Page 43 of Hidden Tide

Dark rubber soles.

Shoes designed for wet decks.

Then he returned to the unidentified man.

Brown leather shoes.

Smooth soles.

Expensive.

Completely impractical aboard an old cargo vessel in rough water.

“He wasn’t part of the crew,” I said.

Agent Morales nodded.

“He was a visitor.”

“Or someone who didn’t expect the ship to leave the harbor.”

Kim enlarged the man’s right hand.

A gold ring caught the light.

The face of it carried the same lighthouse symbol as the patch.

Agent Morales stood.

“I’m going to contact the corporate records team.”

“What does the symbol mean?” I asked.

“We don’t know yet.”

Ben remained focused on the image.

“You’ve seen it too.”

Morales hesitated.

“Last night, Commander Keating asked us to review the companies that provided equipment during the initial Blackwater search. One contractor used a lighthouse in its logo.”

“What kind of contractor?”

“Marine salvage.”

A marine salvage company would have boats.

Divers.

Equipment capable of moving through flooded tunnels.

It would also have a legitimate reason to enter Blackwater after the rescue.

“What was the company called?” I asked.

“Pacific Beacon Recovery.”