THE CRIME
(PLAY)
NINA
Former acclaimed investigative journalist; currently in corporate communications.
(And hates herself for it.)
Left her family, and the south, as a teenager. Black sheep.
Ray reached out to her. She never called him back. Guilt.
Once upon a time, he was the only person she could trust.
Misses the ‘beat.’ This is a return to form.
Half empty to Davis’ half-full. She’s True North, He’s Down South.
Never takes no for an answer.
In searching for Ray’s answers, she finds her own.
“the river floods these places. Floods is the word they use, but in fact it’s remembering. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back
to where it was.”Toni Morrison
OVERVIEW
Davis Quinn, a fearless but neurologically scarred MSST Coast Guard operative is thrown into a personal and political conspiracy when his childhood friend Ray is found dead in the Mississippi, staged as a suicide.
With Ray’s estranged sister Nina —a sharp New Yorker with a suitcase of buried guilt— Davis uncovers breadcrumbs Ray left behind...leading to a second body.
Clues point toward a government cover-up, rogue cargo pirates, and manipulated AI river data tied to a national-security threat. Standing in their way is Captain Reid Garrison, Davis’ former CO turned Homeland Security power player.
As Davis’ custody battle, reputation, and team collapse under mounting pressure, the investigation races toward a catastrophic levee failure engineered by a criminal who holds hostage the only information that could stop it.
In the end, the truth is carried by the river itself — a living artery that feeds America and refuses to keep anyone’s secrets buried for long...
THE SETUP
The Body: Ray Gentry—former Army, barge diver, Davis' childhood friend—is found dead in a van that plunged into the Mississippi. Suicide note. Alcohol and opioids in his system. Open and shut.
But: Davis doesn't buy it. Ray would never kill himself. When Ray's sister, Nina, arrives from New York demanding answers, they form an unlikely investigative partnership—instinct meeting analysis.
The Autopsy Revisit: Their breadcrumbs force a second look: Ray was drowned 12 hours before the crash. The drugs weren't ingested—they were introduced post-mortem. This was murder, staged as suicide.
The WTF: Who had the resources, expertise, and motive to pull this off? And why?
PEELING THE ONION
Layer One: The Second Body
Following Ray's breadcrumbs—left for Davis and Nina?—to a hidden military underwater hide spot.
Inside, a dead body. Cassidy Stroud, 20s, tech sector employee. New theory: Ray was obsessed with Cassidy, murdered her, then killed himself out of guilt.
Case closed.
Not quite.
Layer TWO:
CORPORATE
CONSPIRACY?
What did she know? Cassidy worked for a Palantir-like AI firm building a "digital twin" of the Mississippi River—a predictive model used by the Army Corps of Engineers to control locks, levees, and $500 billion in annual commerce.
What did Ray discover? What were they about to blow the whistle on?
Clues point to buried data, manipulated simulations, corporate cover-ups. Echoes of Katrina.
Layer Three: Cargo Pirates
The investigation leads to a renegade crew of river outlaws stealing high-value cargo from commercial barges. Their leader, Silas, is not to be trifled with; and he seems to enjoy going head to head with Davis. They're sophisticated, former military, and they've been tracking Davis’ family.
The Realization: Night raid, our MSST finds stolen goods dumped into the murky depths of the River. Why steal tens of thousands of dollars of cargo to just dump it?
Nina puts it together. The thefts aren’t about profit. They’re market manipulation—a pump-and-dump for commodities. These ‘hillbillies’ are making hundreds of thousands in futures trading.
And yet, Silas and his crew are but pawns in a larger game. Hired muscle and little more.
Layer FOUR:
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Geopolitical Threat?
Nina uncovers offshore shell entities tied to foreign actors. The river data isn't just being sold for profit—it's being weaponized. A silent attack on American infrastructure?
How did we miss this? Cassidy’s real backstory surfaces—she heralds from trailer park con artists, faked credentials, clawed her way into a high-stakes job. She was in on it, playing Ray. And Silas knew all about it.
But had Cassidy found something in the data that could cost thousands of lives? Was she having second thoughts?
Second thoughts land you in the River.
ESCALATING STAKES
Davis’ team under investigation. His boss could lose her job. His hypoxia—now revealed—makes him look unstable, if not complicit.
Noah's safety is threatened when the killer targets his family.
MSST mates risks job security, pasts catching up. (Sam’s pregnancy; Weston’s familial ties; Hawk’s less-than-Christian ways.)
Do they still trust Davis to see them through?
Nina came for answers. She's discovering many about herself. But before she can make amends, she’s in villain crosshairs.
A storm is brewing in the Gulf. The digital twin has predicted a levee will fail, but the data has been deleted, held hostage by the villain at large. Which town floods? How many die?
THE VILLAINS
(AND RED Herrings)
Captain Reid Garrison (Homeland Security)
Davis' former commanding officer. The man who left him behind. Now dating Davis' ex-wife-to-be, Maggie. Reid wants this investigation buried—not because he's the killer, but because exposure threatens his political career. And, he’s got his hands in various contractor—future donor—pies.
The Corporation (and the players within)
Slick executives. Plausible deniability. Internal memos about
acceptable risk. They ignored warnings, buried security concerns.
Silas and His Crew
Dangerous. Ruthless. Paid to intimidate, plant evidence and deter Davis. But pawns at the end of the day. And in a surprising turn, Silas and Davis become odd bedfellows in the end.
The True Mastermind
Someone in plain sight. Constructed the scheme with Cassidy—then killed her when she tried to stop it. Personal betrayal. A genius of brinksmanship. Motives stretching far beyond the Mississippi.
DEADWATER
(noun)
1. a complex hydrological phenomenon in which density differences create internal waves that dangerously impede progress
2. nautical term referring to water-related impediments — temperature, sediment, natural or unnatural manmade forces that create internal, life-threatening current patterns