Dane tilted his head back and let out a yell as the tail wind helped them cut through the waves. The way back wouldn’t be nearly as much fun, but he wouldn’t worry about that now.
As he drove, the three pulled on diving skins. Willow would be just about saying goodbye to Chloe at that time. Jacob’s parents were taking her to Busch Gardens before they headed north to their home. Willow took her mother to the cemetery this time. That was new. It was good, he decided. Yes.
A pod of dolphins swam with them portside. He spotted a marlin fin farther inland. There was no place better than this.
“So, we know,” Dane yelled over the engine and the wind. “There will be no treasure in this crevasse, but I want us to be vigilant with our surroundings anyway. Treasure hunters are not the safest types, and those who are can flip as soon as they think they’re close to a score. Word’s gotten around about this. We don’t know what, exactly, those words include.”
Liam shook his head. “Always the treasure hunter at heart, ma—, du—, Dane.”
Dane laughed as he wrapped both arms around Zoe. “Babe, we haven’t been diving without a tour group in too long.”
“I think I should partner with my dad,” she said.
“What?” Dane said. “I mean, of course.”
Liam would have preferred Henry, but he couldn’t say that now. Had Henry been in Seth’s crevasse before today? It didn’t feel right to ask about that either.
“Three hundred yards northeast.” Zoe pointed. “There.”
Ahead, crowds of tourists poured onto St. Pete’s beach, claiming their spots until the slightest of drizzles chased them away. By tomorrow night, the only tourist on the beach would be Ernest. Evacuations hadn’t been called yet, but that was only a matter of time.
The Clearwater family all resided in ground-level homes. Dane, too. Liam’s apartment was one of four in a building with stilts and became their place of refuge, if Ernest decided to turn into a hurricane.
“This is good right here,” Zoe yelled.
Liam let up on the throttle, then brought the boat to a stop. Dane tossed the anchor overboard.
Liam couldn’t help himself. “This here is some earnest wind.”
“Oh my gosh.” Zoe hit him again.
Dane froze. “Dude. Shut. Up.”
Henry held out a fist for Liam to bump.
Their hair flipped around in the wind as they finished with their gear. “One long and two shorts if it comes to that,” he said. “We follow Zoe.”
She stood in full gear with her mouthpiece dangling by her chin. “With this choppy water, the opening won’t be visible. Trust me. I know where I’m going.” She stuck the mouthpiece in place and walked off the end of the swim step like a soldier and vanished.
Henry waited for her to dive a safe distance away from the entry point, then saluted and did the same.
Dane looked out all sides of the boat. “Not now, but after I jump, I want you to look at your 3 o’clock. Who rents a boat in this weather?” Like a kid, Dane sat on the swim step and fell sideways.
Glancing over the boat like he was waiting for his turn to jump, he lifted his eyes to the rental. Bright yellow. That meant Yo-Yo Rentals. He jumped feet first, piked, and threw his legs straight up and let his weight give him a good push downward.
This was home. Up there, it could rain, and people could visit cemeteries or go to their jobs. This was island life for Liam.
He caught up to Dane, who kept about ten yards between him and the Zoe/Henry team. They passed the cavern the girls liked to call the palm tree cavern. He craned his head at it. If you asked him, it looked like a rock star with eighties hair.
Underwater wildlife took cover behind the rocks, in the plant life, and the caverns they passed. They knew what was coming. He wondered if they watched in confusion at this group of humans who swam in the open as a storm brewed. The humans swam close enough to the smaller caverns along the peninsula wall that Liam reached out and brushed his fingers along each like one of his high school students running a hand along the lockers between classes.
Zoe took a sudden vertical dive toward a dark blue shadow. His heartbeat picked up, and he stopped to tread water and watch. She held up a finger, then pointed. There was nothing there. Mapping was her thing as much as physics was his, but the scientist in him saw nothing. She said to trust her, so he did and swam close enough that their elbows touched.
The three men waited as Zoe inched her way to the deep blue line of nothing. From within the churning particles, a row of jagged teeth jutted out.
Instinctively, Liam put his arms in front of Dane and Henry as if he might be protecting one of his high school students from flying through a windshield. Dane grabbed Liam’s wrist and shoved it away.
Dane swam toward Zoe as two yellow eyes appeared. Moray Eel. Zoe stood her ground. At that moment, she definitely won coolest person of the day award. Even Dane paused at the sight.
It slithered out and darted directly to Zoe. She held out a hand, and the thing put his head under it, swimming along like a golden retriever copping a feel on his way around her. Much like Zoe had done, the thing took a quick vertical turn and disappeared somewhere below.
He realized he was breathing too hard for scuba diving and closed his eyes long enough to regain a slow pace. She went first, vanishing into the nothing until only her calves dangled out of the invisible opening. Her flippers turned in two full circles, the beam from her flashlight showing around them.
She spent a solid few minutes checking it out. He, Dane, and Henry didn’t use the waiting time to explore the wildlife, rocks, or plant life. They each kicked their fins enough to keep their places as they eagerly faced the direction of the hidden crevasse. Liam would be a liar if he didn’t admit that he kept a watchful eye in the direction of the disappearing eel.
She emerged. Henry turned to face Liam. Liam pointed a finger toward the crevasse. It was only right for Henry to be next.
Dane and Zoe circled each other, then he pulled her toward a nearby cluster of rocks. Liam watched for Henry as a cloud of black ink exploded near his friends, followed by a small octopus that darted from the rock cluster. It swam away from the two of them and right in front of Liam. He followed it with his eyes as it raced away from the human intruders back the way they’d come.
A diver. Male. Not fifty yards from them. He faced them with his arms out as he treaded water.
With a diving knife gripped in his hand, Dane swam next to Liam.
Where was the diver’s partner? Liam did a 360. Did the man have a diving buddy? They made a circle, the three of them, back-to-back. A hand landed on Liam’s shoulder. He grabbed it and jerked himself around. It was Henry.
He nodded, then turned back in the direction of the diver. Nothing. He was gone as fast as he’d appeared. Or was he?
Dane’s expression was dead. He pointed to Liam, then to the crevasse.
Shaking his head, Liam copied the gesture for Dane to go next.
Pushing Liam, Dane shook his head again. Liam didn’t argue this time. He leaned forward and swam to the crevasse. The opening was barely big enough for him and his tank. Flipping on his flashlight, he saw why Zoe called it a baseball cap. It made a lot more sense than the palm tree cavern.
No signs of life of the plant or the animal variety. He shined his flashlight near his hand as he ran it along the bumpy gray walls. Over the deep crack that must have held the knife. Over the four smaller divots that may or may not have been used to secure a netting full of drugs, gear, or Luciana Bezan’s treasure. A chill ran through him. He may not be claustrophobic, but he cut his turn short and pushed himself out anyway.
Dane’s turn. He took the knife and gripped it in his hand. He seemed to be considering, looking at the knife, all around him, then to the crevasse. Curiosity must have won out, because he nodded and disappeared into the wet uncharted.
Pulling her smart car into the Beachfront parking spot meant for electric cars, Willow turned to her mother. “I’ll be by before the dinner rush is over. I promised—” She decided against telling her mother she had agreed to attend a Chief Roberts interrogation. “—Matt I would stop by.”
Her mother set a hand on top of Willow’s as it rested on the steering wheel. “Don’t spread yourself too thin, dear. Today was a lot.”
“I feel oddly energized.” She grinned at her mother. It was sincere. “Thank you for…for everything. I love you so much.”
Her mother opened the door. “I miss Chloe already.”
“Me, too,” Willow said. “Three more days.”
She waited for her mother to disappear through the drizzle into the employee entrance of the restaurant before she pulled away.
Expecting to be a little shaky, she held her phone in both hands. Waiting for it to come was fruitless, because they didn’t shake. Texting wasn’t juvenile, she told herself. This was important, and he was diving. Probably. She covered her mouth with one hand and used her thumb to press the message feature on her phone.
i need to talk to you
There. She sent it. Now, he would get back to her when he could and—
He answered so fast, she almost dropped her vibrating phone.
Is everything okay?
She didn’t have time to think of what to say when he texted again.
Is it Luciana’s?
Liam and his text punctuation. She sat alone in her car and smiled like a teenager.
Chloe?
Did she never contact him about anything else? Hurrying before he called 9-1-1, she texted him back.
everything is great. just want to talk.
Want to. There. That was less cryptic. Or not.
I have a tutoring makeup class. Can I come by later?
She was due to check in at Luciana’s and close at the Beachfront that evening. Her mother was right. She had herself so busy. A heavy weight fell on her shoulders. Also, juvenile.
no worries. will catch up with you soon
Laying her forehead on the steering wheel, she closed her eyes. What was the hurry? There was no hurry.
She turned on the radio. She chose WIIN and listened to the storm update.
“Repeat. This is not a mandatory evacuation. As a precaution, it is recommended to sand bag any ground-level structures. This is not a mandatory evacuation. Sandbagging volunteers are still needed at the bay access bridge. Stay tuned for updates.”
As her car was not exactly one for flooded streets, it looked like it would have to nap for the weekend. She could call one of her sisters or Liam for rides. Liam. Definitely Liam. Something stirred inside of her that had been asleep for a long time.