Chapter 6 - THE FIRE AT CALUMET|
Victor answered Khloe's call on the second ring.
“Tell me.”
“The warehouse cameras are down.”
“I know.”
Khloe froze.
“How?”
“Nico just received the same alert.”
“Liam's badge was used.”
“I'm aware.”
“Then somebody needs to get there.”
Victor's voice remained controlled.
“Police and emergency services have already been notified.”
Khloe paced Dana's kitchen.
“Those refrigeration units are evidence.”
“And you are not going anywhere near that warehouse tonight.”
She stopped.
“Excuse me?”
“It's an active security incident.”
“I know what it is.”
“Then you know why you should stay away until the authorities secure it.”
Khloe wanted to argue.
A week earlier, she would have treated the situation like another supply chain emergency, driven straight to the location, and demanded answers from everyone involved.
But this wasn't an ordinary delayed shipment.
A man who had threatened her family was inside the building.
And someone had deliberately disabled the cameras.
“Fine,” she said.
Victor sounded almost surprised.
“Fine?”
“I'll stay here.”
“Good.”
“But tomorrow, if the police clear the location, I want to see the inventory records.”
Victor paused.
“That's reasonable.”
The call ended.
Twenty-seven minutes later, a fire alarm was reported at the Calumet facility.
By midnight, emergency crews were fighting flames near the loading docks.
Khloe watched the news footage from Dana's couch.
Orange light reflected against the metal warehouse walls.
Firefighters carried equipment through clouds of smoke.
A television reporter announced that one security employee had been transported to the hospital.
There was no mention of Liam.
There was no mention of Northstar's missing refrigeration units.
Khloe remained awake until sunrise.
At 8:15 a.m., Detective Morales called.
“We've secured the site.”
“Did you find Liam?”
“Not yet.”
“Was someone hurt?”
“A warehouse security guard.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
Khloe closed her eyes in relief.
Morales continued.
“His name is Manuel Ortega.”
“He works for Northstar?”
“He works for the warehouse owner.”
“Can he talk?”
“Briefly.”
Khloe waited.
“He said he confronted two men who were removing inventory after hours.”
“Was Liam one of them?”
“We haven't confirmed that.”
“Detective, I can identify the original equipment by its serial numbers.”
“I know.”
Morales paused.
“Your employer and Russo Maritime have arranged an authorized inventory inspection after the fire investigators release the relevant area.”
Khloe sat upright.
“Can I participate?”
“Your compliance department has asked for your assistance.”
For the first time in twenty-four hours, Khloe felt useful.
At eleven that morning, she arrived at the Calumet warehouse.
The building looked even worse in daylight.
Black smoke stains marked the loading doors.
Water pooled beneath the loading platforms.
A police vehicle remained near the entrance.
Victor stood beside a black SUV, speaking quietly with Nico.
He approached when he saw her.
“You should have worn a heavier coat.”
Khloe glanced at him.
“Good morning to you, too.”
Victor looked at her wrist.
The bruises had darkened overnight.
“Does it still hurt?”
“Only when I move it.”
“Have you had it examined?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Khloe studied him.
“You look like you haven't slept.”
“I haven't.”
“Welcome to my week.”
A faint smile touched his mouth.
Then the warehouse supervisor approached.
The investigators had released the undamaged storage section for inspection.
Khloe entered with the authorized inventory team.
The air smelled of smoke and wet concrete.
Several pallets had been moved away from their assigned positions.
A forklift stood abandoned beside a half-open loading bay.
Khloe checked the shipment manifest against the remaining crates.
One serial number matched.
Then another.
But most of the original equipment was missing.
She crouched beside a damaged wooden pallet.
“Victor.”
He came closer.
“What is it?”
“These markings aren't from the manufacturer.”
She pointed to a blue shipping label.
“The original equipment was packed at the supplier's facility.”
“And?”
“These cartons were relabeled by Northstar after arrival.”
Nico photographed the labels for the official inventory record.
Khloe examined the carton specifications.
“Some of these units are older than the equipment we imported.”
“How much older?”
“Several years.”
Victor's expression darkened.
“They substituted used equipment?”
“It looks that way.”
Khloe examined another carton.
“This one has a compressor model that doesn't match the manufacturer's warranty record.”
Victor looked toward the empty loading bays.
“So Adrian takes new equipment worth almost two million dollars, substitutes older units, and sells the originals somewhere else.”
“That would explain the inventory changes,” Khloe replied.
“But we need the actual sales and transfer records before concluding where the missing units went.”
Victor glanced at her.
“Always careful.”
“That's why I still have a job.”
She hesitated.
“At least for now.”
Before Victor could answer, Detective Morales entered the warehouse.
“Ms. Hayes, there's something you should know.”
Khloe turned.
“The injured security guard has given another statement.”
“What did he say?”
“He recognized one of the men from the warehouse.”
“Liam?”
“No.”
Morales looked toward Victor.
“He recognized Adrian Vale.”
The silence that followed was absolute.
Victor's face became frighteningly still.
“Adrian was here?”
“The guard says he saw him speaking with two contractors before the cameras went offline.”
Khloe looked toward the damaged loading doors.
The situation suddenly made terrible sense.
Adrian hadn't merely authorized a suspicious transfer from a comfortable office.
He had been physically present when the evidence began disappearing.
Morales continued.
“Mr. Ortega also said the men were arguing about an original shipping order.”
“Which order?” Khloe asked.
“He didn't know.”
The detective opened her notebook.
“But he remembered hearing Vale say something.”
Khloe waited.
Morales read the statement.
“If Russo finds the original paperwork, the whole operation comes apart.”
Victor turned toward the abandoned forklift.
For the first time, Khloe saw something beneath his composure that frightened her more than his reputation.
Not merely anger.
Betrayal.
May you like
And she understood that Adrian Vale hadn't just been stealing valuable equipment.
He had been stealing from a man whose enemies rarely survived by making ordinary business apologies.
