by Unknown
Catherine knew of the wreck but hadn’t realized it was off the Donegal coast. It’d been carrying a heavy shipment of gold and silver to the United States for the war effort, when it sank in the Atlantic in 1917.
Hennesey continued, “As you’ve probably read, most of the gold was recovered, but twenty bars and all of the silver still lie on the gravel seabed. It’s probably buried under her.”
Daniel scoffed, “You don’t expect to find any, do you?”
“Why not?”
“There’ve been over seven thousand dives in that area already.”
“So, we’ll be seven thousand and one. That is, if we strike out on the Spanish wreck and need something to do to make our trip worthwhile.”
On the map, Daniel traced his finger down the north Atlantic coast and stopped at Galway. “About this phantom ship you’re chasing. If it’s supposed to be as close to the Laurentic as you indicate, don’t you think one of the divers would have found it by now?”
“You know as well as I do, a mile in either direction is huge. It’s possible to survey the area and not find anything. Look how long it took them to find the Titanic.”
Frank said to Hennesey, “Twenty bars, huh?”
“If we’re lucky, we’ll get both: a ship from the Armada and some of that missing gold from the Laurentic.” Hennesey pulled a piece of note paper out of his pocket and referred to it. “Each bar weighs twenty-seven and a half pounds; that’s four hundred and forty ounces. With today’s rates of one thousand, six hundred and eighty dollars an ounce, if I find only one bar, it’s worth seven hundred and thirty-nine thousand dollars.”
Frank whistled. “And with the way the economy is going, it could be worth a hell of a lot more by the time it’s dredged up. Of course, that’s peanuts compared to what one of those Spanish wrecks could bring in.”
Catherine turned the atlas around and examined the proposed dive site. “I’ve heard the Donegal coastline can be treacherous.”
Daniel said, “When those winds blow, there’s no chance of any vessel going out there and surviving.”
“Jesus Christ!” Hennesey said it so loud that a patron nearby raised her head and scowled. He ignored her but lowered his voice. “You know as well as I do, storm season doesn’t begin until fall. We’ll have plenty of time, even with some bad days thrown in.”
Daniel wasn’t easily convinced. “The way the ocean’s been heaving lately, there are no guarantees.”
“Do you have any fucking idea how long I’ve been doing this? I’m not going to risk all that capital by leaving it too late.”
Frank said, “If the two of you can’t get along in this open space, how the hell are you going to do it on a fifty-foot boat?”
Hennesey narrowed his eyes at Frank. “If I’m leading this hunt, then I’m leading this hunt. I’m not going to do anything stupid, despite what anyone else might think.” He smirked. “And Danny boy, just so you know, I’ve contacted all the authorities and my licenses are all in order.”
Daniel replied with a stony look, “I didn’t expect any less.” Even though Hennesey had asserted his leadership, Daniel had managed to convey he’d be watching to make sure rules were followed.
“If you two have finished sparring,” said Frank, “I want to remind everyone, Hennesey may be directing this salvage, but National Geographic has a large financial stake in this.” And then he said to Hennesey, “You weren’t able to finance this expedition until we came along.”
Daniel’s face softened. Whether Hennesey liked it or not, Frank had put the whole hunt in perspective.
Catherine chuckled to herself. Frank might’ve been getting on in years, but he was still a tough bugger. If the money National Geographic gave wasn’t used as intended, the money could disappear as quickly as it had come.
Hennesey said, “Do you want me to kiss your feet, Frank?”
Frank guffawed. “No, I want you to take care of our money.”
Hennesey grinned. “I’ll treat it as if it’s my grandmother’s.” He put his elbows on the table and brought his hands together. “I’m set to leave in about a week. I’ve already shipped the Golden Eye over. I plan to meet it and dock it in Killybegs about five to six days after that, barring any storms. That’ll give me time to get the boat in shape in case anything needs fixing. I expect you both over there by June the eighth.”
Daniel took out his BlackBerry and checked his schedule. Frank did the same.
Catherine took out a black day journal and opened it. The day was already circled in red. She had unconsciously reached for a red pen when Frank had called with the date. The red now struck her as foreboding.
Hennesey scratched his hairy chest through the opening of his shirt. “So you know, I have a couple of seasoned wreck divers coming along, ones I’ve worked with before. There’ll be checks and balances every step of the way.”
“Glad to hear that.” She said the words, but she knew that when the time came, she wouldn’t leave the checking of the equipment to Hennesey nor his crew. There was always a chance something could get missed. This time, she’d pay more attention.
There was obvious mistrust on all sides, but they all wanted the same thing. They all wanted to be in on the find of the century. And to make that happen, they would all have to get along.
ELEVEN
A few days later, Daniel took Catherine to Wreck Valley, a more challenging dive site with hundreds of shipwrecks. When he’d made arrangements for a boat operator to take them out for a few hundred dollars and gas, he was surprised that she insisted on paying. She said that he’d been so generous with his time it was the least she could do. In that, she was a refreshing change from the other women he knew. She didn’t take advantage.
He considered this to be Catherine’s final test. Though not as clear as Dutch Springs, Wreck Valley’s visibility was still decent, at least twenty feet, and if they were lucky, up to seventy. Since they’d be diving in the open ocean, the rough seas would approximate the conditions they could expect off the coast of Ireland.
On the three-hour boat ride from Brooklyn to Wreck Valley, the skies were bright and there was no evidence of any weather disturbance that could spoil their trip. He should’ve been at ease, but he was still thinking about the fight he’d had with Sean that morning. She wasn’t happy about his upcoming departure for Ireland, even though he’d given her fair warning of the project. She’d said she couldn’t remember him telling her the date, and even if he had, with her symphony fund-raiser, how could he have expected her to keep track of his schedule?
Either way, he couldn’t understand the fuss. She didn’t need him to pick out the wedding gown or arrange the reception. She’d told him more than once she was perfectly capable of managing all that on her own. As it was, she rarely consulted with him on social matters, so why was she being so miserable?
Trying to put the argument behind him, he gazed at the open sea. They were now halfway to the dive site. With the driver veering directly into the choppy waves, the water splashed up the sides of the boat, making for a bumpy ride.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Catherine said. “Is there something I should be worried about?”
“No. Sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“No problem. Just checking.”
He passed her a bottle of water and took another one for himself. Taking a sip, he watched how the sun played with her auburn hair, depositing specks of gold throughout. She looked otherworldly. He wondered about her ex-husband and what could’ve gone wrong. As far as he could see, she was wonderful company.
“Did I leave part of my breakfast on my face?”
He grinned. “Did you have scrambled eggs?”
Catherine put her hand to her mouth in mock embarrassment. “How did you know?”
He laughed. “Lucky guess. Your face is fine.” It is more than fine, he thought. “You must get a lot of second looks on the street.”
She blushed. “I have no idea, but nice of you to s
ay so.” She turned away. Unlike Sean, she didn’t dwell on his compliment.
When the boat slowed down, Daniel saw Catherine’s shoulders tighten as she looked at the navy water. He couldn’t blame her. The area was known for extreme diving.
“I know I should be ready,” she said. “I even went back to Dutch Springs on my own and had a couple of good dives with another instructor there.”
“What?” he asked. “I’m not good enough?”
“No,” she said, smiling. “It’s just me…” Her voice trailed off.
“Being nervous goes with the territory. You know that. It’s part of the rush. Did you pack a diving knife?”
She gave him a look. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to get tangled up in one of the fishing lines.”
“Sorry. I can get over-protective.”
They passed another boat with some divers on board and then came to a stop about two hundred yards past them. By this time, the wind had picked up and the sun had retreated behind a cloud. The boat was rocking a fair amount. After putting her flippers on, Catherine stood and clutched the handrail on the side of the cabin. Her face took on a greenish hue, as if she’d had one too many drinks.
Afraid she was about to lose her balance, Daniel reached out to steady her. It was then that she fainted and fell into his arms.
~~~
She was spinning, faster and faster on a merry-go-round. There were dolphins and whales and a swordfish to sit on. She had on a white dress, and the young man she was trying to catch—as he wove his way through the merry-go-round’s sea creatures—wore an old-fashioned sailor suit. Then, an avalanche of water drenched them. Someone was taking their picture. An old, bearded guy came out of nowhere, but he couldn’t stand still long enough to get what he wanted. Next thing she knew she was tumbling in the air, over and over. She couldn’t find anywhere to land. There was only water. But then the young man appeared again. He was over an arm’s length away, and she tried to grab his hand, but the waves kept pushing them apart. He drifted farther and farther away. She tried to shout to the albatross flying overhead to get help, but she couldn’t get the words out. The bird ignored her, and his large wings got smaller and smaller as he flew into the distance. All that was left was a feather lying on the surface. She was about to go under the water, when a man’s voice cut through the air.
“I think she got spooked.”
She could feel a cold wet cloth on her face. She opened her eyes to see someone staring at her. For a moment, she wasn’t sure where she was. The eyes looked like those belonging to the young man in her dream, the one standing just out of reach.
“Catherine, are you okay?”
Daniel held a washcloth and looked at her with concern. Had she banged her head or suffered some serious injury? She didn’t remember diving. Behind him was the operator of the boat, watching her like a bystander at the scene of a car accident.
Daniel said, “You passed out soon after we got here.”
It took her another moment to realize where she was. Groggily, she said, “Maybe I’m coming down with something.”
“Yeah,” he said, “fear of failure.”
She was about to protest but thought better of it. She adjusted her body and realized she was in his arms. She’d been pressing against Daniel on the boat bench. His scent of lime and musk enveloped her and she quivered. Being in his arms was way too comfortable.
She sat up. “I must be heavy.”
“No,” he said, grinning. “Light as a feather.”
Feather. She’d dreamt of a feather. “Right, I didn’t realize…” With one hand pressing on his shoulder for support, she struggled onto the bench across from him. She looked down at her hand and realized that once again she’d forgotten to take off her Claddagh ring. While he reached for his water bottle behind him, she discreetly removed the ring and tucked it into the zippered compartment of her tote bag.
“You don’t have to take it off.”
Startled, she turned. “Oh, God...I wasn’t thinking.”
“We’ve had to scrub our dive for today. The seas are too rough.” He offered her a drink of water from his bottle.
She took a sip. Still unsteady, Catherine was more relieved than disappointed. She took a sweater from her bag, bunched it up like a pillow, and stretched out on the bench, where she immediately fell into a deep sleep. When she awoke, they were near a dock in Brooklyn, but what surprised her more, was finding Daniel’s arms around her again. She instinctively pulled back. “I’m sorry. I’m making a habit of this. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s all right,” he said, an amused look in his eyes. “My arm’s numb and they may have to amputate, but no worries.”
She laughed. “You should’ve pushed me to the side.”
“I guess I could’ve pushed you overboard, but I didn’t think that was an option.” He smiled again. “You looked like you were going to fall off the bench at any moment, so I thought I’d help out.”
She grinned back. “To the rescue again.”
“Feeling better?”
“I can’t remember the last time I nodded off in the middle of the day.”
“Nerves will do that.”
She’d slept so soundly, the deepest sleep she’d had in awhile. This time, the dream had been different. She’d floated off as if she’d been carried on a cloud and then gently dropped into a meadow of wild flowers. There, she walked in the sunshine with Alex at her side. It was as if peace had showered her entire body. Richard was somewhere behind, but so was Daniel. When she turned around, they both had their arms out, as if they were expecting her to choose. She didn’t know which one she should go to. The peace that had been there drifted away like the tuft of a dandelion.
TWELVE
After the aborted dive, Daniel and Catherine ended up at a restaurant in Little Italy. The lunch hour rush was over and the dozen or so tables covered with red gingham tablecloths were empty except for two couples, lingering over their meals.
She ordered spaghetti carbonara and a glass of red wine. He had the same, except for the beer instead of the wine. She wanted to forget passing out on the boat. How could she have been so foolish to think she could easily pick up where she left off? Hennesey was right to doubt her. If he’d seen her today, he would’ve had a good laugh.
Daniel must have sensed her discomfort because he said, “If you’re agonizing about what happened today, don’t. We’ll try again another day.”
“It feels like I’m climbing a mountain in bare feet.”
“That’s a good analogy.” He crooked his head. “The time you had your accident, what happened after you got the bends?”
Her throat constricted as she said, “There wasn’t enough oxygen on board the dive boat to help me out. I was rushed to the hospital, and I guess you might say, I got lucky.”
“From what I can tell, you’re still a functioning human being.” He leaned back and studied her. “But given your propensity for narcolepsy, maybe you’re not.”
“Ha. Very funny.”
He grinned and chugged some beer, leaving his lips wet and shiny.
She took a sip of wine and wondered what it would be like to kiss him. “And what about you? What’s your story?”
“I did the whole university thing, and now I’m pretty content doing what I’m doing.”
“Pretty content?”
“Yeah.” His smile left for a moment. He took another chug of beer.
“I hear you’re engaged.”
He looked surprised. “Frank tell you?”
She shook her head. “Remember I checked up on you. You can’t go around with someone who’s in the Hampton Blue Book and expect privacy.” She recalled seeing his fiancé’s photo on a website—a tall blonde holding a tennis racket. Her blue tennis dress was one of those stretchy ones, leaving little to the imagination. “When’s the big date?”
“We were supposed to get married this August, but when this dive came up, we postponed it to September.”
“Ah. By that time, I’ll be back on my farm.”
They sat there for a few moments, the tension between them magnetic.
He studied her some more. “You remind me a bit of my mother.”
“Thanks. Now I do feel old.”
“It’s a compliment. My mother took risks. She always went against the wind.” He shook his head and gazed off. “When I was five, we were driving somewhere and had run out of gas on this country road. That was the time people were starting to warn about hitchhiking, but my mother said, ‘Daniel, most people are honest. You can’t worry someone is going to hurt you every time you turn around.’ And she stopped the next car going by, and we hitched a ride to a gas station, and that man became a lifelong friend of my mother’s. He bought us a meal that night, and even paid for the gas. My mother paid him back. She trusted him to bail us out, and he trusted her to repay the debt. That’s what’s missing now. That kind of trust. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’re willing to take a risk with me, then I’m willing to do the same with you.”
“You’re brave.” Every diver knew panic was a killer; the worst was having a buddy who froze underwater. “I hope I don’t let you down.”
~~~
When Daniel and Catherine pulled up in front of Richard’s apartment building, Alex was skipping towards the entrance. Her father was a half block behind. Catherine hated that he didn’t watch her more closely. With all the pedestrians clogging the sidewalk, it would be easy to lose sight of her. She’d have to talk to Richard about it later.
“Mama,” Alex yelled as Catherine got out of Daniel’s car and stepped onto the sidewalk. Alex raced towards her, crashing into her as usual.
“Alex! That hurt. Slow down.”
“Oops, sorry.” Then, without missing a beat, she said, “Papa took me to the park. We had soft ice cream and popcorn and everything.”
“That’s wonderful, honey.”
“Are we still going shopping?”