A CRY FROM THE DEEP by Unknown Read Free Book Online Page A

his hands on his stomach. “Let’s have it.”
    When she finished telling him her firsthand impressions, Frank said, “Okay, so he’s a prick. We expected as much.”
    “True, but—”
    “Before you say anything more, I want you to know I’m prepared to feature this dive on the cover. Time and Newsweek will probably publish excerpts.”
    “There you go again. Jumping ahead before the ink is on the page.”
    Frank sighed. “Catherine, you know it’s a fantastic assignment.”
    He was right. What could be more exciting than covering the discovery of a Spanish galleon, one the world didn’t even know existed? That should’ve been enough to hook her, but Frank was smart enough to know that by suggesting some possible wrongdoing, she’d have trouble turning her back on his proposal. In the past, they’d had many discussions about pollution and how impossible it was to stop the various assaults on the planet’s waterways. It wasn’t that long ago she’d dissolved in tears while watching a newscast flash photos of pelicans covered with oil as a result of an rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This wasn’t oil, but it was greed of another kind.
    Still, she wavered. “I know it’s fantastic, but I have to think of Alex.”
    Frank crooked his head to the side and gave her an incredulous look. “C’mon, Catherine. You know Alex will be fine. She’ll have her father. It’ll give him a chance to make up for the time he’s been away from her.”
    He was making it sound so simple. He didn’t know the butterflies in her stomach. No, they weren’t butterflies; they were more like screeching bats. “It’s not that. I wish it was. It’s … God, Frank. I don’t know if I can do another dive without hyperventilating.”
    Frank’s brown eyes softened. “You got spooked. It happens to the best. Don’t think I haven’t thought about how hard it’s going to be for you to re-enter the field. In fact, I’ve already talked to someone who can help. Maybe you know him. Daniel Costello.”
    “Doesn’t ring a bell.”
    “He’s a nautical archaeologist. He may as well be an underwater psychologist, since he’s helped a number of divers recover their nerve. I’ve told him about you. He’s anxious to meet you.” Frank looked at his watch. “He’s across the street right now, doing a presentation at the Museum of Natural History.”
    She cocked her head. “You devil. So that’s why you wanted to meet here.” She smiled and then gave him an annoyed look. “I promised myself I wouldn’t be roped into anything.”
    “Just meet him.”
    Just meet him . Trust Frank to work all the angles . “I hope he has a lot of patience.”
    They took a break from business and ordered lunch along with a glass of merlot. Frank had the rigatoni and Catherine selected the shaved zucchini and grilled chicken salad. This was one perk she’d missed since giving up her profession – dining on someone else’s expense account.
    Between mouthfuls, they caught up on the more personal details of their lives. Frank had had a bypass and was slowing down, but he hoped to end his career on a high, which was why he was pushing to have her on the project. He was still married to Nona, even though she’d threatened to leave him if he returned to work after his heart surgery.
    “I thought Nona was fed up with your hours.”
    “She was, but I wasn’t any good at home. I was getting depressed. Maybe I should’ve taken up farming like you.”
    Catherine laughed. “I can’t see you as a farmer.”
    “Neither can I.” He took a sip of wine. “Now, what about you? How has an attractive woman like you managed to keep the wolves at bay?”
    First Richard, and now Frank. She’d never considered herself attractive, but she knew she had something. Her hazel eyes and long, wavy auburn hair set off a face that her friend Lindsey described as ethereal. “Thanks for the compliment, but pickings are slim over there. I even joined a local reading