Page 73 of Snow

“It seems like this person was definitely documenting something,” Bear stated, and Snow agreed.

“The next picture is from another page in the notebook. This one had the name Andre Matisse written at the top, with what again looks like entries.”

As soon as Snow heard the name, he looked at the screen and could see the guys looking at one another, which made him believe that they were all thinking what he was thinking.

Andre Matisse wasn’t just someone. Over the last two to three years, he had been making a name for himself on the international front in arms dealings. His name had been linked to several terrorist organizations and ongoing civil wars happening in Africa. He also operated on the black market. He was wanted for questioning by agencies all over the world.

But the problem was that the man rarely got his own hands dirty. Instead, he financed operations, moved weapons through layers of shell companies and intermediaries, and disappeared long before authorities could get close.

Long story short, someone wouldn’t write down Andre Matisse’s name just for the fun of it. There was definitely a reason why.

“Well...” Duke muttered quietly. “This just made things more interesting.”

Derek nod. “I’d say it did.”

“What are your thoughts, Commander?” Snow asked.

Derek sighed. “If Matisse is involved, then we are no longer looking at just a local operation; it’s now international.”

“Who is this guy?” Nova asked.

Snow looked at her. “He’s an international arms dealer.”

Nova’s eyes widened. “Oh, well, that might explain the next three pictures,” she said.

Snow swiped to the next picture. Before he could say anything, Bear let out a low whistle. “Is that an underwater drone?”

“That’s what it looks like. Or some kind of prototype,” Aussie said.

“Whatever it is, it definitely looks military-grade. Look at the propulsion housing.”

“I’m more curious about what’s in that barrel,” Jay Bird stated. “I can’t make out what the wording is on it.”

Snow’s gaze drifted from the barrel to the photograph of what appeared to be an underwater drone. When you put those two together, they painted a picture he didn’t like. His stomach tightened.

Whatever was inside that barrel couldn’t be good if it was somehow being paired with military-grade underwater equipment.

It immediately brought him back to the briefing—the NOAA buoy detecting unusual chemical signatures, and the string of unexplained maritime incidents that had drawn multiple federal agencies to this investigation in the first place.

Snow addressed Derek. “Sir, is it possible we’re looking at chemical warfare?” he asked. “If those canisters and whatever is in that barrel are being transported with underwater drones...” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “Could this be the smoking gun we’ve been looking for? Something capable of delivering a chemical agent without anyone realizing it until it was too late?”

“It could be,” Derek replied as he leaned back in his chair. “But we also need to think about where Andre Matisse fits in.” He paused, letting the implication settle over everyone. “If he’s connected to this device, then we are no longer talking about simple weapons smuggling.” Derek tapped a finger against his desk. “Matisse has spent years supplying sophisticated military hardware to the highest bidder. If he’s involved, there’s a very real possibility he isn’t just moving weapons through this rig; he could be supplying the technology, the components, or even financing whatever is being built there.”

“Shit,” Bear said. |Do you really think they could be weaponizing those drones? And building them right there on the rig?”

Derek nodded. “I think we’d be foolish not to consider the possibility.”

Nova cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to her.

“I was also able to gain access to the key card system, and it appears that Brett spends a lot of time on Platform Three,” Nova said. “Most of the timestamps on his key card show he goes there mostly late at night.”

Snow turned toward Nova. This was huge. But he was curious how she discovered all of this.

Before he could ask, Duke muttered, “It would be real nice if we could get someone on Platform Three.”

Nova grinned, then reached into her bag, withdrew a keycard, and held it out to Snow.

He stared at it. “What is that?”