“I know.” Her voice was quieter now, and Bert heard the frustration beneath the words. “I just hate feeling helpless when someone might be getting hurt.”
“You’re not helpless. You identified a potential threat, you’re gathering information, and you’re calling in resources. That’s exactly what you should be doing.” Bert checked his watch. It was five thirty in the morning. “I’m heading to the compound now. I’ll call Logan and Sadie on the way. We’ll have information for you as soon as we can dig it up.”
“Thank you.” Mary’s relief was palpable. “I knew you’d take this seriously. Colin might be exactly what he appears to be… just a concerned nephew. But something feels wrong, and I can’t ignore that.”
“Your instincts are good… trust them. And if he’s clean, then you can enjoy the rest of your trip.” Bert grabbed his keys and headed for the door. “Text me periodically so I know you’re okay.”
“I will. Thank you, Bert. For believing me, for taking this seriously, for being someone I can rely on.”
“Always,” Bert said, meaning it more than she could possibly know. “I’ll call you as soon as we have something.” He disconnected and immediately called Logan as he climbed into his truck.
His boss answered on the second ring, his voice alert despite the early hour. “Bert? Everything okay?”
“Mary called. She’s fine, but she’s identified a potential threat situation on the cruise.” Bert backed out of his driveway and headed toward the compound, filling Logan in on the details as he drove. “I need Sadie to run a deep background check on someone named Colin Morrison, Canadian, late thirties or early forties, likely from the Halifax area.”
“I’m heading out now. I’ll meet you at the compound.” Logan’s voice had shifted into mission mode. “Call Sadie and get her up to speed on the background check. And Bert? Mary’s got good instincts. If she thinks something’s wrong, it probably is.”
“I know. That’s what worries me.”
Bert disconnected and called Sadie next. She answered, but before he could speak, he heard her tell Todd to get her coffee in a travel mug. “Sorry,” she said, “but you calling this early can only mean we need to get to work now.”
He held her attention when he explained the situation, and had no doubt he was on speaker so that Todd could listen in as well.
“Give me thirty minutes, and I’ll have a preliminary workup. Full deep dive will take a few hours, but I can get you the basics fast,” Sadie said.
“We’re heading out in about five minutes,” Todd reassured.
Sadie jumped in before he could disconnect. “Text me everything Mary knows about this guy. Name, approximate age, location, anything else she’s observed. I’ll work while Todd drives.”
“Will do. Thanks, Sadie, Todd.” By the time Bert reached the compound, lights were already on in the main building. Logan’s truck was in the parking lot, and Sadie and Todd pulled in right behind him.
Bert walked in to find the operations center already humming with activity. Logan stood at the main console, coordinating. Sadie moved to her station, multiple screens lit up as she worked. Todd leaned against the wall with a cup of coffee, alert and ready. Cole, Cory, and Timothy walked in soon, clearly brought in by Logan for backup.
“Okay,” Logan said as Bert entered. “Bring everyone up to speed.”
Bert laid out everything Mary had told him, watching as the team processed the information with focused attention. These were people trained to identify threats, assess situations, and act decisively. And right now, they were focused on helping Mary.
“Sadie, what have you got?” Logan asked.
Sadie’s fingers flew across her keyboard, pulling up information on the main screen. “Colin Morrison, age thirty-seven, born in Montreal but grew up primarily in Toronto. Parents were Michael and Catherine Morrison, both killed in a small plane crash fifteen years ago. Michael was a pilot, owned his own plane, and died when it went down in bad weather over Lake Ontario.”
She pulled up a photo from a newspaper article at the time of the death announcement, showing Colin and his parents smiling at the camera. The paper mentioned that the photo was taken just a few weeks before his parents were killed. Bert looked at a handsome man with dark hair and an easy smile. The kind of man who would be charming and trustworthy-looking, exactly the type who could manipulate an elderly aunt without raising suspicions.
“After his parents died, Colin completed college and moved back to Toronto.” After a few more clicks on her keyboard, Sadie continued. “He lived in Toronto, working in finance. Mid-level position at an investment firm, nothing spectacular. According to social media and public records, he started living with or near his aunt Diane about three and a half years ago.”
“Diane Sutherland?” Logan asked.
“Diane Margaret Sutherland, age sixty-four, widow of Robert Sutherland, who died a little less than four years ago. Old shipping family money… very old. Robert’s family owned one of the major shipping companies in Nova Scotia until they sold it in the 1980s. Her current net worth is approximately thirty-two million dollars, most of it in investments and real estate.”
Todd whistled low. “That’s a lot of motivation for someone to want control of.”
“Keep going,” Bert said, his stomach tight with growing concern.
“Diane and Robert had no children. Colin is her closest living relative… the son of her sister, Catherine.” Sadie pulled up more documents. “Here are some financial documents, but it will take a while for me to go through these to see if there are any concerns.”
“Can you tell who the beneficiaries are now?” Bert asked, though he already suspected the answer.
“Colin Morrison on everything. He’s also been added as a joint owner on most of her bank accounts, which means he has legal access to all her funds.”