by Unknown
Hennesey had positioned the boat a few degrees north of their dive site, which made it even farther from the wreck of the British barque. He planned to use the prop wash again to blow away the cobble and any overburden. She lamented again, the lax regulations, but she was powerless to stop it. At least she could take photos and let the public decide. She’d just have to be careful as to when and how she did it. Her photos had had an impact in the past. With any luck, they would again.
Catherine psyched herself up to take on the role of environmental watchdog. She had to steel herself to not only photograph any artifacts uncovered, but also any damage to the sea bed. She was so rattled about what was at stake, that she had to shut her eyes and slow her breathing before taking the plunge. But once she was under, in the cool soothing realm of the ocean, her tension subsided. At the same time, she cautioned herself not to become too relaxed; she couldn’t afford another accident. She made sure her movements were minimal, and ones that would not compromise her air supply.
As she swam to the bottom, she considered how little time she had left in Ireland. She still hadn’t explored the Alice O’Meary. She’d have to try and get there before she left Ireland. If she didn’t, she was sure she’d be letting the spirits down. Not that she owed them anything. It was only curious that they acted as if she did.
With Daniel away, Catherine took the lead with Tom. The water was still murky from the prop wash so she had to keep close to him. She watched for his bubbles and stayed alert to possible dangers, like unexpected strong currents that could sweep him away or jagged rocks that could tear his hose. By the time they reached the Spanish wreck, Hennesey and Raul were already at work with their metal detectors and hand diggers.
She took several photos, hoping the water’s turbulence would add an interesting element to the sea floor, which looked like a meteor had hit it. That kind of impact would be devastating to the many creatures that called the sea home.
She noticed Hennesey glaring at times, but she ignored his intimidating stare and carried on with her photography. Her safety was paramount, but so was her reputation. She’d worked hard in the past to be stellar in all that she’d tackled, and she was damned if she was going to let him, or the possibility of Daniel’s involvement scare her off that easily. As President Franklin Roosevelt once famously said, ‘the only thing to fear is fear itself.’ She now sensed her old strength returning. She was almost giddy with the change. Maybe that was all she needed. One big push.
She photographed Tom documenting an encrusted cannon ball that Raul had found, and some lead ingots Hennesey had dug out of the sand. Every time Hennesey’s metal detector emitted a high pitched squeal, indicating metal had been found, Catherine swam over. Her quickness was rewarded when she caught sight of two religious gold medallions in Hennesey’s gloved palm—another sensational discovery. He smiled when she took the photos. Cynical by now, Catherine interpreted his smile as a duplicitous one, meant to throw her off guard. She smiled back and took some macro shots of the Madonna and child engraved on the medallions. All the time she was snapping, she recalled the gold necklace that Hennesey had pocketed away. Given his level of secrecy, there were likely other artifacts he hadn’t reported. That’s what Daniel had said. But this is where she got stuck. Why would Daniel hint at that, if he was in on it? Was it just to throw her off?
In between dives, Catherine took a hot shower and had a late lunch with Alfredo, Jerry, and Tom in the galley. She was in the middle of eating a turkey wrap with a salad on the side when Hennesey came over and sat down beside her. The mad days of long hours had taken its toll. The dark circles under his eyes were layered and his face was puffy.
He said, “What a day! You must’ve gotten some good shots. It was fucking brilliant down there.”
“It was, wasn’t it? Those pieces you found are priceless.”
He cocked his head. “I’m curious about what you and Frank cooked up. This photographic essay, what angle you had in mind. You were clicking away when we were doing the prop wash, too.”
“I’ll just tell the story,” she said, shrugging. “As long as it’s all legal, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
He stared at her for a moment, then laughed out loud, startling her. “You might be interested in mentioning how I got the bravado to do all this.”
Jerry snorted. “Here he goes again.”
“Never mind,” said Hennesey, with a smirk, “she doesn’t know this tough bugger.”
Catherine raised her eyebrows. She didn’t know where this was going, but she suspected she’d soon find out. Hennesey didn’t mince words.
He bent his head near hers, his eyes, cold dark beads. He was so close, she could smell his cigarette breath and a hint of garlic. “I grew up on the wrong side of Chicago. If you didn’t take care of yourself, you were toast. I wasn’t a big kid but I learned fast. I was only twelve when this kid with a chip on his shoulder started on me.” Hennesey illustrated by poking her arm. He didn’t do it gently.
“Easy.” She rubbed her arm.
“Hey, boss man,” said Alfredo, “she’s a woman.”
Hennesey ignored him. “You know what I did? I kneed him in the balls, then took him by the neck and twisted his skin like this.” He put his hand on her neck and grabbed a bit of her skin. He didn’t press hard, but she got his intent. “By the time I was finished, he was howling like a baby. I put him in the hospital.” He smirked. “I guess I didn’t know my own strength. That kid never bothered me again.”
Alfredo looked over, concerned. Tom and Jerry were strangely silent. Maybe this kind of machismo wasn’t out of the norm for these guys. She tried not to show Hennesey he was getting to her. She smiled and said, “That’s a good story. I’ll try to weave that in.”
“You do that.” He got up abruptly and went over to the counter to pour himself some coffee before heading up the stairs.
She envisioned getting up and throwing hot coffee in his face. Men like Hennesey ruled through their bluster. And maybe more. Finishing up her meal, she told herself to hang on, her time here was almost over. She just wished she still had Daniel on her side.
~~~
Catherine put her dry suit back on and refilled her tank. Raul and Hennesey were gearing up in the stern. A tender in the distance caught her eye. As it got closer, she could make out that Daniel was in it with Gabe.
Raul said to Hennesey, “I didn’t think Daniel was diving today.”
Hennesey said, “I wouldn’t have rushed back if I was him. His dolly’s a looker.”
Whatever the reason, Catherine was glad Daniel was back. Though she no longer trusted him with her heart, she didn’t think he’d do anything to harm her, at least not physically. It was always safer buddying with a more experienced diver.
Daniel’s face was grim as he boarded the Golden Eye. He came up to Catherine and said in a low voice, “I need to talk to you privately.”
Her anxiety rising, she followed him down the stairs and into a cabin. After closing the door, he sat down on the bed and asked her to sit beside him. His face was much too serious for her to expect any good news. Dreading what she was about to hear, she sat on her hands to keep them from shaking.
He bowed his head, avoiding her eyes. “I’m sorry I never got a chance to talk to you before I left this morning. Everything happened so fast.” He kept staring at his hands, as if what he had to say was impossible to put into words. They sat there awhile, not saying anything.
She broke the silence first. “How’s your visit with Sean? Is everything alright?”
He stiffened, then said, “Sean’s pregnant. I’m going to be a father.”
She may as well have been kicked in the stomach. It was worse than anything she’d imagined. She said in a pinched voice, “Congratulations.”
His forehead creased like an accordion. “She wanted to tell me in person. She didn’t want to wait ‘til I got home.”
Catherine wanted to punch something. “How long is she staying
?”
“She’s resting at the hotel. She’s going back tomorrow. She’d love to stay longer but you know, all the wedding arrangements. There’s still a lot to do.”
“Well,” she said, standing up. “It’s a good thing we had that talk the other morning. You’d already decided you were being a schmuck,” she said with a bite.
He said nothing. His face remained fallen. She wasn’t sure if he was upset because of her or because he wasn’t ready to be a father. She thought about asking him about Hennesey, but what if there was something between them and she was just a pawn in this whole underwater chess game? She decided she’d rather not know. It would make diving with Daniel that much harder.
“Catherine, I never meant -.”
“I’m sure you’ll make a good father.”
Again, he said nothing.
She left the cabin abruptly, feeling he had led her on. Was the pregnancy even a reality? Or was it just another excuse to keep his distance?
She went through all the steps of preparing to dive, but everything was in slow motion. Her body was numb. She kept to herself until it was to time to enter the water again.
Daniel was right beside her, every stroke of his arms and kick of his fins. She welcomed his professionalism, and matched him in kind. This time though, she had her guard up. Now that she’d been fooled, she was on alert for anything.
The one uplifting moment for them all was when she, Daniel, and Hennesey watched Raul dig out a gold cross. This was one relic that would’ve been hard to secret away. The bejeweled crucifix was at least six inches high, burnished gold and laden with rubies. Now that Hennesey had the cross and the Madonna medallions, he had more than ample proof he’d found one of the lost ships of the Spanish Armada.
Catherine captured the beautiful religious artifact from all angles. The jewels on it spoke of redemption and lasting memory. She said a silent prayer, surprising herself in the moment. She was as far from her faith as she’d ever been, but here she was drawn back again, into a conversation with her Maker. She asked for some guidance, some way out of her doldrums. And then she apologized to Him for only praying when she needed help.
When everyone had surfaced, euphoria broke out with the dive team cheering their new discoveries with hand clapping and back slapping. Catherine did her best to rise to the occasion, even though she couldn’t look at Daniel without feeling robbed. Hennesey broke open a bottle of champagne he’d brought up from the galley and Joy passed out glasses. In the midst of celebrations, Gabe announced, “Listen up, everyone. Daniel’s going to be a father.”
Patrick put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder, raised his glass and said, “May there be a generation of children on the children of your children.”
“To Daniel,” was shouted as others joined in the toast. She lifted her glass as well, though her arm resisted. Glances flitted from Daniel to Catherine, but otherwise, crew members were kind and left her alone. Considering the enormity of his news, Daniel was uncharacteristically subdued when crew members shook his hand or patted him on the back.
Amidst all this hoopla, she couldn’t help but notice Hennesey’s menacing glare. Why had he told her about that kid he’d beaten up, the one he sent to hospital? He was obviously trying to scare her, underlining the lengths he’d go to, to get what he wanted.
She would just have to fly out earlier. She didn’t know what Hennesey had in mind, but she didn’t want to hang around to find out. She’d write Frank and tell him she’d had enough. She’d made it this far without an incident. It was all over anyway. She had nothing left to prove. As for the ghosts, well, as far as she was concerned, they could go haunt some other nutcase.
~~~
It was early evening by the time they got back to shore. As she was leaving the boat, Daniel called out, “Catherine.”
She turned. “What?”
He crossed the transom, his bag slung on his shoulders and joined her on the starboard side. “I want you to know I didn’t forget. I promised I’d help you explore the Alice O’Meary.”
She hesitated, then said through clenched teeth. “That’s all good, but I don’t know when that can happen. I’m leaving in a couple of days.” She didn’t trust him enough to tell him she was planning on flying out earlier.
“You’re in luck. One of the jet units failed when Jerry started up the engine for the return back”
She’d been so wrought up, she hadn’t noticed. Or was this some kind of ploy to get her alone under water where anything could happen? Yep, she was growing more paranoid by the moment.
“Some debris must’ve entered the water jet intake port and jammed the impeller. We made it back on the other engine, but now Hennesey has to get it repaired.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“We go out tomorrow.”
She stared at him, trying to figure out if he was on the level. God, it was tempting. One part of her said, No, go home, take the easy way out, the safe way out, but another part said, You’re so close to finding out what Margaret wants. You’ve gone this far. If you leave now, you’ll never know why she picked you.
She exhaled heavily and rested her bag on the gunwale. “How do you propose we go out there? Hennesey wouldn’t want us to expose that site to others.”
“After the government agents’ visit, it’s all out in the open anyway. Besides, all we’re going to do is have a look, right?”
“Right.” She wondered why he emphasized that. It’s not as if she was going to plunder the site. All she wanted was to dive the wreck of the Alice O’Meary, see if there was something there she was supposed to see. Surely the spirits would leave her alone after that.
“So, shall I arrange it?” His eyes were soft.
Damn him, anyway. She nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She stepped on to the dock, with Daniel right behind her. It was then she noticed a striking blond marching towards them. She recognized Sean from the photo he’d shown her. Dressed in white pants and a navy and white striped sweater, she looked as if she’d stepped out of the pages of Vogue.
Sean said to Daniel in a syrupy low voice, “Hey honey, I spotted your boat coming in from the hotel window. Did you have a good afternoon?”
“Sean, this is Catherine Fitzgerald. Catherine, my fiancée, Sean Billings.”
Catherine forced a smile and shook Sean’s hand. It was warm and firm. “It’s nice to meet you. I hear congratulations are in order.”
Sean put a proprietary arm around Daniel’s waist. She smiled up at him. “We were going to wait, but you know these things. They’re not always planned.”
Catherine nodded and smiled the same pasted-on smile she’d been wearing since shaking Sean’s hand. Seeing Daniel with his fiancée was so awkward she was afraid she’d start hyperventilating and embarrass herself further. She tried to relax but her legs remained stiff as if they were glued to the dock.
Sean regarded her curiously for a moment, then said, “Do you want to join us for a drink?”
Daniel searched Catherine’s eyes as if he was trying to read her mind.
Catherine re-adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “You know what? That sounds nice but I’m going to take off. You guys have had so little time together, you don’t need a third party around.”
“If you’re sure,” said Sean. “It was nice to finally meet you.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Catherine avoided looking at Daniel. She didn’t want him to see the hurt in her eyes. She was angry with herself for still caring. What was it about this kind of love? It was sick, that’s what it was. Another thing to talk about with Barbara. “See you tomorrow,” she said over her shoulder.
Catherine left the two of them, arms around one another. She didn’t even look back for fear they’d see her looking their way.
The universe had shown her many aspects of love in the past three weeks. Hurtling her from one emotion to the other, as if she was an astronaut flying through space; fear, joy, and awe butting up against one another, chall
enging her heart at every turn. She could handle the sea, but not this. She felt like throwing up.
THIRTY-FOUR
Later that evening—after her stomach had calmed down—Catherine ran into Alfredo at one of the pubs, where over dinner and a beer, they discussed the political climate in Cuba. She’d been tempted to ask him about Hennesey, but in the end decided against it. It might’ve been a touchy topic, especially if there was more to their relationship than she could see.
She guessed she’d stayed later than she realized as by the time she started walking back to the B & B, it was almost pitch black. There wasn’t a soul around, and she began to feel uneasy. She glanced around, but all was quiet. Not even a bird’s twitter broke the silence. The only small comfort she had was the smell of peat burning in someone’s home.
She wasn’t too far up the road when she heard footsteps. She turned and saw a man about a block back walking up the hill behind her. He was wearing a hat and his head was down. The fact that he was in shadows unsettled her and she quickened her step. As she did, he did the same.
She tucked her camera tight against her body, fearing the worst. She picked up her step and was tempted to break into a run, but she was afraid of falling. The road wasn’t even and any fall could be disastrous. She’d be easy prey then.
She turned again to see he was gaining on her. Her heart was beating so fast her head was pounding. She looked sideways to see if there was a home she could run into if need be, but the ones with the lights on were too far down the side streets.
She glanced back again. He was now a half block behind her. She couldn’t make him out, nor did she want to stop to get a better look.