The blades of the chopper whirled. With the naked eye they could barely see David’s boat. He could be dead already. For all they knew Falling was at the helm of the ship. Kelly realized she knew nothing about their foe. The painful seconds built into agonizing minutes. The boat moved a mile from the shore, two miles. Their main agent in the other helicopter—south of the boat, hidden in the mucky sky—came over the line. He had a better line of sight, and he had bizarre news.

“He’s loading the money into some kind of receptacle,” he said.

Vicki sat frozen, then turned to Charlie. “What the fuck?”

“Is it metal?” Charlie asked the other helicopter.

“It might be. Can’t be sure at this distance.”

“Are there any other boats in the area?” Vicki asked.

“No. That I am sure of.”

Vicki kept her eye on Charlie. “What’s he doing?”

Charlie frowned. “What was David doing before he began to load the ransom?”

The other chopper dude heard the question. “Talking on his cell.”

“What does it mean?” Vicki asked.

Charlie frowned. “Maybe he plans to have David sink the goods. But—”

“But what?” Vicki demanded.

“The water’s deep this far out. He wouldn’t be able to retrieve it.”

“Could Falling be riding alongside the boat?” Kelly suggested. “Attached to it in some way? Out of sight?”

Vicki was interested in the theory. “He could be hanging on, ready to lasso the money,” she suggested.

But Charlie shook his head. “The boat’s moving too fast. The pressure from the water would knock him off.”

“You don’t know that for sure.” Vicki ran her hands through her hair. “Jesus!”

“We have to move in closer,” Charlie insisted.

“And do what?” Vicki demanded.

Their man in the other helicopter spoke. “He’s lifting the container onto the side of the rail. It looks like he’s going to dump it overboard.”

“Do you see anything in the water?” Vicki asked. “Anything at all?”

“There’s nothing and no one in the vicinity of the boat.”

“He’s too far away to be positive,” Charlie said with passion. He grabbed Vicki’s arm. “We follow the money, and the money is going in the water. David’s not important. Falling only threatened him to mislead us. He doesn’t give a damn about the guy. Catalina is meaningless. Listen to me, Vicki! Move both choppers above that boat right now.”

“He just threw the container overboard,” the guy reported.

“Did it sink?” Vicki demanded.

“Oh, yeah.”

Vicki snapped at the pilot. “Move in!”

The helicopter banked sharply. Kelly felt her guts sink along with her heart. She realized they had been out-foxed, although she had no idea how. Falling would not try to retrieve the money later. He knew they would never leave the area unwatched. He must already have the money.

Yet he could not have it. Unless … the unexpected.