Sunken Shadows

by Kathleen Brooks

  “Would you mind if we go now? I’m not hungry or tired anymore. I don’t think I’ll be able to rest until I find what I am looking for and have a court order in hand.” Darcy looked at the clock. It was after six in the evening already. Just over fourteen hours and the courthouse would be open.

  “No problem. I have energy bars on the boat that we can eat before we dive.”

  “You don’t have to dive,” Darcy insisted.

  “I’m not letting you go down there alone. End of discussion.”

  “You can’t end a discussion you don’t have a right to be in,” Darcy said as Harper set a duffle bag on the bar top.

  “Don’t waste your breath. My brother and cousins never listen when we girls tell them to butt out. Just ignore them and do your thing. Do you need any help? I close up early on Sundays.”

  “Wouldn’t hurt to have a lookout,” Wade suggested, but Harper was looking to Darcy for an answer and Darcy really appreciated that.

  “Wade is right,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “A lookout would be good, but I don’t want to wait. I can give you the coordinates, and you can meet us after you’ve closed.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you around ten. Will you still be out there by then?”

  “Yes. It’ll take a little while for me to get everything together. You don’t happen to have a wetsuit in there, do you?” Darcy asked. The need to get underwater was almost overwhelming.

  “Wade, watch the bar for a second, and I’ll take Darcy to my house and grab more things. I only stay upstairs if it’s been a super late night, so the clothing selection I have to offer you is pretty sparse.”

  “Great, thanks,” Darcy said, giving Wade a smile as she moved to leave. She figured if they hurried out, he’d be stuck watching the bar.

  Harper was already around the bar and leading Darcy out the back door before Wade could protest too loudly. “Now that we’re alone, you can tell me what’s really going on with my cousin.”

  “What? Nothing.” Darcy’s voice cracked and she was suddenly interested in the sandy grass under her feet as they moved through a gate in the back fence.

  “Right. He’s only taking a leave from work to help you out and nothing is going on,” Harper said sarcastically.

  “It’s just that I have a lot on my mind right now, and no matter how attractive he is . . . who’s that?” Darcy asked quietly as they approached a house.

  “My other cousin, Ridge. He’s a builder and is building a new front porch for me. He’s single, too.” Harper winked at her.

  “No thanks. Wade is—” Darcy cut off what she was going to say and Harper just laughed.

  “Ridge, meet Wade’s girl, Darcy.”

  “Wade has a girl? When did that happen?” Ridge was the same height as Wade, only he had slightly lighter green eyes. His brown hair was short, and he wore jeans and a tight white T-shirt that was covered in wood shavings.

  “Darcy Delmar, this is Ridge Faulkner,” Harper said, introducing them. “And it happened last night when he thought she murdered someone. Don’t worry, she didn’t do it.”

  Darcy didn’t know whether to love or hate Harper as Ridge just looked at her and then shrugged. “Nice to meet you. After hearing Wade talk last night, I was afraid he’d bring home some boring girl to settle down with. Good thing I was wrong.”

  “What does that mean?” Darcy asked Harper as they made their way to her bedroom.

  “Oh, nothing. The guys were teasing Wade because he said he was ready for something serious. Wade is a really easy-going fun guy so they didn’t believe him. Tinsley and I did, though. Wade may be the fun one, but underneath it, he’s always the one who wanted a deeper connection with people. Underneath that party-guy attitude is someone who would rather be one-on-one and share things. His past girlfriends never shut up about how great he was.” Harper rolled her eyes and pulled out a wetsuit, a swimsuit, and a few basics before tossing them to her. “Are these okay?”

  “Perfect,” Darcy said as she put them in the duffle bag. And maybe Wade was too, but right now she couldn’t find out. Not when everything she’d been working on her whole life was within her grasp.

  It was still slightly light out when they dropped anchor near the location of the GPS beacon. Wade and Darcy looked around as if they thought someone was following them. “Do you think it’s safe to dive?” Darcy asked him.

  “We can wait until later if you’d like,” Wade suggested but felt better going down while they still had the setting sunlight to make it easier to see underwater. Not that it would help much in the murky water.

  “No, I want my claim. We’ll call Olivia and the detective as soon as I determine that this is it.”

  “Then let’s change. I’ll stay out here and keep watch,” Wade suggested as they climbed down from the bridge. Darcy went into the cabin, and Wade pulled off his T-shirt and stepped into his wetsuit. He left it hanging at the waist as he checked his scuba gear. He’d need to get more oxygen if they were to dive again the next day. Luckily, he had enough for the night.

  “I’m . . .” Darcy paused, and he saw her eyes linger on his bare chest, “ready.”

  If he didn’t get it together, he’d be ready too. He had to turn his eyes from her curves as he put his arms into the wetsuit and reached behind to zip it up.

  “Do you need help with your gear?” Wade asked as he equally hoped she’d say yes so he could touch her again and no because it might prove embarrassing if she looked any farther down than his chest.

  “I’ve got it.” Darcy paused. “Do you think we should arm ourselves in case they come back?”

  “Already got it covered,” Wade said as he strapped a knife to his forearm and another to his thigh. He finally turned around and saw that Darcy looked relieved that he was armed. “I’ve got your back. You do what you need to do.”

  “Okay then,” she said, grabbing an underwater bag they’d filled with tools, including a small hand-held metal detector they’d borrowed from Gator. “I’m ready.”

  Wade waited for Darcy to enter the water before locking his boat up tight and jumping in. He gave her a nod and she went under.

  * * *

  Darcy kept the flashlight on even though for the first little bit of the dive she didn’t need it. Wade swam close behind her and off to her side. She felt much safer with him diving with her. At the same time, it was hard for her to trust a stranger, and today she’d trusted many. Knowing exactly where the beacon was, Darcy swam straight to it. In the light of her flashlight, she saw her flag and relaxed a little. It was still there. She slowed next to the boat that was sticking butt up from the river floor. She reached into her bag for her equipment as Wade swam around the boat, checking it out.

  She flashed her light at him, and he came over to her. She handed him a paintbrush she’d borrowed from Ridge and showed him what she wanted him to do. Soon Wade was gently brushing silt, sand, and mud from the end and underside of the rowboat. As he worked, her heart raced as large splintering holes were finally able to be seen. This had to be it.

  Darcy took out the metal detector and turned it on. While the boat was interesting, it wasn’t what she was after. She was after Timothy Longworth and that note he was supposed to have left for his parents. Hopefully, Timothy would still have a gun or knife or some kind of metal on him. Otherwise, she’d never find his final resting place.

  Timothy had probably been thrown from the boat. He could be anywhere. And just like that, Darcy’s hope faded. Still, she had to try. She turned it on and worked behind Wade. Then she worked off the right side of the rowboat. Nothing. The waters had grown darker and Wade was still working on brushing the silt from the bottom of the boat.

  Hope faded as time went by, yet Darcy refused to give in. They still had diving time left, and she was going to use every minute of it. Darcy swam toward the boat. The inside was filled with so much silt she couldn’t see the benches. She held the metal detector at the top, which was really the back end of the rowb
oat, and began a slow, methodical sweep. She knew there were metal rings and metal strips holding the boat together and wasn’t surprised when the detector went off over the areas she knew metal to be. As she worked her way down slowly, hope faded once again.

  The loud beeping sound suddenly surprised her as the light flashed on the metal detector. She was a couple feet away from the boat down in the riverbed. The location didn’t make sense for it to be part of the boat.

  Darcy dropped the metal detector and dove down. With the flashlight in one hand, she used her other to dig. At some point, Wade joined her and tapped her. Darcy almost jumped out of her skin. Her heart was pounding, and all she could hear was her pulse. She pointed down at where she was digging, and Wade held her flashlight. With Wade holding both of the lights, she could use two hands to dig. A piece of fabric was the first thing that finally broke through the thick riverbed.

  Darcy shot a look to Wade, who was focused on the fabric with wide eyes. Using her hands, she continued to dig before she was suddenly slammed into the rowboat. Water rushed by her. Sand and silt covered her mask as Wade frantically grasped for her. What the hell had just happened?

  Wade turned off the flashlights and in the distance, she could see a spark sinking in the water. Wade grabbed her and hauled her behind the boat a second before the underwater explosive went off. Wade tried to grab her, but she fought him off. She had to get to Timothy before the explosions destroyed the boat.

  Darcy swam and saw the fabric was exposed. Instead of being hidden by mud, the explosives had uncovered what she was looking for. A tattered jacket and some boots were now visible. It appeared Timothy’s foot had been caught inside the rowboat when it had sunk. She grabbed the coat and felt the weight of something that wasn’t just fabric. Another spark, this time closer, was sinking toward them. Wade grabbed her and she let him. She had what she needed. Only this time there was a second spark and then a third. Frantically she and Wade looked around. There were explosives sinking all around them.

  10

  Wade stopped swimming as the explosives dropped. Their pattern indicated the person didn’t know exactly where he and Darcy were, but they knew they were getting close. His eyes went back to the rowboat. He’d gotten a lot of it unearthed, and that might protect them. He pulled Darcy toward the rowboat. She was shoving an old coat into her bag and tying it tightly around her front as if she were carrying a newborn.

  Wade dropped her hand and grabbed the top of the boat sticking out of the riverbed. He pulled with all his strength as the first charge went off. The powerful rush of water shoved them both forward and into the boat, which rocked backward, loosening the stuck end. The blast shook his body and rattled his teeth, but it had helped his efforts. The old rowboat was now much easier to move, and he pulled on it for cover. Darcy had picked up on what he was doing and turned to help. Together, they pushed and pulled as the boat slowly freed itself from the riverbed.

  Wade looked up in time to see the spark fading into the explosive. He shoved Darcy under the boat a second before the explosive went off. Wade didn’t make it under the cover of the boat. As the water rushed past him, he held tightly onto the metal outrigger that the oar had sat in. The metal ripped into his skin as the explosive’s energy tried to tear him away. Air was pushed from his lungs as Wade gritted his teeth in pain. He dove under the boat as soon as the explosive pulse had passed. Darcy was frantically grabbing him and pulling him under as another charge went off.

  The water raced under the boat as Darcy and he held onto the wooden seat to keep the boat over them as a turtle hides in its shell. Time and time again the charges went off. But then they seemed a little farther away and finally, they were gone. Their flashlights were gone and they were in complete darkness as they waited for another charge. None came.

  Wade reached out for Darcy. He felt her back and then her arm. She turned so she was facing him, and he laced his fingers with hers. It was time to get out of there. They couldn’t simply surface in case the person who tried to blow them up was waiting for them.

  Darcy began to swim upward, but Wade pulled her back to his side. He kept to the riverbed and began swimming toward the shore. Slowly, the riverbed began to slant upward as the water grew shallower. He paused before they broke the surface and turned Darcy toward him. He could see her now, and he held up his hands to indicate that she should stay put.

  Wade slowly rose from the water. He only risked poking his head above the waterline enough to look around the water’s surface. He saw a new boat, but it was one he recognized. Harper was there, and she wasn’t alone. Harper and Wade’s brother, Trent, were yelling his name.

  He tapped Darcy on the head and she broke the surface. The light was almost gone, but he could see the fear in her eyes as he spit out his regulator and pulled off his mask. “It’s safe. That’s Harper and my brother, Trent.”

  Wade pursed his lips together and let out a loud whistle. Trent and Harper immediately stopped yelling and began looking around as Darcy took off her mask, too. “What the hell was that?” she asked, her voice frantic with fear.

  “Explosives. Someone was waiting for you to show again and finish you off. My guess is they have a camera nearby or they were staked out,” Wade said as they began to swim toward Harper’s speedboat.

  “Are you okay?” Trent yelled out.

  “We’re a little shaken up, but not injured. Unless you are?” Wade asked Darcy, realizing he’d been so concerned with the attacker he didn’t know if she was injured.

  “I’m okay,” she said, but she was breathing hard and shaking.

  “We’re okay now. We’re safe.”

  “Wade, I think I found it,” Darcy whispered.

  “Found what? We already found the rowboat.”

  “No, what I was really looking for. I think I found Timothy’s jacket, and if it’s true he left a message for his parents, that message might have a clue as to the whereabouts of Black Law’s ship.”

  “Then we can’t open it here. If they have a video feed on the area, we need to get the police here and get somewhere safe before you even mention it again.” Wade’s heart pounded. They weren’t out of danger. They were even deeper in the mystery and danger now.

  “Please,” Darcy begged as they drew near the boat. “You can’t tell anyone I found it. By law, I have to turn everything over to the state.”

  Wade paused in his swimming. He knew the salvage law, and he couldn’t ignore it. “Will you turn it over after you’ve examined it?”

  Darcy bit her lip and didn’t look at him. “After a couple days,” Wade offered, feeling horrible about not strictly following the law.

  “I’ll turn it over immediately if it has no value to the hunt. If it does, we’ll re-evaluate. But I promise I will turn it over as soon as possible,” Darcy said, practically begging.

  “Let’s see what it is, and then we’ll decide. And we will tell the police we have it. Just not the Charleston police.”

  “What? We can’t. They’ll take it,” Darcy cried as Wade held up a hand to calm her.

  “Sheriff Granger Fox of Shadows Landing is a very good friend. We’ll technically turn it over to him, and I bet he’ll be nice enough to hold on to it for us. Then we won’t get in trouble legally. Deal?”

  Darcy was quiet as Trent and Harper were telling them to hurry up. “And you trust him?”

  “With my life.”

  “How about with my life?”

  “No question.”

  Darcy took a breath. “Okay. I’m trusting you, Wade. Please.”

  She didn’t have to finish. She was begging him to not break that trust and hurt her career and her life.

  * * *

  Darcy’s heart was in her stomach. Someone was trying to kill her. She might have what she’d been working for in her bag, and now she was going to trust someone she’d met not even twenty-four hours before. Plus she was going to hand it over to someone she’d never met.

  “Are you two okay? I had
this feeling I needed to come out here, and so I handed the bar over to Tinsley and was heading to my boat when I saw Trent and waved him down,” Harper rambled as Trent reached down to pull Darcy up and into the boat.

  “Then we heard these explosions,” Harper continued, “and we were so scared something happened to you two.”

  “Did you see who did it?” Wade asked as he climbed into the small speedboat.

  “Two people in hoods,” Trent said. “Harper tried to get a picture of the boat, but it’s not clear. What is going on?”

  Harper looked guiltily at them. “I didn’t tell him since you told me not to tell anyone.”

  Darcy reached out for Harper. “Thank you.” She turned to Wade and saw the blood dripping from his hand. “You’re hurt!”

  “It’s nothing,” Wade said, trying to act as if he weren’t standing there bleeding.

  “I’ll fill your brother in while you get that bandaged up and call your friend. Then I’ll make my phone calls,” Darcy said, sounding resigned. She didn’t want to do any of this. She wanted to hurry inside the cabin of Wade’s boat and search the jacket she had taken.

  “Fill me in on what?” Trent asked as he pushed his hair back from his face. He was looking between them as Wade instructed Harper to tie up to his boat.

  “It started twelve years ago,” Darcy began as Wade and Harper climbed onto Wade’s boat. Darcy clung to the underwater bag as she filled Trent in on everything that had happened. She felt both relieved and petrified every time she told someone else the story. What if they went after her treasure? But at the same time, there was great relief in having others to talk to about her search.

  “Granger and Kord are on their way,” Wade said, coming out of the cabin with Harper and a fresh bandage on his hand.

  “I’ll call Olivia to give her a chance to arrive before I call the detective,” Darcy said as she stood up from the bench on the speedboat. Trent stood with her and held out his hand to help her onto Wade’s boat.