Chapter 5 - The Rigged Line
Wind struck them immediately.
The ocean rolled gray beyond the rail. Water shone across the steel deck. The crane arm groaned overhead as its cable pulled unevenly against a suspended equipment frame.
Miller stood near the manual-control housing.
One hand was inside an open access panel.
Evelyn saw the bypass line.
It had been installed to override an automatic emergency stop.
“Miller!”
He turned.
For half a second, guilt crossed his face.
Then anger covered it.
“You again?”
He slammed the panel shut and moved toward her.
“Get below deck.”
Evelyn stepped between him and the control box.
“The cutoff was bypassed.”
“You don’t know what you’re looking at.”
“The secondary brake line has been disconnected, and the pressure alarm was delayed.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That’s classified equipment.”
“No,” she said. “It’s evidence.”
Miller grabbed her shoulder and tried to force her aside.
Evelyn pivoted with the movement rather than resisting it. His boots slipped on the wet deck. She controlled his wrist, turned beneath his arm, and brought him down without striking his head.
Brody and security personnel emerged through the hatch just as Miller hit the deck.
Evelyn secured his arm.
“Get her off me!”
The crane cable strained above them.
Evelyn looked toward it.
“That crane line is rigged to fail.”
Brody’s eyes moved from the control panel to Miller’s face.
He finally understood why Miller had run toward the malfunction before his station was called.
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He was not responding to the emergency.
He was trying to finish it.
