“You were sleeping.”
“Suspicious behavior.”
“I found three collapsed Coastal Freight cartons. Packing slips still attached. Six custom padded crates delivered to Evergreen Tide two days before the showcase.”
“The crates themselves?”
“Gone. But the packing slips list custom foam inserts molded to Lila’s ornament dimensions.”
She took the photo from him. “So, the ornaments were packed here.”
“And moved out in crates made before anyone outside the planning circle should have known what was coming.”
“Premeditation,” Margot said.
“And a shipping trail.”
Weeks of it. Maybe months. The room fell quiet.
Then she smiled. Not because any of this was good. Because it finally made sense. “We’re close.”
“We are.”
Sunlight spilled through the open doorway. The harbor had shed most of its mist. Guests would start appearing soon, then vendors, then staff.
The final day of the expo was waking up.
She picked up her coffee. Made a face. “It’s cold.”
“You took too long.”
“You hugged me.”
“You started it.”
She laughed. One of the real ones.
He smiled back.
Then she set down the cup and opened a spreadsheet. Business mode. Comfortingly familiar. “We have a shell company, phantom invoices, custom crates, a boat rental, and a detective finally looking in the right direction.”
“That’s a decent morning.”
“The next step seems obvious.”
“Which is?”
“We find where Coastal Freight delivered the ornaments.”
He nodded.
Outside, the sun cleared the horizon.
Inside, for the first time since the blackout, the path forward looked clear. For the investigation.
And maybe for everything else.
“Let’s make some calls,” Margot said.
