Page 126 of The Deadly Shallows

“Okay, thanks,” Noah said, then returned to the thread of their conversation. “So we knew investigators followed the money trail to Scott, that he stole five million in cryptocurrency that’s worth a lot more today, but we didn’t delve much deeper into the investigation. What more can you tell us?” Noah asked.

“Well, again, Eddie would be the technical resource on all the digital currency details, but there are these things called wallets where you keep your currency and private keys for access. Somehow Scott accessed a wallet’s private key for a military-and-intelligence-agency joint fund and transferred the cryptocurrency into a wallet he owned. The instructors he implicated had no money trail leading back to them.”

“Is it possible they planned to initially put it in one fund and split it later, but Scott got busted before he could transfer it to separate accounts?”

“It’s possible, but the money is gone, moved again after he was arrested, and Scott claimed he had no clue where it went.”

“Yes, we learned that in our research. Any idea how Scott might have moved the cryptocurrency?” Noah asked.

“Eddie believes he used something called Lazarus to launder the funds, but how that occurred after his arrest—when computer access is monitored—doesn’t make much sense unless one of the instructors was lying and he did it, or there was someone else working with Scott.”

“Any idea who that might be?” Brooke asked.

“That’s a question for Scott’s defense attorney, Jack Weaver. He had this whole fifth-man theory.”

“One you didn’t buy into?” Noah said.

“It was his theory, so I’ll let him tell you about it.”

“Fair enough.” Noah tapped the table, everything racing through his mind. “The joint account—I’m assuming we’re talking CIA.”

“Above my pay grade,” Brett said, “but it was definitely tied to the military, and Eddie believed an intelligence community too. It’s not unheard of for the two to band together to undertake joint missions in war zones. A fund is kept for anything that occurs off the books. With cryptocurrency, according to Eddie, especially through an open-ended decentralized software program like Alatheum, you’re naturally talking far less, if any, oversight.”

Brett rolled his hands out, palms up. “We had solid proof Scott was guilty—that part progressed easily. Unfortunately, though we believed the instructors were involved, there was no proof, but at least they didn’t get any money.”

“Any idea who did?”

Brett shook his head. “Unless it’s been spent or otherwise disbursed, someone is sitting on a great deal of money in cryptocurrency, and we haven’t a clue who.”

SIXTY

Two hours later, after dropping Brooke off at the station, Noah entered the morgue.

“Noah,” Hadley greeted him.

“Nice to see you, sir, but as always, it would be nicer under different circumstances.”

“My sentiments exactly.” Hadley smiled, the creases at the corner of his eyes and mouth deepening.

“Thank you for expediting this one,” Noah said, knowing how much weight Hadley’s report would hold in the case. Had Malone committed suicide or not? The answer to that question would take the investigation in one of two vastly different directions.

Malone was already undressed, washed, and laid out on the autopsy table, a baby-blue paper sheet covering him from the clavicle down.

“Any impressions yet?” Noah asked.

“Two,” Hadley said. “First . . .” He lowered the sheet to expose Malone’s upper right arm.

Noah’s eyes widened. It was the same brand they’d found on all the mass shooters. He shook his head at the implications that held. “And second?” he asked.

“Lieutenant Malone did not commit suicide. He was murdered.”

Noah returned to the station five minutes before evening case board was set to begin. The meeting was going to run late tonight. They had a lot to cover.

He spotted Brooke across the way and walked over to her.

“Hey.” She smiled.

“You have a good time with Gabby?” He glanced at his sister, who’d dropped by the station to bring Finn dinner and spend time with Brooke.