Page 102 of Backtrack

Joellen gave a resigned sigh. “They had to be watching the entire thing go down.”

“Did you see anyone else you recognized?” Ajit asked, looking at Joellen.

She shook her head. “Nope. Just that muscle guy in the polo shirt. I recognized him from the walking track last night.”

“Yes,” Ajit said. “About last night. Guest Services passed along your request to locate Mr. Steven Cruz.”

“That’s good to hear,” Joellen said. “I was under the impression they weren’t going to do anything. Where did he run off to?”

The security officer rolled his lips together, as if trying to contain the words. “That is the problem,” he said at length. “Last night’s footage from decks 17 through 14 is missing.”

“Missing?” Cutter said.

Lola’s face fell into angry Polynesian Warrior Princess mode. Her Kiwi accent boiled to the surface. “Are you telling me that the exact two bits of video we need are nowhere to be found?”

Cutter gave a slow, contemplative nod. “They’ve paid off someone in your shop.”

“Without a doubt,” Ajit said, frowning, as if this were his personal failure.

“Okay,” Joellen said. “So, the video is missing. I don’t care. Just tell me when Steve gets back on the boat from Ketchikan and I’ll give him back his jacket.”

“We have no record of Mr. Cruz disembarking the ship when we arrived in Ketchikan.”

“And you’ve checked his cabin?” Cutter said, already knowing the answer.

“His belongings, his passport, they are still there,” Ajit said. “His bed has not been slept in.”

“I knew it!” Joellen’s hand shot to her mouth. “They threw him overboard.”

“What about earlier footage?” Cutter asked. “Did Bart Preston board with anyone? Does he take his meals with other passengers? Who do we see him hanging out with at other times?”

Ajit started walking again. “I have someone working to find that video as we speak.”

“All due respect,” Cutter said, “but how do you know you can trust this person?”

“That is a reasonable question,” Ajit said. “And my answer is this: I know very well whom I can trust. What I do not know is whom I cannot.”

“And you trust the one looking for the video?” Lola asked.

“I do,” Ajit said. “He is my nephew.”

“I just don’t understand,” Joellen said, hollow, like she might throw up at any moment. “Why would this Preston guy be after me?”

“Maybe they aren’t after you at all,” Lola said. “You said Steve Cruz was … is in law enforcement.”

“That’s right,” Joellen said. “For the state of Minnesota.”

“Doing what?” Cutter asked.

Joellen shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “He probably told me, but …”

Cutter said nothing, but she smacked him in the chest anyway. “Stop judging me! Something to do with investigating fraud, I think.”

“That tracks,” Lola said. “Maybe they’re after Cruz and you just got caught in the crossfire.”

“I remember now,” Joellen said. “He said you’d hate him because he’s Internal Affairs.”

“He’d have a few enemies,” Lola said.