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The light was fading outside but the ambience of the hotel was still breathtaking. Killian was lounging on a small terrace that faced a lap pool overlooking the ocean. His eyes were shut and his drink rested on a rounded side table.

Emma moved to the seat opposite him and silently sat, her questions remaining unspoken. Her hands nervously fingered her glass before she took a big swig. Her throat burned for a moment but it did seem to calm her.

"Out with it," Killian's voice permeated the silence but he still hadn't opened his eyes. Emma found it unnerving that he could read her so easily and with his bloody eyes closed.

"What happened?" It was a simple question to ask but the meaning behind it was so much more. She was asking him to divulge things that weren't even officially on record. Things that he kept private and had never shared before.

Killian's eyes cracked open and he sat up gracefully before quickly downing the rest of his drink, wincing slightly at the burning sensation.

"Corsair's was not always the crown jewel of shipping companies. My father was more interested in the bottom line and sleeping around than he was in safety or maintenance." Killian's words were bitter and Emma could tell that there was no love lost between father and son.

"When I was 15 he sent me to 'learn' about the way things were done. I worked my way around the shipping fleet, learning all of the various jobs. I loved being out at sea but I did struggle at the beginning!"

Emma could hear the passion in Killian's voice but his eyes were stormy, "I befriended a slightly older boy who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes."

"Liam." Emma deduced using the information he had also given her in the car.

Killian nodded, "My father got wind of our comradery and promptly shipped Liam off to the Middle East/Africa trading routes. I was furious and refused to have anything to do with him."

Emma frowned, unsure of the significance. Why would he separate the brothers? Killian noted her silence and shuffled forward on his chair, closer to her.

"You're smart Swan...I'm sure you'll put two and two together." He swung himself up and strode back inside but not before throwing over his shoulder, "Early start tomorrow."

Emma stayed outside staring at the ocean, she had may things to process. Killian had been opening up to her before suddenly deciding to retreat. Was he was playing games with her? All she knew was that she was still missing parts of the puzzle.


The car flew down the freeway and into the city of Durban. Killian had been quick to give her directions this morning before becoming noticeably quiet the entire drive. Emma took the chance to take in the scenery and was pleasantly surprised by what Durban appeared to offer.

The car slowed as they approached 'The Golden Mile', Durban's most famous stretch of beach front. In some ways it reminded Emma of Los Angeles and its beautiful sunny weather and surfing beaches.

It wasn't long before the car stopped at a set of security gates. Killian lowered his window and passed security tags to the guard. He checked his clipboard and then proceeded to wave the car through. Emma had spent many a case either at docks or shipping yards, but each one was different and it was important to note all of the features. The security was adequate but she thought there should be further examination of incoming cars and passengers.

The car crossed several railway tracks and passed long lines of containers before reaching a building emblazoned with the Corsair Corporations logo. There were security guards posted not only at the doors but patrolling the areas around the building.

Killian punched in a series of numbers and the outer doors to the building opened. Emma followed closely behind him, noting that Robin and 2 other thickset men trailed behind. Killian greeted each of the staff he encountered with a brilliant smile and brief hello. Emma was a tad put out because he had been less than friendly with her this morning.

'Focus.' She reminded herself sternly. Access to records was her primary goal today and she would not let insignificant things derail her.

Killian swiped his security tag into a slot beside a sturdy metal door. The light blinked green and he held the door open, ushering her to enter before him. Emma found herself standing in a large record room, a mixture of rustic filing cabinets and blinking computer mainframes. She had hit the pay dirt, if only she could get the chance to rifle through the documents she may find something that would point her in the right direction or implicate the culprit.

"You wanna fill me in on what's going on?" Emma finally broke the silence that had been suffocating them for hours.

"This needs to stay strictly between us." Killian warned her before moving over to a large computer screen mounted on the wall. He proceeded to bring up the schematics for what appeared to be a large cargo vessel.

"This is the 'Jewel of the Realm'; it is one of my biggest container vessels. It seems to have been the victim of engine sabotage." Killian told her as he zoomed in on one of the areas of the ship.

"Sabotage is a big call to make," Emma stated, peering closer at the schematics.

Killian gave a smile as if enjoying her interest "To most people it would appear to be a small and innocent engine fire in one of the diesel generators."

"And to you?" Emma prodded him, extremely interested in this new information. Could this be somehow related to her own case?

"The fire caused limited damage but was enough to set the crew into their Emergency plan."

"Emergency Plan?" Emma questioned.

"Each of my ships that travel the Africa route has strict security measures for when there is an emergency. For engine shutdowns they must retreat to a specially retrofitted safe room where they can monitor the situation and make appropriate decisions." Killian finished explaining to Emma.

"You think someone wanted the crew out of the way?" Emma furrowed her brows in concentration.

Killian threw his hands into the air in frustration, "I don't think Swan...I know!"

"The fire started because some simple screws were loosened."

"What could they have possibly wanted?" Emma asked Killian curiously.

"The cargo is left unattended during these situations. I would rather lose cargo then crew." Emma could hear the conviction in Killian's tone and started to doubt that this man could be responsible for shipping weapons that could maim or kill others.

"We have had issues in the past with Militia groups attaching hidden crates to the ships kiel. It can be a problem but one that we can routinely check for."

"Was anything missing?" Emma enquired, moving to the touch screen to see if she could bring up the manifests. The computer was not co-operating and she muttered several choice words under her breathe before slapping her hand against the screen.

"Here," A hand reached out and brushed over her shoulder to touch the screen. A shudder ripped through her and she turned her head to look behind her. Killian's face was right behind her and his warm breath fanned her face. She ignored the dilating of his pupils and turned back to the screen.

He brought the manifests up onto the screen for her to peruse. Emma was finding it difficult to concentrate on them as she could feel the heat from Killian's body behind her. She found herself swaying backwards slightly until she swore she could feel him.

They remained in silence for several minutes, neither moving. It was only when there was a discrete knock on the door that Killian took a step back and cleared his throat.

He awkwardly pointed to the door, "That's Robin. We are going to inspect the Jewel for ourselves."

"I need you to stay here and work through the manifests. If you need to go back through past manifests they are all on these mainframes. Reports from any searches should also be logged." Killian told her. Emma gave him a large smile; there would be no need to rummage through the files illicitly. He had essentially given her carte blanche to look through the files.

Killian gave her a quick nod and left Emma to get to work.


3 coffees, 2 sandwiches and a pastry later; Emma felt that she was making headway. She had been cross checking previous manifests for the 'Jewel of the Realm' dating back at least 6 months. She reviewed the loading, on board and then the arrival documents to see if they all matched. So far the only consistent discrepancy was some fudging on the arrival documents for several different technology companies. Someone had tried really hard to cover the fact that the cargo was shipping with more goods than it was arriving with.

David would be elated with her breakthrough; there may be something behind his claims.

There had also been several reports from specialist divers that had intercepted concealed crates attached near the bow thruster. The crates did contain small amounts of weaponry and on several occasions drugs. The reports had been filed with the appropriate authorities and Corsair's had done everything possible to appear transparent.

Emma clicked print on the relevant documents. She would need to show Killian what she had found. Quickly making her way out of the secure room she found it was quite noisy in the main part of the building but it didn't take long for her to find the printing room.

Emma stood and watched as the paper was spat from the printer. Her brain was spinning on several pieces of information. More doubt about Killian's guilt was seeping into her brain. The more she got to know him and his past the more clouded her judgment was becoming. Would a guilty man have her research his crime?

Emma was still thinking about Killian when she heard the door swing open. Before she even had a chance to turn around, something heavy hit her head and her world went black.

To Be Continued