Page 59 of Snow

“Nothing. It’s ready.” She pulled two plates from the shelf and started dishing up the scampi, generous portions of linguine tangled with shrimp and a creamy sauce. “Just grab some silverware.”

He did, and they carried their plates out to the dining area. They sat down next to each other at one of the long tables.

Snow didn’t wait. He scooped up a forkful of scampi and took a bite. As soon as that sauce hit his taste buds, he closed his eyes and nearly groaned. The entire meal was perfect.

“Damn, Nova. Where the hell did you learn to cook like this?”

She smiled. “You really like it?”

“Like it? I think I found my new favorite food. You’ve got some mad cooking skills.”

“I pretty much taught myself to cook. I watched a lot of cooking shows and have a ton of recipe books. I just don’t get to do it much.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s pointless to make a full meal for just myself. Plus, with the hours I put in at the office, I normally get home late. It’s just easier to pick up something or get delivery.”

Snow studied her for a moment before taking another bite. She had said it so matter-of-factly, as though spending her evenings alone with takeout and paperwork was normal. For someone surrounded by people every day, she sounded remarkably alone.

He then bumped her shoulder playfully. “Well, if you ever want to cook, I’ll gladly be your taste tester.”

She laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

A few minutes later, Snow took his last bite and then set his fork down. “You mentioned there was something you wanted to tell me.”

She wiped her mouth with her napkin and then turned to face him.

“Yeah. So, earlier today, I overheard Brett asking Clint if he had seen any patrols. Clint said he hadn’t seen any since last week. Then Brett asked Clint if Delilah was fixed because he wanted to take her out.”

Snow tapped his fingers against the table, thinking.

Out here, patrols meant Coast Guard, maybe a Navy vessel running the shipping lanes, possibly even a customs flyover.

Legitimate operations like the rig they were on tracked weather, currents, and supply runs. They didn’t track who might be watching, not unless they had something worth hiding.

Then there was Delilah. Take her out. That phrasing mattered. Considering there were no other females on the rig besides Nova, Snow would bet money that Delilah was a boat. But he had walked Platforms One and Two from top to bottom, and he hadn’t seen any vessel moored alongside that wasn’t a lifeboat, which were required. But that didn’t mean Delilah was being kept somewhere he hadn’t been, like Platform Three.

“I think you might have found us our first clue,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“Really?” Nova asked, her eyebrows raised.

Snow grinned. “Yeah. You see, the Coast Guard and other military branches or agencies conduct patrols in international waters. But out here, rig crews couldn’t care less about patrols. At least, not if they aren’t hiding something or doing something illegal. And Delilah, sounds like it could be a boat. Only I haven’t seen any boats other than lifeboats.”

Nova scrunched her eyebrows together. “So what, you think there’s a boat we don’t know about?”

“I think I’d like to find out. Tomorrow, can you get into Gulf Tide’s asset registry and see if there is a vessel named Delilah registered to the company?”

“I can try. The corporate records access I have for the audit should cover it.”

Snow smiled. “Good. And I also need you to pull a personnel file. Last name Capperson.”

“Who’s that?”

“A name that came up in a conversation between Dalton and Voss.” He paused. “And one more thing. This afternoon I watched Brett coming back from Platform Three. Can you see if you can get into the key card database? I’m curious as to how often he goes over there, and whether anyone else is making that trip with him.”

“The key card is on a different system. I don’t know if I have access, but I’ll check.”

He put his hand gently on her shoulder. “If you can’t, don’t worry about that right now. No need to take any risks right now. Start with Capperson and Delilah.”