“And what do you say?” Nathan steepled his fingers at his chin.
Cam's eyes met Nathan's. “Something tells me I should follow up on this.”
Nathan leaned closer. “Cam, one of the main reasons I hired you is that your instincts are strong. Hell, you wouldn’t have lasted in the field if they weren’t. I’d be one hell of a hypocrite if I told you to ignore them now. We’ve all torn apart a lot of haystacks over the years. What's one more?”
Cam rethought the offer of coffee, stood, and crossed to the sleek machine. He filled a mug from the fresh carafe, his back to Nathan, and spoke. “There's something else.”
Cam returned to his seat. He took a cautious sip of black coffee, set the mug on the edge of the desk, and gathered his thoughts. On a deep breath, he withdrew the worn leather journal from the pouch of his hoodie, thumbed the cover, then slid it across to his boss.
Nathan picked it up and turned to a random page. “What's this?”
“Have you ever heard of The Conductor?” Cam asked.
Nathan didn’t hide his surprise. “Aside from the rumors floating around the Intelligence community, I actually have. It was several years ago. I had just left the Navy. My father wasn’t the most scrupulous of businessmen. He was caught up in a Senate investigation for an off-the-books weapons sale. He was drunk one night, ranting about being extorted and that a senator had thrown him to the wolves. I was just about to leave him to his ramblings when he grabbed me by the shoulders and said, ‘He's in The Conductor's pocket.’”
“Who?” Cam asked.
“I assumed he was talking about the senator leading the investigation, Harlan Musgrave. I did a little poking around after that. Didn’t find much. From what I can discern, The Conductor is a myth.” Nathan flipped to another page.
“I think he exists,” Cam said.
Cam waited for Nathan to scoff, but his boss simply pressed on. “And this book? It documents your reasons?”
“Yes. Senator Musgrave is mentioned in there as well.” Cam pointed to the journal.
“Really?” Nathan sat up in his chair.
“He was staying at a hotel in Athens at the same time the yacht I suspect The Conductor operates out of was anchored there. I know it's a little thin.” Cam wobbled his hand.
Nathan turned a page. “Don’t dismiss your hunches. Yes, it's a wild proposition, but certainly not impossible or even improbable. I, for one, have seen too much crazy to dismiss the theory of an experienced operator.”
Cam's relief at Nathan's support propelled him. “It's all in there. Common procedures, the same men I’ve seen at meet-ups with different smugglers with no obvious overlap, shipping routes, customs protocols.”
Nathan nodded, still buried in the journal. “You’ve gathered a tremendous amount of information.”
“And possibly proof,” Cam said.
The declaration had Nathan looking up.
Cam pointed to the book. “In the binding is a flash drive. It's a video clip. I was tracking an arms dealer in North Africa. I filmed him boarding the yacht I mentioned docked in Rabat. The ship departed, and my target was never seen again.”
“How is this proof?” Nathan challenged.
“The name of the ship was The Maestro. I think it belongs to The Conductor,” Cam explained.
Nathan's eyes widened, and he felt along the journal's spine, detecting the outline of the device.
“So, what are you thinking?” Nathan asked.
Cam ran a hand over his stubbled jaw. He had skipped shaving in anticipation of returning to the field. “It's not like The Conductor haunts me. I don’t need to bring him down personally, but I know he exists. And I suspect some very powerful people are covering it up. I would have liked to at least have gathered enough intel for law enforcement to investigate. Shit.” Cam laughed. “I don’t even know what Luis wants, but maybe this is a chance for Miguel Ramirez to take one last look around. Either way, I don’t think I can turn my back on investigating whatever Dario Sava's men are up to now.”
Nathan set the book down and folded his hands across the cover. He met Cam's determined gaze with a look of pride. “I guess it's settled then. I know this is a solo op, but the team is here if you need us.”
“There's one other thing.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ve seen this car three times in the past forty-eight hours. Nothing overt. It just always seems to be where I am.” He passed the phone with the photo displayed to Nathan.
“Get it to Twitch. Let's see what the plates turn up.”
Cam nodded. As he stood, he noticed his boss recheck the screen of his phone.“Expecting a call?”