The salt-laced wind off the Gulf of Paria whipped around the waterfront, smelling of diesel and brine. Johnny Jagessar pulled the collar of his faded hoodie higher, the fluorescent glare of the Port Authority lights painting harsh shadows under the jutting eaves of the storage structures. He stood next to Detective Ria Sankar, the humid air heavy with unspoken tension.
“The tip was solid, Detective. Ocelot print bodysuit. Barefoot. They stuffed her in one of these cans,” Johnny’s voice was low, tight, the sound scraping against the metallic clang of distant machinery. His eyes scanned the towering grid of shipping containers, a labyrinth of steel boxes stacked three high.
Ria didn’t flinch at the urgency in his tone. She wore a simple dark polo and tactical trousers, blending into the industrial backdrop while radiating an intense focus. She didn't have to ask who he thought the woman was. Jackie Jagessar, the elegant, fiercely private businesswoman, had vanished four days ago, leaving behind only the ghost of the legendary vigilante, Tiger Cat.
“They wouldn’t use a refrigerated unit. Too much risk of discovery. It’s gotta be standard dry storage, mid-level,” Ria murmured, her gaze tracing the sequential numbering on the containers. She knew the pattern of these operations: quick in, quicker out, exploiting the chaos
“It has to be her, Ria. That suit, the bare feet... it’s her signature,” Johnny insisted, his hand flexing at his side. He didn't use the name Tiger Cat aloud, not here, not now. But the fear for his mother, the woman who was both society darling and mythic justice, was a palpable weight in the air.
“Your mother is meticulous, Johnny. She wouldn’t get caught like this unless they hit her with something heavy. Or unless she was distracted,” Ria pointed out, her intuition already running ahead of the facts.
TIGER KITTEN- Test of a trini teen heroine-04:http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery3/index.php/Mitru/Tiger-Kitten/TESTS-OF-A-TRINI-TEEN-HEROINE
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