2015 Movies I Saw Summary and Reviews

I got a late start this year with watching movies in the theater, or I'm going crazy and misplaced the first five months' worth of tickets.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - (5/8/15; rating = 4/5 stars)

Age of Ultron was a flashy scifi sequel to Marvel's The Avengers. It suffers slightly from being a sequel but was a great movie in its own right too. I'd forgotten that I saw it, but I do remember liking it. I never bought the dvd or bluray, but I would if I saw it on sale. It's a decent movie to add to any collection. I do think Avengers was a stronger story overall, but the sequel keeps some of the magic.

San Andreas - (6/6/15; rating 3/5 stars)

There's not too much plot to this one. The premise is that there are massive earthquakes across the San Andreas fault, basically devastating large swaths of California. The Rock does a decent showing as a frantic father who happens to fly rescue helicopters. I'd put it on a netflix list. It's worth watching, but it's not tempting enough to be a buy-it-to-treasure-forever sort of movie.

Jurassic World - (6/27/15; 4.5/5 stars)

Enjoyable. This is one of those rare gems of a sequel that actually captures a lot of the greatness in the first one. I don't remember much about Jurassic Park 2 or 3, except that they didn't quite do it for me. One could easily watch Jurassic Park then Jurassic World and enjoy them as a duology without 2 and 3. It's typical fare for that type of movie. The chase scenes are suitably exciting and the fight at the end is action packed.

Inside Out (7/8/15; Rating = 4.5/5 stars)

Cute yet thoughtful. This movie had a surprisingly deep plot. The characters weren't as memorable as somebody like Queen Elsa from Frozen, but the story's intricate yet simple. There's great use of humor throughout. My favorite moments were the bus driver's mind, the cat's mind, the teenage boy's mind upon seeing a girl, and the father thinking something like oh, no, she said something and I wasn't paying attention.

I think this might be more enjoyable to share with friends than seeing alone, but it's still a great movie.

Minions - (8/24/15; rating 3.5 stars)

Cute and amusing but suffers from spinoff syndrome. To me, spinoff syndrome is when there's a character or in this case a character type that's popular enough that movie makers just want another payday so they cobble together a story and throw it on screen to give their stars another chance to shine. It should be noted that it's probably really difficult to make a wonderful movie with main characters that say very few actual words. Minions are adorable...I wear the bandaids and PJs, but they're much better playing second string to Gru in Despicable Me.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - (9/5/15; rating = 4/5 stars)

Solid action movie. It'd be worth a second or third viewing, but not in a row. I'd happily watch it again, or throw it onto a netflix wish list. It had decent fights and chases. That's pretty much the basic requirements for an action movie. I find the MI series has decently deep plotlines.

Scicario (10/3/15; rating = 2.5/5 stars)

It was all right. Emily Blunt does a great job at the part, playing an idealistic FBI agent sent as a liasion to deal with some drug cartels. It's not exactly a feel-good movie, and I'm finding that I sort of need that in a movie to truly enjoy myself. I'd probably pass seeing it again. Wouldn't exactly call the time spent a waste, but I feel like I'm fulfilled having seen it once.

Spectre (11/14/15; 4.5/5 stars)

James Bond movies have a long and glorious history. I found the beginning of this one kind of creepy, but aside from that, I'd call it a solid action flick. The plot's as outrageous as usual yet boils down to a bit of a cliche. The impressive part is that it works here. It's well acted. The chase scenes are exciting, though they probably didn't wreck as many cars as other action movies. They wanted a wider variety of vehicles wrecked, I guess.

Star Wars Episode VII (12/18/15, 12/22/15, 12/26/15; rating = 5/5 stars)

I'm probably biased on this one because I've been a Star Wars fan for a long time. I promise to keep this recap spoiler free for those who've not gotten around to seeing it yet. In short, it's excellent. There are enough ties to the old trilogy (the original Ep 4-6) to please most die hard fans. The one thing I will say is that fans of the movie only may have a higher chance of loving this than those who drank in every one of the hundreds of novels printed between the 90's-2000's. When Disney took over, they basically scrapped 90% of the canon established throug those books. But back to Episode 7 ... I loved it. You probably gathered that from me seeing it 3 times in the past week. To be fair, I'd bought tickets to Friday the 18th and Saturday the 26th before even watching it once.

So, what made this movie great?

Fresh faces. Old favorites. Great use of humor to lighten dark moments. Well-acted. Nice use of special effects without there being an over abundance of CGI. Story line is okay. I have some speculation about that which I'll put in a separate post marked all over with spoiler alerts.

July 2015 Lei Crime Kindle World Stories

July Launches

Just coming off the Lei Crime Kindle World Authors' Facebook party, I am attending to my homework assignment of putting together a list of the stories by launch date. I had already prepped December launches, but here's July and October. I think there was already a post for the April launch stories that kicked off the world. Later, I'll attempt to put together a comprehensive list. But you can always just search Amazon.com for the Lei Crime Kindle World and let the search engine do its thing.

Seal of a Monk by Eden Baylee

The ancient jungles of Kauai provide the perfect setting for self-discovery. Despite the terror she experienced on her last trip, Lainey Lee returns to Hawaii to manage a silent meditation course on the Coconut Coast. Twenty-five women are under her care for ten days in a beautiful and remote location. Lainey expects to find inner peace, but four days into the course, one of the meditators disappears without a trace. Did the girl leave of her own free will, or was she lured away by a strange cult? Lainey is frantic to answer these questions. As her desperation grows, she finds help from an unexpected source—a retired Navy SEAL named Maximillian Scott. Now, Lainey has two mysteries to solve: what happened to the missing girl and the case of her own heart. Can she ever trust a man again?

The Shell Seeker by Christine Nolfi

In South Carolina, there’s more than magic in the air. Now policewoman Lei Texeira must solve the case of the Pirate Necklace. The famed emeralds, spirited in the 1700s from the pirate Blackbeard’s ship, have been snatched once again. This time, the bling was taken from Marie-Therese Belvedere, a woman whose cruelty is only topped by her arrogance. Lei doesn’t care for the icy socialite, but she feels an instant connection with the woman’s stepdaughter. An unlucky star has followed Sydney Belvedere her entire life. If the necklace isn’t found, she’ll lose a treasure more dear than the finest gem. Only the magic of Lei’s intuition stands between Sydney and unspeakable loss.

Torn Roots by Scott Bury

Hawaii is known for volcanoes and sandy beaches. Beauty and danger reign.

After breaking a case of murdered poachers in Maui's national park, Detective Pono Kaihale accepts a short-term position as Acting Lieutenant in Hana on the island's rain-forest coast. He is looking forward to redirecting lost hikers and moderating mild lovers' spats, and enjoying the natural beauty of the southeast shore. But by his second week on the job, Pono finds trouble here comes in unexpected forms.

As environmentalists, property developers, protesters, arsonists, kidnappers and a rogue Homeland Security agent converge on his new post, Pono feels like the eye of a brewing storm. And when a new FBI agent gets involved, Pono realizes the stakes are much higher than a quiet period in his career.

Lives will be lost if he doesn't solve this mystery quickly.

Money Makes it Deadlier by Julie C. Gilbert

Money can buy many things, but can it purchase a permanent solution to divorce?

Martin Cantrell would like to know the answer to that question. He has money, respect, and power, but he also has a monthly alimony payment that’s making him miserable. When a friend offers to deal with the “ex” problem for a fee, he can hardly say no. Time is of the essence. The life insurance policy on his ex-wife expires in less than two months.

Unaware of the plans set in motion, Special Agent Marcella Scott goes about her business as usual, only now, she finally has an excuse to dress up on the job. She’s been asked to go undercover to check out some banks. One of the branches just happens to be managed by Martin Cantrell’s ex-wife.

What’s an agent to do when a perfectly peaceful morning turns into a hostage-taking standoff?

Find out in Money Makes it Deadlier. This story takes place several months before the events of Black Jasmine, book 3 of the Lei Crime Series.

Coffee and Kukui Nuts by A.J. Llewellyn

Hawaiian explosives expert Abe Torufu looks forward to a day trip on Oahu helping his sister Meleny taste-test wedding cakes. Abe loves cake almost as much as malasadas, but something deadly interrupts their plans for butter cream and spongy goodness. A bomb.

Abe unwittingly uncovers a near-fatal plot in a marriage gone awry and soon becomes the target of not one but two hit men. He now requires round-the-clock protection from a U.S. Marshal. But not only is Tony McCracken skinny and shorter than the big Tongan detective, but Abe doesn’t need protection.

Well, that’s until McCracken saves his life in a spectacular way when one of the bad guys finds him. What started as a fun, family day becomes a nightmare and Abe must trust a stranger with his life. Can he? Or is he in big, bad, Hawaiian trouble? Will he live long enough to walk his sister down the flower-strewn, tapa-carpeted aisle, or is there worse to come?

Princess Eyes by Lucas Kana

(Suspense: Murder Mystery)

Geeky Honolulu Lieutenant, Michael Stevens, teams up to investigate a series of homicides with Jenna Brooke, a streetwise psychologist for the FBI, which leads to the mysterious disappearance of a local beauty queen known as ‘Princess Eyes.’

Timeline: 10 years before Blood Orchids in a semi-alternate universe where Stevens starts out as a nerd.

My Wild "Who is Rey from The Force Awakens" Theory #Spoilers #StarWars

Image credit: www.comicbookmovie.com

As noted in the title, this brief opinion will definitely contain spoilers for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Ever since Daisy Ridley gave the desert orphan a face in the movie, people have probably been asking "Who is she?"

I've read some of the theories out there ... (Let's Talk Rey...)

And heard most of the theories before reading that article. I think the new one to me was "Kenobi's Daughter."

Of those theories, I'd kinda like it to be the "nobody special" or "Luke's daughter" theory.

If she is Luke's daughter, that would be fine with me, but it does sound cliche. Would make me question his parenting, but whatever. Even if she was sent away to be hidden from the dark side, geez, send a guardian with her. Darn, now I really wanna know who her mother is too. There is a significant look that Luke gives her after she climbs like a thousand stairs and holds that lightsaber out. (Seriously, I'd be like "no more dang stairs." I wonder how many times poor Daisy had to climb the things.)

My personal wild theory is this ...

Rey is a manifestation of the Force.

A lot of Star Wars fans for Ep 4-6 would like to forget that Ep 1-3 ever happened, but in The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker's mother tells Qui Gon Ginn that "There was no father." She goes on to explain: "I carried him, I gave birth ... I can't explain what happened. It was probably just a throwaway line to make Anakin seem more mysterious and make him fit the mold of the Chosen One who will bring balance back to the Force. She could have been lying I suppose, but Shmi didn't strike me as the sort of lady to lie to a Jedi she's trying to have save her son.

So, back to Rey. If the Force manifested itself once in a person, a human boy, it could certainly do it again.

I suppose from a certain point of view, this is a slight variation on the "nobody special" theory, but it would lend a very nice balance the the three trilogies and sort of make me like The Phantom Menace a wee bit more. It would also help explain why her parent(s) abandoned her. In Rey's dreams we get a glimpse of the little girl she was being dropped off on Jakku and screaming for somebody to come back. So we know there is somebody. Later, Maz Kanata (I think, bear with me, people, I've only seen this 3 times as oft his writing) tells her something like "You already know the truth, they're not coming back."

This time around (the third) I did hear what sounded like Kenobi's voice in Rey's dream calling her name. That would lend credence to the idea that she may be a descendant, but it also lends support to my theory of a Force manifestation.

One complaint I read about the movie is that Rey's too powerful, but her being an embodiment of the Force would explain some of it.

In such a wide galaxy and universe full of more galaxies, two manifestations of the Force in human form is within the scope of reason. The movie is called "The Force Awakens." Snoke asks Kylo Ren if he's felt it. In Ep 1, Anakin accidentally blows up the droid control ship. Given the precedent, it's not that far-fetched to believe that Rey can fight well with a lightsaber, having never touched one. She's obviously had a lot of practice with that staff weapon. Being able to pull a mind-trick too is more believable this way. I know a lot of fans get wrapped up in it all being about the Skywalkers/ Solos, but again, it's a big galaxy. The Force binds things together. If it felt evil on the rise, might it not prepare another Chosen one to bring back balance?

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it ... for now. Thanks for listening. Feel free to comment below.

Image credit: Lucasfilm via mashable.com

December Launch 2015 Lei Crime Kindle World Stories

The Lei Crime Series Kindle World has dozens of stories. They can be published at any time, but we make a concerted effort to turn out new stories every quarter. I've been privileged to have a new title out each launch in 2015. It's been quite the experience working in the midst of such a rich world of great side characters as well as alongside some hugely talented people. If you haven't tried Toby Neal's original Lei Crime Series, you totally should. And if you haven't checked out Kindle Worlds, please do. #LeicrimeKW is just one of many growing worlds. If you love writing, consider doing some research and joining a world that appeals to you.

Blood Orchids is book 1 in the Original Lei Crime Series by Toby Neal

There are 8 New Releases since the October Launch. Here they are in no particular order. Well, that's not true. They're in the order that I see them on a lovely graphic that I'm using for a cheat sheet of what was recently published.

Palm Trees & Snowflakes by Scott Bury

A Hawaii mystery

Snowflake has a whole new meaning in Hawaii. The new designer drug being trafficked through Oahu gives users the perfect high--and slowly kills them.

In Honolulu, where the palm trees are strung with lights for the holidays, FBI Special Agents Vanessa Storm and Ken Yamada have their hands full trying to stop this deadly flow. Faulty intel brings the agents into a deadly firefight, which yields even more puzzles.

How do the drug lords change their smuggling routes and methods with every single shipment? Vanessa's handsome, charming, and untrustworthy ex-boyfriend might have the answer.

Esther's Gift by Bette Lee Crosby

In the days before hurricane Iniki hit the island of Kauai the forecasters predicted it would stay south of Hilo. But Esther Ka’awai, a psychic and gifted wise woman of the ancient culture has seen the future. She knows of the devastation that will come to the island. She has warned those she loves; now all she can do is pray.

As she struggles to accept this gift of knowing, Esther discovers that even the most wonderful gift can sometimes break your heart.

A story of love, faith and a belief in the future.

One of Her Own by Shawn McGuire

Maui is the perfect place… for murder.

Gemi Kittredge, rising MMA star, is facing the fight of her career. She hasn't heard from her flighty sister in two weeks. And, she's just come across the body of a fellow boxer during her morning run.

While her friend, Consuelo Aguilar, helps Gemi stay focused on the match, Detective Lei Texeira is hot on the trail of the killer. But the closer they get to the truth, the more Gemi starts to fear the killer could be one of her own.

One of Her Own takes place after Shattered Palms, book 6 in the Lei Crimes series.

Dark Dawn by Fiona Manning

She never knew what was waiting for her…

As the wife of hot-headed Maui detective Pono Kaihale, devoted mom to their two kids and her high-octane jobs as a nurse and wedding planner have prepared Tiare to handle anything. Or so she she’s always thought.

Her often difficult Aunty Nalani is a constant nightmare with her history of drug and alcohol addictions and a recent period of homelessness. Unfortunately, Pono can’t stand her so Tiare is often left to deal with her aunt alone. Even Nalani’s twin sister, Kekepania (Keke for short) despairs of her, but now, Nalani seems to finally have her life on track. One rainy morning, tragedy strikes. Keke and her daughter, three-year-old Anuhea vanish. Nalani claims to have no knowledge of her whereabouts. Pono is working hard on a case and doesn’t have time to deal with the aunties’ nonsense. He suggests if Keke is really missing, to file a missing person’s report. Though hurt by her husband’s indifference, Tiare takes his advice and takes the first steps by going into Keke’s house looking for clues. There, she discovers some shocking things about her favorite aunty. Joining forces with Pono’s frequent partner, Lei Texeira, Tiare uncovers a secret plot so sinister it shocks her, and there’s nobody to help her. Her life now at risk, Tiare digs deep to save her aunty and herself. But is she too late? They say it’s darkest before dawn, but for Tiare, dawn just seems to get darker and darker…

Elysium's Tombstones by R.S. Guthrie

Sorry, I've got nothing but a title and author for ya on this one. Will update when possible.

Christmas Makes it Chaos by Julie C. Gilbert (yes, that's me)

Christmas is a time for peace, love, and family. Right?

Wrong. Some people prefer chaos.

FBI Special Agent Marcella Scott travels to Philadelphia with her partner, Matthew Rogers, for a law enforcement conference on battling terrorism. She never makes it. Instead, she ends up investigating an actual threat with an unlikely ally.

Cassandra Mirren prefers working alone, but she’s been ordered to bring Agent Scott along for the ride. Their last encounter was adversarial, but this time they have a common foe.

Can the agent and the assassin save countless lives this Christmas?

Tell the Truth by Corinne O'Flynn

Tell the Truth … the whole truth, and nothing but the truth …

The words sound great, but what if the truth could cost you your life?

It’s been eleven months since Detective Leilani Texeira captured the monster who kidnapped young women and sold them as sex slaves. Lei can’t wait for her chance to testify and finally put this case behind her.

But the crime ring syndicate doesn’t want the man going to trial. When their attempt to kill him in prison fails, they change tactics and targets.

They hunt witnesses.

Suddenly, Lei finds herself fighting for her life, and this time it’s not just one enemy, it’s a syndicate. How high of a blood price must be paid in order to tell the truth? Can Lei protect the other witness or will she die trying?

Valley Isle Secrets by Rasana Atreya

Wayne Texeira’s life couldn’t get any better. He’s out of prison. He’s rebuilding his relationship with his daughter. He has a new ladylove.

Then, out in the Maui woods, he stumbles across a body. The death is ruled suicide. Days later, he crosses paths with another death. That, too, is ruled suicide.

Is there a pattern to the deaths, or is he seeing a conspiracy where none exists? Texeira reluctantly takes his concerns to the cops. But they won’t investigate because – come on – who takes an ex-con seriously?

Convinced there is more to the suicides than mere depression, Texeira starts poking around. What he finds is just too incredible to comprehend.

Hope you enjoy the stories. If you happen to like any of 'em please remember to review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Buy Jessica Strong #CR4U #RIP #Tribute

Hi all,

If you're a part of the Clean Indie Reads group, you've probably already heard that Jessica Strong passed away suddenly a few days before Christmas. I can't imagine what it must be like for her family, but I know some of the CIR people wanted to put together a tribute for her buy collectively buying her books tomorrow at the same time so her rankings would go up. For those not authors, ranking's kinda a big deal to us.

So, anyway,here's the link to her amazon author page if you'd like to see what she came up with during her brief but brilliant life.

Book titles with descriptions

John Henry and the Tornado

John Henry came back from Vietnam a long time ago. But all he did was return to his country, he didn't really come home. He gave up the battle of trying to settle down until he heard a brother and sister playing. It had reminded him of better days when he was young. The days he had shared with his brother. So he had stayed in the small town of Woodville and listened to the two children laughing, playing and making plans. Then the tornado had hit and John Henry found himself wanting to protect the children, but if the town found out about him he may have to leave again and that was the last thing he wanted to do. The choice John Henry would have to make would be the bravest choice he had ever made - to finally come home and help two children who needed him.

Bertie O'Brien and the Button Factory: How Bertie O'Brien built a button factory slaying monsters

I always knew there was a family secret. I just didn't know how big that secret was until I went to visit my great Aunt Maggie. There in her attic she told me what everyone had tried to keep hidden all these years. My great great Uncle Bertie was a monster slayer, but you won't believe how he slew them. I'm still not sure I believe it myself.

Reluctant Witness (Laura Cahill Book 1)

Assistant District Attorney Laura Cahill is assigned a double homicide that quickly develops into the biggest drug ring case in New York City within a decade. The investigation not only reveals the unexpected, but also opens up the lives of everyone it touches. As Laura starts to fall for their key witness, a brilliant young doctor with secrets of his own, she is taught painful lessons that her serious tone of mind has spared her from learning. As skeletons start coming out of the closets, Laura sees that serving the law can sometimes subvert the course of justice. Can she find a way to keep the closet door closed and still live with her conscience?

In $ We Trust (Laura Cahill Book 2)

"Good morning, American! Meltdown!" Those were the words that greeted viewers as they turned on their TV’s on September 15th, 2008. The greatest recession since the great depression was announced.

Six years later when Gloria Moore had her own violent meltdown in a bank in New York City, four people were dead and another critically wounded. She told Assistant District Attorney Neal there needed to be accountability for the financial mess. She would plead guilty to whatever charges he brought against her as long as he investigated the cause of the market crash.

Reluctantly Barney Neal soon realizes that a jury may acquit once they know Gloria Moore’s personal story. If he wants to settle the case out of court, and keep markets steady, he will have to do as she asks.

Cain's Mark (Laura Cahill Book 3)

Laura Cahill is back working with Detectives Carlos Cabral and Mike Grady when they are called to investigate the murder of a young woman. It is the second murder of a young woman that the two detectives are investigating and both men are concerned that the murders will end up in the cold case file. Initially, there is another Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case, but because of a niggling concern that the two cases are related, they both end up on Laura's desk. No one wants to believe that this is the work of the same killer, but when other cases with similar MO’s start piling up Laura and the detectives are forced to accept the fact that there is a serial killer on the loose. Unfortunately, the only connection that the victims share is as vague as it is absurd. Who knew that a book review could mean murder?

Fearfully Made (Emma Shaw Book 1)

Revised and Re-edited August 29, 2015

Emma looked down at the sketch of the woman she knew was about to become their prime suspect.

“What does she have that I don’t?” The question came instantly to Emma’s mind. But she knew that whatever the answer was – she didn’t have ‘it’ – because Paul didn’t see it in her. The artist had said Emma and the ‘suspect’ were similar. But whatever made them the same could also be what made them different. Emma looked at the picture and frowned, she looked up at the scene around her; CSI, FBI, San Diego PD and the Fire Department. She looked back at the sketch. The two didn’t match. Why would someone who was that beautiful be a professional killer? Her looks would draw too much attention. But there was no way that Emma could explain that to Paul, or anyone else.

Emma thought of the words of the sketch artist.

“You look like her.” But they weren’t the same, were they?

If you do participate, please don't forget to review when you finish the book. Thanks.

Excerpt: Palm Trees and Snowflakes - Hot New Release for the Lei Crime Kindle World, Courtesy of Scott Bury

Hawaii and drug busts, what's not to like?

Description:

A Hawaii mystery

Snowflake has a whole new meaning in Hawaii. The new designer drug being trafficked through Oahu gives users the perfect high--and slowly kills them.

In Honolulu, where the palm trees are strung with lights for the holidays, FBI Special Agents Vanessa Storm and Ken Yamada have their hands full trying to stop this deadly flow. Faulty intel brings the agents into a deadly firefight, which yields even more puzzles.

How do the drug lords change their smuggling routes and methods with every single shipment? Vanessa's handsome, charming, and untrustworthy ex-boyfriend might have the answer.

Cover:

Excerpt:

After getting a search warrant for the shipping container, they arrived before noon at 277 Pier, another lot of crumbling asphalt crowded with stacked shipping containers. Yamada brought the car up quietly and slowly to the pier entrance. They got out of the car and strolled along the containers, looking for the right number.

“This is it—” The distinctive sound of smashing glass interrupted Vanessa.

Peter Ferreira stood beside their car, holding a crowbar in one hand and an automatic pistol in the other. He was panting, covered in sweat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Where is the laptop?” he shouted. “Give it to me!”

Vanessa and Ken followed their training. Hands raised, they moved away from each other. Ferreira was sweating. The crowbar shook in his hand and his eyes darted between Vanessa to Yamada. The gun trembled, not pointed at anything in particular.

“You don’t want to do this, Peter,” Vanessa said. She walked slowly along an arc that curved farther from Yamada but closer to Peter Ferreira’s side.

Yamada distracted him. “She’s right, Peter. We do not have any evidence that implicates you. I did not see you at 9 Pier that night. Your father is out on bail. If you cooperate with us, you could help him to stay out of prison.”

“We’re way past that!” he yelled. “Rogers wants that laptop back.”

Rogers? That was a name in one of the files. Someone named Rogers is a link in this chain.

“We can protect you against Rogers,” Yamada continued as Vanessa edged closer to Peter Ferreira. “You could help put him in prison, where he could never endanger you or your family again.”

“Shut up!” Peter shouted, spit flying from his lips. “You don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Help us stop Rogers, Peter,” Yamada went on. “Snowflake is killing young people. Honolulu is its main entry point to the U.S. You can help us stop this calamity, Peter.”

When Peter looked at Yamada, Vanessa pounced. With her hands on either side of Ferreira’s gun, she twisted until it clattered to the ground. She continued to twist his arm behind his back. He cried out as Vanessa pushed him to his knees.

Vanessa had her Walther PPK at Ferreira’s head before he could look up again. Yamada picked up the fallen gun and inspected the chamber. “A cheap Glock. Not even loaded,” he said. He snorted softly.

Vanessa cuffed Ferreira while Yamada speed-dialed dispatch. Leaving her partner to wait for HPD, Vanessa looked at the shipping container. Like the one on 9 Pier, a digital combination lock secured it.

Vanessa tried 22-12, the date the container had arrived, and was not surprised when the lock popped open. Shining her flashlight, she stepped inside as sirens approached.