Two Weeks Later

Redwood moved on surprisingly fast.

The Blackthorne investigation dominated the news. Federal agents flooded the city. And this time, Daniel Mercer didn’t escape.

He was arrested outside Redwood Harbor in front of cameras, FBI agents, and one reporter who shouted:

“HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE CITY’S MOST EXPENSIVE CRIMINAL?”

Honestly? Iconic.

Jake called Mercer’s arrest “cinematically satisfying.”

Mia said Jake needed therapy.

Aria said both statements were scientifically valid.

Two weeks later, the trio sat in their usual booth at Redwood Café, drinking hot coffee and eating cinnamon rolls.

Same booth. Same friends. Significantly less attempted murder.

“You know what bothers me?” Mia asked.

“The fact that I nearly died six times?” Jake guessed.

“No. The fact that you enjoyed it.”

“That feels unfairly accurate.”

“You smiled during the crane collapse,” Aria added.

“In my defense, adrenaline is confusing.”

Then the café door opened.

Detective Lane walked in, followed by Ethan and Zoe.

Alive. Safe. Finally free.

“We came to say goodbye,” Ethan said.

“Witness relocation cleared,” Lane explained. “Federal protection too.”

Jake nodded.

“That’s probably smart.”

Even Aria looked surprised by the mature response.

Zoe smiled.

“You’re way less annoying when you’re sincere.”

“Might be the meanest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Mia immediately noticed Zoe looking at Jake a little longer than necessary.

“Oh no,” she thought.

“So,” Mia said casually, “Jake nearly died saving you twice.”

“MIA.”

Zoe laughed.

“I noticed.”

For once, Jake looked genuinely embarrassed.

A few minutes later, everyone was laughing about Jake’s latest idea.

“We should all become bungalow housemates.”

“Absolutely not,” Aria replied.

“You’d build a detective wall,” Mia added.

“…okay, now I want a basement.”

Even Ethan laughed.

Then Mia narrowed her eyes.

“Wait.”

Jake blinked.

“What?”

“You’re doing the face.”

“What face?”

“The ‘I’m hiding something catastrophic’ face.”

Jake sighed and pulled a small silver key from his pocket.

The table went silent.

“Why do you STILL have that?” Zoe asked.

“It felt important.”

Aria turned it over.

Engraved on the back were the words:

WHITMORE STORAGE — UNIT 27

Silence.

Mia closed her eyes.

“I hate this.”

“You love this.”

“I hate that you’re right.”

Outside, thunder rolled softly over Redwood.

Jake smiled.

Because somewhere out there...

another mystery had just begun.

Chapter 14 — Federal Government Jump Scare

The crane collapsed into the harbor with enough noise to financially damage the city.

Everyone hit the water.

Somehow—

nobody died.

Which honestly felt unrealistic at this point.

Then sirens exploded across the harbor.

Police cars.

FBI SUVs.

Helicopters overhead.

Floodlights blasted across the rain.

Federal agents stormed the docks dramatically like they’d been waiting all night for cinematic timing.

Mia coughed up harbor water and looked at Jake suspiciously.

“…why do you look calm?”

Jake blinked innocently.

“What?”

Aria narrowed her eyes immediately.

“You did something.”

Jake sighed dramatically.

“Okay technically…”

Pause.

“I anonymously tipped off the FBI earlier.”

Silence.

Mia stared at him in disbelief.

“You contacted federal agents…”

Another pause.

“…and STILL almost killed us with a crane?”

Jake considered that carefully.

“Multitasking.”

Mia pointed at him aggressively.

“You are not allowed to use the word multitasking ever again.”

Nearby, FBI agents dragged Mercer out of a wrecked SUV in handcuffs.

For the first time all night—

the billionaire supervillain looked emotionally inconvenienced.

Honestly?

Huge personal victory.

Chapter 10 — Locked In

Chapter 11 — Ethan Crosses the Line

Chapter 12 — Run

Chapter 13 — The Harbor

Chapters 10–13 Summary

Trapped in a flooded police-station stairwell, Jake, Mia, Aria, Zoe, and Detective Lane come face-to-face with Daniel Mercer, the powerful businessman behind the conspiracy. Calm and untouchable, Mercer demands the flash drive containing the evidence against him. Before he can take it, violence erupts. Guards attack, the team fights back, and just when Mercer seems to have the upper hand, a gunshot echoes through the stairwell.

Ethan—believed dead—steps out of the shadows alive.

The reunion is brief. As Ethan confronts Mercer, Mercer collapses the damaged stair railing and escapes into the underground garage. The team races after him, narrowly avoiding being run down by his SUV. Jake's reckless improvisation crashes Mercer into a concrete pillar, but Mercer escapes again, triggering a desperate pursuit through rain-soaked streets.

The chase turns deadly as Mercer’s gunmen open fire on Lane’s SUV. Bullets shatter windows while the group races toward the harbor. Then Ethan spots Mercer waiting alone in the darkness. A tense standoff follows. Mercer fires. Jake throws himself into danger to save Ethan, and Mercer vanishes once more into the storm.

The trail leads to Pier 14, where Mercer is preparing a mysterious shipment hidden inside Container 88. Cargo ships wait offshore while armed guards patrol the docks. But Aria notices something wrong—the shipment isn’t moving.

It’s a trap.

Floodlights suddenly blaze to life, exposing the team. Mercer’s voice booms across the harbor as armed men surround them from every direction. Gunfire erupts. Outnumbered and pinned down, the group scrambles for cover.

Then Aria spots a way to turn the tables: the giant harbor crane overlooking the docks.

If they can seize control of it, they can control the containers—and possibly bring Mercer down.

As bullets fly through the storm, Jake grins at the impossible plan forming in his head.

The final battle for the truth is about to begin at the harbor.