Page 66 of Red, White, and BearCat Blue

Noah nodded. “That’s right, Agent Clifford.” He scanned his screen again. “I’ve found over fifty instances where Sterling’s crews we assume, drove high-end vehicles into Mexico in the last year alone…all with legitimate paperwork that he imported to the U.S. from Malaysia. They went right through the border crossing without anyone looking at them sideways.”

“He’s basically laundering the cars from Malaysia,” I concluded. “That legitimizes the vehicles with both U.S. and Mexican Customs.”

“That’s right,” Snow said.

“Don’t the Mexican authorities have dogs sniffing for drugs in cars before they’re allowed into their country?” Cam asked.

I sat up straighter as pride filled my chest. It was a good question.

“They do,” Crowley said, “but they only look at one in ten vehicles leaving the States. It’s a gamble that’s paid off for him so far.”

“You’re saying it’s a risk…but a small one,” Cam said as Crowley nodded.

“Even so, if Sterling’s crews ‘aven’t been caught yet, they eventually will be, even if there’s only a 10 percent chance,” I said.

“Yes, they will, but we’d like to speed that up,” Snow said, “which is why we asked you to bring Mr. Demarco into the office today, Agent Clifford.”

Cam nodded. “How can I help?”

“You’re the only person in this room who’s met Josiah Sterling,” SAC Bowman said. “We’d like you to tell us everything you know about him.”

“I don’t know much,” Cam said without hesitation, “but if there’s something specific you need to know, I’ll try and help.”

Snow shut off the lights, showing the satellite image of the docks with the multitude of containers and buildings. “It’s a long shot, and it’s unlikely you’ll know but do you have any idea which warehouse Sterling would be using now?” He tapped the drop-down screen.

I glanced at Cam who’d turned to me, watching my reaction. I nodded, squeezing his thigh again. “Tell them whatever ya know, Cam. Can ya think of anything that’d ‘elp us find which ware’ouse ‘e’s moved to?”

Cam’s brows drew together as he thought about it. After a minute, his expression changed. It was like looking at a lightbulb suddenly flashing overhead. He quickly looked at Candy. “You know, Josiah drives a red Ferrari everywhere. I once heard him tell his guys that he keeps everything in the car.”

“Are you talking about some sort of ledger or something, Mr. Demarco?” Candy asked.

Cam shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. Josiah is really into computers. Whenever I had to use high end tech to get into a car, it was like he got off at how easy it was for me to bypass the security on those vehicles.”

“Onboard security!” Noah said practically bouncing in his wheelchair.

“What?” I asked.

“Ferrari, like other high-end luxury vehicles, use onboard computers,” Noah said. “I can work with that.”

“Well, hacking into Sterling’s Ferrari isn’t exactly what I was talking about, Noah,” Snow said. “I’m guessing that someone as talented as Mr. Demarco who can bypass an alarm on a high-end vehicle, is also equipped to hack into an onboard computer.”

Cam frowned before glancing back at Noah.

“I’ve never tried, and I can guarantee, I’m the farthest thing ever from a hacker,” he admitted. “That was never my job.”

Lincoln nodded. “Okay, then I guess what I’m saying is I was looking for something more…solid or something that shows which warehouse he’s using.”

Noah stilled his fingers on the keyboard, grinning widely. “Lincoln…the onboard computer not only stores fuel consumption, gas mileage, and that sort of thing, but it also stores GPS data.”

“How far back on the addresses?” Snow asked.

“I can go back to the day the car was purchased. Most people don’t know that car companies use their onboard computers the same way websites use cookies. Onboard computers are linked to cloud accounts where a Ferrari owner—in this example—can store all sorts of things, Lincoln. Chances are, I can get into everything,” said Noah.

“Good. Go back as far as you need and let’s see where he goes. It should show us the warehouse but who knows what else will be useful.”

“Will do, Lincoln.” He was typing madly while we waited. “What’s the exact make and model of the Ferrari he drives, Cam?”

“It’s a limited edition 812 GTS V-12 Grand Tourer,” Cam said. “I only know it’s a limited edition, because he was showing off the engine.”