CH 97

Just after midnight, Two Dads knocked on MacGyvers's cabin door.

"MacGyver, you better come down to the engine room; It's agent Smith."

Getting out of her rack, she put her boots on and followed Two Dads down to the engine room, where she found Mike, Kate, and Madeline Cruise waiting.

"Sir."

Mike stepped aside as MacGyver approached.

"Agent Smith's dead," Mike Informed her.

Looking down, she sees Swain with the body wrapped In a chain. She walked out of the room and reappeared as Charge showed up with the body bag and camera.

"Swain?"

"MacGyver, looks like he fell to his death."

MacGyver put gloves on.

"Ok, everyone, back to bed. There is nothing you can do." Mike said

MacGyver looked up. "Sir."

Mike looked down at her, "alone," she said. Mike turn and closed the door then return back to the man hole.

"What is it?"

"Sir, this was no accident… It was murder."

"What makes you say that?" Charge asked.

"Well, for one, two chains are down, and second there's a light white streak on the floor from the door to the rails like he was dragged. If you noticed the heals of his shoes, Swain." Swain looked and took photos while Mike look at the floor where he is and saw the skid marks.

"She's right, Sir."

"And look at the fingers of his left hand. There's blood and skin under them, meaning he fought his attacker. We're going to need four samples, one from each nail."

"How can we know who killed him?"

"Besides the DNA and the fIngerprints from the chain, we let slip about the blood and skin from the agent's nails. We can say that we got one swab when in fact, we got four. We can have one where the killer can get to it and the other three in three different locations as a backup. Plus, whoever it is will have scratch marks on them."

"Question Is, how did the killer knock him unconscious? Did the attacker knock him on the head?" Mike asked.

"No. The killer went for the jugular." She crouched down and moved the collar aside, revealing his throat.

"Swain…" putting her thumb and finger close to where yellow-purple marks are on the guy's throat. SwaIn took a photo.

"I'm going to feel his Adam apple; It wIll tell me if it's swollen or crushed." She uses both fingers and feels his throat.

"Swain, feel where my fingers are?" Swain did.

"Crushed windpipe."

"Yes, that's how he died. Whoever did this brought him down here to make it look like an accident."

"You should be a copper," Charge remarked.

"Hey, you're insulting Swain. You owe him a couple of drinks when we get home."

"Sorry, mate," saId Charge, looking apologetic.

"It's ok." MacGyver looks the body over. She picks up his wrist to look at his watch.

"Swain…" she pointed to a strand of hair caught in Smith's watch. Swain took a photo then removed it, put it in a dish, and put a lid on it to be kept as evidence.

"Let me look at it," MacGyver said. After a closer look, she looked up at Mike.

"Who do we know with shoulder-length light brown wavy hair?"

"Madeline Cruise," Mike responded.

"Exactly."

The door opened; Kate walked in and closed the door behind her.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Agent Smith was murdered," Mike answered.

"What?" Kate responded, shocked.

"X," MacGyver said.

Kate looked down to where MacGyver was still stoopIng next to Smith's body.

"Could out get me a box cutter, pencil, white paper, sellotape, and from my cabin my black-handled brush, please? I'll be up In a few minutes."

"Sure."

"Thanks." She and SwaIn carried on. When they finished, Swain and Charge took care of the body.

MacGyver went over to Mike when Kate returned with her requested Items. She sat on the floor, and Mike and Kate looked on as she used the box cutter to shave the lead from the pencil onto the paper and then using her brush, dipped it into the lead pencIl powder. She picked up the bottom chain with clean gloves, examined it, then carefully and dusted it while Swain and Charge looked on.

"Sir, would you cut a piece of sellotape for me? Swain take a photo of this chain."

"Sure," both Mike and Swain replied.

They watched as she put the sellotape over the dusted fingerprint, removed it, and placed It on the paper, repeating the procedure on the top chaIn. When finished, MacGyver passed the sheet to Swain.

"Take photos of these fingerprints," she ordered.

"You are a true MacGyver." Charge saId.

"Thanks," clearing up her supplies. "Ok, let's go and set the trap and see who we catch." They went separate ways. Mike told Kate about MacGyver's fIndings.

By the following day, word got around about the blood and skin found under the agent's nails, the sample collected, and where it was being kept. Within two hours, the sample was gone. Thanks to the camera that MacGyver had hidden, she, Swain, Dutchy, Mike, and Kate watched as the evidence was taken. They continued watching as the shIp's camera captured the person who took the sample going outside and tossing it into the ocean. They then watched her pulling out a sat phone and making a call.

"Sir, are we still in lockdown?" Swain asked.

"Yes, we are. She should have told me that she had a SAT phone wIth her."

"I want that phone," MacGyver added.

"Why?" Swain asked.

"So I can find out who she's been callIng… hang on…" she backed up the recording from the camera and then stopped It and played It agaIn. she was able to get a close-up; It's Madeline Cruise.

MacGyver played the conversatIon from Madeline Cruise's call.

"It's Madeline Cruise; you and your men screwed up… what do you mean you haven't? The ship's RO has the pen drIve…. What do you mean, you got the pen drive? No, you haven't, you idIots… I'll fInd out if it is on the list or not when I return to Cairns. I hope the list Is worth the price I paid…Yeah, Captain Roth doesn't know he stole a copy of classifIed information for me. If it is the list, It would be worth mIllIons of dollars to the highest bidder… Ok, you keep that one with you, and I'll call soon as I know."

She disconnected the call.

"Sir, we need to find out from Jim where he got that list," MacGyver said.

"I agree," Mike responded.

Later that day, Hammersley stopped at the island to restock. A man showed up and told them to leave. Madeline told Mike and Kate who he was. He walked off Hammersley, got into his car, and left.

An hour later, Hammersley left port and headed home. Once underway, MacGyver saw the guy from the island. She followed him, and then she tackled him to the ground. A couple of the crew heard a noise and went to check it out; when they saw what was happening, they helped MacGyver pick him up and take him down to austere.

"Go and get the Captain and Swain. JJ, you stay here; I'm going to talk to our stow away." MacGyver orders.

"Let me out! You can't hold me here!" the stowaway bellows.

"Yes, we can since you stowed away on a Navy ship. Now… tell me, Sir, why are you here? Who are you here to kill?"

"That woman."

"Which woman would that be?" MacGyver asks.

"Cruise."

"Madeline Cruise? How do you know her?"

"I'm not saying a thing," he responds as he walks back and forth.

"She double-crossed you, didn't she, and now you want to get revenge for whatever the deal was that failed"

"Not for me… for a man I know. She, as you said, double-crossed him."

"How? What did she do?"

"Not saying."

"Listen, mate, I have a good idea what sort of a person Madeline Cruise is. I've seen what she did and how she used people to get what she wanted. Now tell me please, Sir."

"She promised a man I know she would kill the one that killed his son."

"Who is the man?"

" He is from Afghanistan."

"What kind of 'deal' did she make?"

"Cases…"

"Cases of what? Semtex, weapons?"

"No, and no more questions."

"Just one more. " The door opens; Mike and Dutchy walk In.

"No, I'm not answering any more questions," he said.

"These cases, on a scale from one to ten, one Is…. Grenades." He stops and turns to MacGyver. "Two of the ten worst things that could happen If the deal goes through," shaking his head.

"Sir, with the man's son, does he have the bullet that kills him?"

"Yes."

"Does he know what sort of bullet it is?"

"It came from a nine mill."

"When was the killing?"

"Two thousand and seven."

"In Afghanistan?"

"Yes."

"Who did Madeline Cruise tell him that killed his son?"

"I don't know his real name, but she said his name is… MacGyver."

Shocked, MacGyver looked at Dutchy and Mike.

"You know him?" he asked when he saw the looks on their faces.

"I do know MacGyver, and I can tell you this. MacGyver was over in Irag in two thousand and two. And Macgyver has been serving on patrol boats out of Cairns since two thousand and six. Is that right, Sir?"

"She's right. MacGyver served with me on the old Hammersley for over a year until its decommission at the end of two thousand and seven."

"I wouldn't trust anything Madeline says. She used people, and she used us. She used the SAS to get what she wanted," Dutchy said.

"She's even had some of us on the anti-terrorist websites just an hour or so before the deal, or whatever went down hoping that we would be killed because she knows that we were on to her. Now she's playing both sides, and she is sitting back and letting everyone else do her dirty work for her," MacGyver said.

"She's fooled us all."

"Yes," Mike said.

"Sir, if I get you a prepaid phone, could you call the man and see if he can find a way to get the bullet to me? I can give it to a friend who owes me a favour and see if he can get a match to the bullet from the gun. Then I'll know the gun owner and get the name of the man's son's killer. In exchange, I'll know what the cases are"

He thought about it. "alright."

"I'll get a phone now that we are in cell phone range," MacGyver told them.

Macgyver walked out then, rushed up to her cabin, then returned to austere. She passed the phone to the man.

"If he sent It by courier, sent It to Hammersley, use my name, Chief Petty Officer Roth."

He made the call.

"Someone will give it to you when your ship docks tomorrow," Passing the phone back to Macgyver.

"Thank you. Can you tell me the number of cases?"

"Ten."

"Thank you. Are you hungry?"

"Yes I' am a little hungry."

"I'll bring something down for you."

"You cook?"

"I'm the ship's chef."

MacGyver went to the door and knocked. MacGyver and party walkout. Mike left strict instructions to the guard before following the others upstairs.

Ten minutes later, MacGyver returned with food and drink for the man. "This Is good," he said as he took his first bite.

"Thank you. The man, his name Is Miahi, isn't It."

He stops eating and looks at her in shock.

"How did you know?"

"Cause Ms. Cruise is after him, saying that he's a terrorist."

"No, he's no terrorist. He's a businessman who lost everything because of war."

"He lost his family?"

"His wife and daughter were killed in a bombing in two thousand and five. His son was murdered two years later. A child saw a man walk up to him and spoke. He pulled out a gun, fired it into the boy's head, turned, and walked away. The boy was just sixteen years old. It happened right outside their home. Michi was inside when it happened."

"I know what it's like losing family. I lost my parents at a young age, younger than Michi's son. I've got no other family besides my husband."

"Were they murdered?"

"Mother died from cancer, my father a heart attack."

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

He finished his meal and passed the tray back to her. "Thank you."

"Your welcome" MacGyver turned, walked out of austere, and returned to the galley to clean up.

The next day they were two hours from homeport when MacGyver walked down to austere tray in hand. She found the guard on the ground unconscious. Putting the tray down, she went over to the door. She could she hear voices.

Picking up the guard's headset, she called the bridge.

"Sir, we've got a hostile situation In austere. Send Swain, I found the guard unconscious. Cruise knows about our stow away."

"We're on our way," Mike responded.

Taking off the headset, she walked to the door and opened it quickly and quietly. She poked her head in and saw Madeline Cruise holding a gun on the man. She entered quietly. Madeline was demanding answers. MacGyver tapped her shoulder.

"What?" As she turned around, all she saw was a fist In her face.

She went down but still held the gun in her hand. She raised it up to the man. MacGyver got in between them when everyone heard a bang. Mike, Swain, and Dutchy ran down the stairs and into the austere with their guns raised.

"Put the weapon down!"

"He shot her!" Madeline said.

"No, she shot her, not me; she saved my life." He put the gun down then rasied his hands.

Swain ran over to check on MacGyver, who was on the floor. He checked her shoulder wound when she opened her eyes. "MacGyver… lie still."

"What? You're Macgyver?!" He said with shock.

"Yes, I am, Sir," she said in pain.

"What happened?" Mike asked.

"I hit Ms. Cruise; she was going to shoot him. I got In between them so she couldn't shoot him. I turned around to face her and told her to put the gun down. She said "no," then shot me."

"Were you armed?" Mike asked.

"No, no, Sir."

"Ms. Cruise, you've got a lot to answer for. Get them out of here," Mike said.

"Sir, I need a minute with him, please."

"Alright." Dutchy took Madeline out of the room.