Page 92 of Freeing Lark

A message on his phone had him rushing to finish and get to his computer. He logged into Condor’s Overwatch’s secure network. Flint was waiting for him on a video call. Baker appeared on the call shortly afterward.

“Found more,” Baker said.

Hoot’s stomach tightened. “How much more?”

“Enough to make me uncomfortable.”

“That’s your default setting.”

Baker grinned. “I pulled shipping manifests from three shell companies tied to PSG. All of them move cargo through private maritime terminals along the East Coast.”

Flint’s expression hardened. “Cargo?”

“Declared cargo is industrial equipment. The actual weight doesn’t match the manifests.”

Hoot exchanged a look with Flint. “Weapons,” he said.

“Likely. And there’s more.” Baker brought up another file. “Those periods where Calloway goes dark. That’s where it gets interesting. The shell companies become active. Payments move through accounts in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Some of the recipients are tied to known weapons brokers.”

Hoot’s jaw tightened. “And classified data?”

Baker’s expression lost its humor. “I found fragments of encrypted transfers originating from a government contractor. They were routed through one of PSG’s shell companies before disappearing.”

Flint swore quietly. Baker continued. “I also recovered pieces of the damaged vault data from your Afghanistan mission.”

Hoot went still. “Show us.”

A series of corrupted files appeared. “Most of it’s garbage,” Baker said. “But some fragments survived. PSG identifiers. Internal routing codes. Shipment references.”

Hoot stared at the screen. All of it was beginning to fit together. Then Baker said, “And I found one more thing.”

“What?”

“The scientist you were sent to retrieve in that mission has disappeared.”

Hoot’s blood ran cold. “Disappeared how?” Flint asked.

“That’s the problem. There is no how.” Baker brought up another file. “After the mission, the scientist was supposed to be in custody with PSG.”

“But he wasn’t,” Flint guessed.

“Nope. There’s nothing about him after his original capture. No confirmed sighting. No body. No hospital record. No border crossing. Nothing. His identity simply drops off the grid.”

Hoot frowned. “You think PSG did something to him?”

“Possibly,” Baker said. “Or they’re doing something with him. But I can’t prove it either way. There’s no evidence tying them directly to his disappearance.”

“Could he have gone into hiding?”

“Sure. And honestly, that’s one of the possibilities I can’t rule out.” Baker pulled up another set of records. “But here’s what bothers me. Someone started scrubbing his digital footprint shortly after your mission. Not deleting it. Scrubbing it. Selective removal of financial records, communications, travel information. Whoever did it knew exactly what they were looking for. Hell, they even wiped his published scientific works.”

Flint’s expression hardened. “Could have been PSG covering their tracks.”

“Could have been,” Baker agreed. “Or it could have been they needed him for something.”

Hoot felt the familiar prickling between his shoulder blades. “So we don’t know whether he’s dead, captured, or hiding. Or even if he is still detained.”

“Correct.” Baker leaned back. “My guess? Whatever the scientist was working on was so crucial that someone was determined to either eliminate him or ensure his continued labor.”