Lou met her as Dana hauled Bill into open water. She reached for her husband, but Dana shook her head. She had control of the situation for the moment, but needed Lou to help her out in another way. She pointed upward and Lou got the message. Although she looked reluctant, Lou nodded and led the way toward the charter boat.
With her eyes fixed on the surface, Dana could see Thad stopped along the ascent line. Far above him, she noticed the surface marker buoy she had given him as it floated upward. Thad had inflated the SMB from his own oxygen supply and released it so that he could make the safety stop. The bright orange SMB would signal occupants of the charter boat that a diver emergency had ensued.
Lou did not stop beside Thad. She kept going, clearly intent on alerting the boat crew though she did make a short, chopping motion toward her son as she passed. Thad let go of the ascent line with one hand, but stayed where he was. He looked at his watch and started upward again just as Dana reached his side. She followed Lou’s example and kept going, but Thad stopped another ten feet up. If he continued making safety stops, he would wait for one minute every ten feet.
Dana’s heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to hold onto Bill and vent the air from her BCD. She wanted a controlled ascent, not a rocket ride to the surface. She was attempting to dissipate the nitrogen from their bodies through a slow rise so that she didn’t compound Bill’s condition.
After what felt like hours, Dana neared the surface. Lou was still in the water, her fins and lower body visible. As Dana neared her location, Lou dove back toward her sans mask, weights and buoyancy control vest. She grabbed Bill’s arm and helped Dana haul him to the boat’s aft dive ladder.
Dana spit the regulator out of her mouth as her face cleared the water. Three men stood nearby with their hands out to render assistance. “I don’t know if he’s still breathing. Radio the mainland that we need an ambulance standing by.”
The men yanked Bill from the water and laid him out on the deck. They had already removed his mask and BCD along with the air tank before they turned him onto his back. Dana clambered out of the water as quickly as she could, silently cursing the few extra pounds that she carried. She pushed her fins off onto the deck and released the snaps holding her buoyancy vest and allowed the tank to drop the short distance onto the boat. Then she was up and headed toward Bill’s still unconscious form.
“He’s not breathing,” Captain Jim said. “We need to start CPR. Jonesy, go radio the mainland.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Dana didn’t bother looking up to see who responded as she pressed two fingers against Bill’s carotid artery. She felt his pulse fluttering against her fingertips. She straightened out his limbs and positioned herself next to his shoulders, sure that Bill had inhaled water. She pinched Bill’s nose closed and tilted his head back to start rescue breathing. As she went to work trying to pump water from his lungs, Thad climbed onto the boat and quickly shucked his gear. He moved to stand a few feet away, bent over with his hands on his knees. Dana noticed his bare feet and the pool of water streaming from his body from the corner of her eye, but remained focused on her task. The charter boat’s motor roared to life and they began a wide, slow turn to head back into the bay.
Time continued its slow crawl as Dana worked. She felt lightheaded as she tried to force air into closed lungs. Sweat tracked down her forehead, induced by a combination of her neoprene wetsuit, the sun overhead and exertion. She heard the moment when Lou began to quietly sob. Keeping her balance as the boat soared over the water wasn’t easy, but Dana refused to give up. Suddenly, she felt Bill tense beneath her.
“Come on, you can do it. Wake up and breathe!”
Bill’s eyes remained closed, but he turned his head to the side and grimaced. He coughed out a veritable fountain of water before he began to choke. Dana let out a pent up breath and scooted tiredly out of the way as Bill’s family surrounded him. She raised a trembling hand and swiped the sweat out of her eyes.
Captain Jim squatted beside her, his grizzled visage resting on Bill who lay weakly on the deck with his eyes closed. “You done a good job. Does he still need to get checked out?”
Dana nodded. “Yeah, definitely. We came up pretty fast and didn’t have time to decompress properly.”
Her heart finally began to resume a more normal cadence as she watched the rise and fall of Bill’s chest. His breaths were even, but he did seem to be a little pale. Dana didn’t feel all that great herself, but she didn’t really think she had the bends. She had come up from similar depths before without stopping and never had an issue. It still wasn’t a good idea because one could never tell when it would happen. Right now, it was probably just the aftermath of fear and excitement.
She lifted her head as the boat began to slow and realized they were already about to dock. She must have nodded off a little from exhaustion. An ambulance waited near the pier with red lights flashing overhead. Bill was conscious and capable of walking off the dock under his own power. There wasn’t room in the back of the conveyance for Lou and Thad so they raced for their car to follow the ambulance to the hospital. Dana felt exhausted, but her day was far from over. With Lou and Thad’s absence, unloading all of their personal gear fell to her.
It took another hour for Dana to load the gear, check on Bill and drive home. She lived in Rancho Bernardo, an elite San Diego neighborhood. When she spotted her two-story Spanish-style home, she let out a relieved sigh. Dana still needed to unload the gear and hose off the saltwater, but she was far too tired. She parked in the garage and headed into the house, interested in nothing more than sleeping for a week.
Dana crossed through the kitchen and started pulling off her clothes. Her shirt landed on the floor and she’d unsnapped her shorts when the phone began to ring. She ignored it and eventually the answering machine kicked in. Dana expected to hear a voice speaking into the machine, but instead the caller hung up. The phone started to peel again almost instantly.
“What in the…?”
Annoyed, she let the call go to the machine once more. Again, the caller hung up and then called back. Clearly, whoever it was wouldn’t give up. Dana stalked over to the cordless phone and snatched it from the cradle. She was suddenly worried that it might be Lou calling to tell her that Bill’s condition had worsened.
“Yes?” Dana answered somewhat breathlessly.
“Ms. Reed? This is Lillian Primus. I’m sorry to bother you, but I could use your help with something.”
Chapter Seven
Dana stepped out of the airplane into Istanbul’s blistering heat. She blinked against the glare before following the other passengers down the ladder steps and onto the tarmac. The surface felt slightly melted, sticking to the soles of her feet a bit as they traipsed toward the terminal. She still wasn’t quite sure how Ms. Primus had talked her into this. Returning to the place where her best friend died was the last thing Dana thought she’d ever do. Yet here she was.
With her eyes carefully averted to avoid garnering any undue attention, Dana located the baggage claim area. While tourists abounded, a woman alone sometimes still needed to remain cautious, especially here, where women were often regarded as property. She stood against the wall, looking around surreptitiously as she waited for the carousel to engage.
Ms. Primus had told her that someone would meet her. That she could tell, there wasn’t anyone looking for her. People hugged friends and loved ones, greeting the passengers after the thirteen-hour flight from the States. Others milled around waiting for luggage, practically ignoring their children who ran all over. Screams of laughter combined with the mixture of various languages to create a reverberating din.
Finally, the conveyor belt switched on and Dana moved closer. She slipped between bodies to move toward the front, careful to make as little contact as possible. She needed only to wait a few minutes to claim both bags and when she turned around, she spotted a man holding a sign that bore her name. He was big and made an imposing impression.
Normally, Dana might have initially feared him. One look into gentle brown eyes told her she was safe with him.
“I’m Doctor Reed.”
The man with the heavy stubble and western clothing bowed respectfully and lowered his sign. “I am Muhammed Yilmaz, your humble servant. Ms. Primus respectfully sends her apologies that she could not meet you in person.”
Muhammed took the largest of her bags, the one loaded with her personal scuba equipment. Her newest employer had told Dana very little over the phone. She had merely explained that she needed Dana to come at once. She wasn’t under any illusions that this would be a pleasure trip. While Ms. Primus had mentioned diving, the serious tone implied this was a working excursion. Dana hadn’t asked a lot of questions. She had the time off accumulated from the Institute and it didn’t take much convincing to extend her vacation.
As Dana accompanied the bearish man out of the airport and toward a waiting taxi, she decided to attempt to gather a little more information about why she was here. She hesitated until Muhammed gave the driver instructions in Turkish and they pulled away from the curb. “So, do you know what Ms. Primus needs me for?”
“Has she not told you?”
“Not really. She just said that she needed a diver and here I am.”
He seemed startled by such a simple explanation. “You did not ask?”
“I…owed her.”
“Ah, I understand the lure of a debt repaid. I too owe Ms. Primus much. Many years ago, she rescued me from incarceration. I was a young man then and made some questionable choices.”
Dana mulled over that bit of information. It couldn’t have been that many years ago since she judged Lillian Primus to be somewhere in her late thirties. Still, it didn’t escape Dana’s notice that he did not answer her question. Perhaps he was merely distracted by the mention of an obligation.
“What are we going to do…?”
“Please,” Muhammed interrupted with a raised hand. “If Ms. Primus has not told you, then she has her reasons. You must ask her your questions.”
Dana was impressed by his loyalty. More than that, she was even more impressed by the woman who possessed it. Duly chastened, she didn’t attempt to communicate further. Instead, Dana turned her eyes to the traffic-jammed streets. Primus had told her to prepare for an extended journey. That alone was enough to pique her curiosity. Muhammed’s limited responses served only to increase her excitement over this mysterious adventure. She was thrilled to repay the incredible woman for showing magnanimous kindness to a stranger. The lure of an adventure was an added bonus.
The sun had just started to set when the cab pulled up in front of the hotel. Dana craned her head back to look upward toward the top of the Grand Hyatt’s castle-like structure. She estimated at least twenty floors. When she glanced back down it was to see Muhammed holding the door for her with a curious expression on his face. A bellhop picked up both of her bags and waited patiently.
“Sorry, I guess I’m a little tired from the flight.”
Muhammed showed her directly to a luxury suite on the top floor and took care of the bag attendant before Dana could offer. The opulence of the room caught her off guard, easily large enough for half of her home to fit into. A mini bar took up one corner of the sitting area and two other doors led into what Dana assumed were bedrooms. A wonderful view of the city beckoned her to the windows.
“Did I miss something? I thought this was a working trip.”
Muhammed offered her a cryptic smile. “Ms. Primus is currently making arrangements for our…journey. She will join you as soon as she is free. Please make yourself comfortable.”
He turned to leave and Dana took a hasty step forward. “How will I get hold of you if I need something?”
“I assure you, it will not be necessary. I will see you again tomorrow, Doctor Reed.”
Things happened so quickly that the door clicked closed behind him before Dana could say anything else. “I guess so.”
She understood Primus not meeting her at the airport, but really thought she would be at the hotel once they arrived. Dana wasn’t typically uncomfortable in strange cities; after all she had traveled all over the world to dive the most remote locations. This arrangement just seemed a little weird. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to change things. Dana took her time unpacking her belongings and taking a shower. Afterward she stood wrapped in a towel, drying her hair as she stared out over the lights of the city.
Istanbul was beautiful at night, the lights standing out like stars in the galaxy. Her grumbling stomach interrupted the moment, reminding her that she had eaten little on the flight over. Dana dressed quickly with the intent of running out to grab something. She stopped when she considered Primus might show up while she was gone. Then again, she had given the woman her cell number when they arranged this trip.
Maybe she would call room service. The last thing Dana wanted was a game of tag in the middle of the night in a foreign country. She had just picked up the phone to call down to the lobby when someone knocked on her door. Dana felt sure she knew the identity of her visitor, but it didn’t pay to be careless. A flash of Francene’s unmoving form in the alley convinced her that a little prudence was required.
“Just a moment.”
Dana braced her hands on the door and leaned forward to peer through the peephole. Lillian Primus stood outlined through the fisheye view with an amused expression on her normally stoic features. Dana’s jaw dropped slightly. She had forgotten how absolutely stunning this woman was.
After pulling herself together, Dana cleared her throat and opened the door. Despite her best attempts at looking cool and collected, she couldn’t help but stare at the vision before her. Lillian leaned one shoulder negligently against the doorjamb. She cut a dashing image dressed in a figure-hugging black suit with satin lapels. The deep scarlet shirt under the jacket had a high Mandarin collar. Both of the colors served to set off the milky paleness of her skin, making her appear as a modern-day Snow White. Her thick, medium length hair fell in midnight-tinted waves down over her shoulders, threatening to cause Dana to spontaneously combust. She doubted the woman was even aware of the sheer animal magnetism she exuded.
The sight of a raised eyebrow communicated Primus’s amusement. Dana’s mouth snapped closed and she cleared her throat in embarrassment. “Um, would you like to come in?”
Primus pushed away from the doorframe and entered the room. She took a moment to look around before addressing Dana. “Is the room to your liking?”
“It’s great, thank you.”
Uncomfortably aware that her nipples were standing at attention, and mystified by that reaction, Dana crossed her arms over her chest. She waited for Ms. Primus to tell her exactly why she had made the trip to Istanbul on short notice, but it didn’t happen right away. Instead, Primus crossed the room and moved behind the mini bar. She spent a moment searching and then retrieved a highball glass. As she opened an expensive bottle of cognac, Dana noticed that even these simple movements were supple. Primus moved like a jungle cat, her actions sensual and provocative. Dana was caught unaware when indigo eyes unexpectedly met her own.
“Would you care for something?”
Dana shook her head.
“Thank you for coming, Doctor Reed. I apologize for such short notice.”
Good, Primus was going to jump right in. “It’s Dana, remember? You were awfully cryptic over the phone. Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”
“As I said, I require the services of a skilled diver.”
Okay, so Primus was beautiful and definitely a little off. Dana had apparently flown halfway around the world to play glorified underwater tour guide. “Well, there are several popular wrecks just off the coast.”
“I’m not here for pleasure. I have a specific mission in mind.” Before her benefactor could be more specific, Dana’s stomach rumbled. Primus smiled. “Perhaps we could discuss it over dinner.”
Normally, Dana would refus
e. She would assert that someone being so insistently vague come clean before agreeing to a meal with them. Then again, there was nothing normal about this situation and Dana had to admit she found the idea of having dinner with Primus titillating.
“All right, lead the way.”
In the interests of time, they agreed to dinner in the hotel restaurant. The maître d’ spotted Ms. Primus as they approached and astounded Dana by how quickly he smiled and snapped his fingers for a server. They were immediately shown to a quiet table in the corner with an unobstructed view of the city. It was the same view Dana had from her room. Who was this woman?
People literally jumped to do her bidding and seemed quite happy doing so. First the American Consulate, then Muhammed, and now this. Dana realized belatedly that even she fit into that category, rushing to fly to Istanbul out of a sense of duty. She didn’t believe that everyone could possibly owe the enigmatic woman so it had to be something else.
Dana covered her confusion by perusing the menu. The restaurant had quite a selection of Mediterranean and local Turkish cuisine, but Dana was far more aware of the woman sitting across from her. It seemed to her the silence between them grew uncomfortable, but Primus didn’t appear to notice. She easily ordered her meal and waited for Dana to do the same. Once they were alone again, Dana decided she couldn’t take the secrecy any more.
“Ms. Primus, please tell me what’s going on. I didn’t fly for so long to stare at you across a table, as attractive as that view might be.” Dana surprised herself by her words but refused to back-pedal. She gritted her teeth to keep from speaking again as she waited for a response.
“Very well. I’ve asked for your presence because you are more than a diver. You are a scientist.”
Dana choked on a sip of white wine. “You need a scientist?” She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but this certainly wasn’t anywhere near the list of possibilities.
Beyond the Garden Page 10