of view.

"Okay, Sadie, I got the whole crew here, including Mia. What have you got for me?" Todd asked, his voice steady as he leaned against the desk.

Mia jerked in surprise, then realized Todd was speaking into his phone, his attention focused on the voice coming through the speaker.

A woman’s voice, warm and slightly teasing, crackled through the line. "Hey, guys! I'm losing my beauty sleep trying to keep up with you all on the other side of the world." There was a brief pause before she added, "Mia? I'm Sadie. Nice to sort of meet you."

Mia grinned at the friendly introduction. "Hello to you, too."

"Okay, I've had satellite images on the truck that left Sweswe as it headed north at about five a.m. I kept watching because it didn’t stop at any other farms or make any detours. I lost sight of it when it entered the forested area between Queen Elizabeth National Park and Kigezi Game Reserve. The foliage is thick there, growing right up to the water’s edge, but I finally picked it up again." Sadie’s voice took on a sharper edge. "There was a boat. I didn’t get a great visual, but I could tell something was being loaded onto it. I followed its course until it landed on the shores of the Congo about an hour later. After that, I lost the truck’s return path, so I have no idea when it left the park area.”

"That doesn't matter," Devlin said, his tone grim. "Thanks, Sadie."

Mia exhaled slowly, her mind racing. "That’s it, then. That’s the proof we needed," she murmured, standing up straighter as the weight of the discovery settled over her.

Her thoughts jumped ahead, already formulating the next steps. "I need to find out from Robert who that driver was… wait, no! I need to talk to Dr. München. Or should I talk to Margarethe first?"

"Whoa, easy there, Mia," Devlin said, placing his hands on her shoulders, his steady presence grounding her. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It’s like in poker," Cole interjected from across the room. "You don’t want to show your hand too soon."

Mia wrinkled her nose, and Devlin chuckled.

"Sorry," he said, smirking. "I once tried to teach her how to play poker. All it took was one look at her face, and I knew exactly what cards were in her hand."

She huffed in annoyance but didn’t argue. She was too focused on the problem at hand. "Okay. I take your point that you all are the experts. So tell me… what should I do?"

"Sadie?" Devlin prompted. "What other initial clearance have you been able to give us on some of the other people here?"

“I was just checking out that list," Sadie responded, her voice businesslike now. "Casper has had Frazier and Dalton working on it, too. Dr. München has been in the business for thirty years. There’s never been a hint of scandal attached to his name. I haven’t found any unusual transactions in his known bank accounts nor any evidence of off-the-books dealings. He’s received multiple awards for exemplary camp management."

"So it looks like Mia can talk to him," Todd murmured.

Sadie continued. "Interestingly, Percival Wilson comes from Gloucestershire… the Cotswolds. His father is a Lord and owns a small estate. From everything I can tell, he’s clean, too. Of course, our findings aren’t definitive."

"Understood," Devlin acknowledged.

"And the American couple—Elizabeth and Mark Carter—who head the Economic Recovery program? They also check out, as far as we can tell. Their money goes straight into their American bank account, with nothing suspicious going in or out for the past several years."

There was a brief muffled exchange on Sadie’s end before she returned. "Robert Ellyson also passes our first muster. He has a checking and savings account at a major national bank in Canada, and nothing looks out of place. But of course, you all know that any of these people could be taking cash and not depositing it into their accounts. From what we can see, though, none of them appear to be receiving any kickbacks."

Mia’s shoulders slumped as the weight of it all settled over her. She should have felt relieved that so many people she trusted weren’t immediate suspects, but instead, all she felt was… tired. It was a strange violation, digging into their lives like this, even with good reason. Yet the list was still long. Devlin’s team wasn’t finished.

As though he could sense her unease, Devlin shifted behind her and, without hesitation, wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her back against his chest, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. The warmth of him surrounded her, holding her together in a way she hadn’t realized she needed.

For a long moment, she just let herself breathe. Let the tension ease. And then, she straightened, steeling her spine. "I’m going to speak to Dr. München. I want to get that done before lunch," she announced, turning to look up at Devlin. "After I finish with him, I’d like to speak to Moses."

"I’ll go with you.”

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