In Dark Waters (4 page)

"I don't know. But you might as ell go back to town with Stu. Get something to eat, rest. I promise I will call you when I know something."

"That's a great idea, Kelsey," Stu said. "I'll bet you haven't had a decent meal in days."

A week was more like it. "Okay, I get the not-diving part. I
might
be a liability underwater now. But I'm staying right here in this spot until that car is inspected."

Mitch glared at her, his hands on his hips. "You will be sitting here most of the day. There's nothing you can do to help the investigation."

She could be just as stubborn as he was. "I'll wait."

He looked at her as if she were a nut job. "You've waited ten years for news of your mother. What are a few more days?" Mitch said. "Go back to town. Be reasonable."

Hysterical laughter rose in her throat. "I haven't been reasonable since the day Donna walked out on me. Why should I start now?"

Six hours later, the hot sun had burned off the morning haze, leaving a crystal clear sky. Kelsey had shrugged off her dive suit and pulled on jeans and a shirt over her bikini.

Time and distance had settled the panic inside her. But a dull, lingering ache had burrowed into her bones. Her throat remained tight with unshed tears.

On Mitch's orders, she stood away from the quarry's edge, far from the search and recovery crew that had assembled there two hours ago. The six-man team had arrived shortly after eleven in a blue van marked Recovery Team. Attached to the back of their truck was a trailer and skiff.

The team immediately set up their equipment and inspected their dive gear. The quiet quarry buzzed with activity as Mitch briefed the men. Each man clearly liked and respected Mitch.

Now the skiff sat anchored in the middle of the quarry. Two policemen in the boat kept looking over the side into the water. They were waiting for the three divers below to come up to the surface. One of the divers was Mitch.

Two cops stood twenty feet away from Kelsey and chatted easily about a drug bust. Once or twice, they glanced at her, as if to make sure she'd not moved closer to the water's edge. Mitch's doing, she thought grimly. He didn't trust her not to suit up and dive. He was right to be worried. Any other time, she'd have known better not to attempt a dive. But today, reason took a backseat to emotion.

Kelsey pressed her fingers to her now throbbing forehead. She thought she'd gotten past all the old feelings of abandonment and worry. She hadn't. Ten years later and Donna still could turn her world upside down.

Stu limped toward her. He shifted the weight on his foot, as if it was really bothering him. "Don't worry. Mitch has everything under control."

Kelsey hadn't missed how naturally Mitch had fallen into the leadership role of this recovery operation. "You should sit down. Take some weight off that ankle."

"I will soon."

Kelsey wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "Donna always liked being the center of attention."

Stu smiled. "She'd be in her glory if she could see what was happening."

Just then, Mitch and the other divers surfaced in the center of the quarry. They climbed into the boat, removed their fins. The police officer sitting next to the engine started the motor. They rode to shore, their tanks glistening in the sunlight.

On shore, Mitch removed his mask and then shrugged off his tanks. He had Kelsey's camera hooked to his weight belt.

Her camera
. She had forgotten all about dropping it. God, she
had
been rattled. That camera and its waterproof case had cost her a couple of grand.

The divers reached the shore and climbed out of the boat. Mitch said something to the other divers, then glanced up toward the shore at Kelsey.

Her insides tightened and for just an instant, she felt her knees buckle. "I don't like him."

"Who? Mitch?" Stu said. "Why?"

"Too bossy."

"You two did fight like cats and dogs when you worked in the shop."

"Yeah."

He scratched his head. "Never saw two people who couldn't agree on anything."

"I feel like I can't breathe when he's close." She shoved a shaky hand through her hair, now dried by the sun.

Mitch carried his tanks to his car, which he'd moved down the ramp closer to the quarry and the recovery team truck. He unzipped his scuba suit and peeled it off. Opening the front door of his Suburban, he pulled out a towel and dried his hands and face. He shrugged on an old T-shirt.

One arm leaning on the roof of the car, he rested a foot on the running board and reached inside for the radio mounted to the dash.

"The guy did just scramble a dive team in less than two hours," Stu said. "I don't know law enforcement, but I'd be willing to bet he pulled off a minor miracle."

She hated owing anyone, especially Mitch. "I know."

"You should do something nice for him."

"Like what, bake a pie?"

Stu chuckled. "How about saying thanks?"

Kelsey sighed. She was being a bitch. "How many times am I going to have to clean up one of Donna's messes?"

Stu put his hand on her shoulder. "I know she could be tough to deal with." He sighed. "I wish to hell Chris and I had investigated the wreck better. We spotted it at the end of our dive and didn't have the air to spend. We'd planned to come back the next day and push it over the ledge, but that damn tourist nearly ran me over and then Chris took off. If we'd been able to check the car out, I could have spared you all this."

"It's okay, Stu," she said managing a smile. He'd always tried to be there for her. "Sooner or later, I'd have found out."

The image of the skeleton lying on the front seat flashed in her mind. She felt like she did those first nights after Donna had left. Powerless.

"Mitch is headed this way," Stu said. "He doesn't look happy."

She straightened her shoulders. "Does he ever?"

Stu laughed. "He's got a wicked sense of humor, as a matter of fact. Throws a mean football spiral." His tone more serious, he added, "He's a good guy, Kelsey. You can trust him."

Her spine straightened. "I trust you, Stu. That's it."

His aviator glasses on, Mitch strode toward them. He walked with the swagger of a military man. She bet he still made his bed to regulation, corners tucked, blankets firm enough to bounce a quarter. The guy was definitely wrapped tight.

Mitch handed Kelsey her camera. Their fingers brushed and every muscle in her body constricted. Who was she kidding? She was the one wrapped tight.

"Thanks," she said her voice rusty. "Seems I owe you a lot."

"You don't owe me anything." His gaze lingered on her a beat too long and then shifted to Stu. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Stu glanced nervously at Kelsey. "Sure, Mitch."

"Wait a minute. What about me?" Kelsey said stepping forward. "I've a right to know what's going on down there."

Tension invaded Mitch's muscles. "It might be better if I talk to Stu first."

She could feel the hysteria building inside her. "You're not cutting me out of this one,
Sheriff
."

Mitch's shoulders stiffened. He obviously didn't like being told what to do. "All right. I just radioed the morgue. When the hearse arrives, we'll bring the body up."

Morgue. Hearse. The breath rushed from her chest. "It was Donna in the car, wasn't it?"

Mitch's face softened a fraction. "We don't know that, Kelsey."

"I do." A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

Stu laid his hand on her shoulder and said something to her but she barely registered the words.

"We need to wait for forensics and the autopsy," Mitch said. And then, as if reading her thoughts, he added, "We'll have a confirmation soon enough."

Soon
. "How soon is soon?"

"We've got to get the body to shore and then get it to the medical examiner. A few days. Be patient," Mitch said.

Patient. The irony of his words made her choke with rage. "I've been
patient
for ten damn years, Sheriff," she said.

The policemen stopped what they were doing and turned in her direction. Mitch took her anger in stride.

The pained look in Stu's eyes reminded her of the social workers she'd dealt with all those times Donna had gotten arrested. "As soon as Mitch knows anything, he'll let you know."

Kelsey tightened her fingers into fists. She'd always imagined that Donna was out there somewhere alive and trying to turn her life around. In her dreams, her mother had realized that leaving her daughter had been the biggest mistake of her life. Donna wanted to return home to Kelsey, sober and loving. All the questions would have answers.

Her naiveté was almost laughable now.

There were no answers. Only more questions.

"Honey," Stu said, "you're exhausted. You need to rest."

Kelsey shoved aside her fatigue. "I'm not leaving."

"There's nothing you can do here," Mitch said.

She lifted her gaze to his mirrored shades. Her drawn expression stared back at her. "I always took care of Donna, even when I was real young. I'll wait until she is out of the water."

He was silent for a moment. "Fair enough."

She looked at Stu. "But I do want you to go back to town. Your leg must be throbbing by now."

Stu winced and she saw the strain in his face. He was hurting. "I'm not leaving you."

"She's right, Stu," Mitch said. "I'll have a policeman drive you back."

She handed Mitch her car keys. "Take my car."

Stu shook his head. "Thanks, you two, but I'm staying." His voice sounded shaky. He was only fifty-five, yet he looked seventy. This had all been a terrible strain on Stu. She reminded herself that he'd once loved Donna.

The tremor in his voice endangered Kelsey's hold on her composure. She didn't want to lose him, too. "I'm used to being alone. And I can't focus on Donna if I'm worried about you. Please, for me, go back to town and take care of yourself."

Stu stared at her an extra beat, then shoved out a sigh. "I'm not leaving you, Kelsey."

She laid her hand on his shoulder. His skin felt cold. "Please, Stu, go home and put your foot up."

He laid his hand over hers. "How will you get back?"

"I'll bring her," Mitch offered.

His rusty voice radiated authority. And she'd have argued with Mitch just for the sake of it, if not for the look of relief on Stu's face.

She managed one of her best smiles. "See, all taken care of."

A hint of a smile tugged the edges of Mitch's mouth. She hated accepting his help and he knew it. He called out to a policeman, "Jeff, can you take Stu back in Kelsey's car?"

The tall thin policeman nodded. "Be glad to."

Stu looked past her to Mitch. "You'll call me as soon as the body is up?"

"Promise," Mitch said.

"All right." Stu kissed Kelsey on the cheek. "Call me the minute you get back to town."

"That's the second promise you've asked me to make today," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Making promises goes against my grain, but for you I'll make an exception."

Stu chuckled. "I'm old. I have a right to be greedy."

Kelsey handed Jeff her keys and then helped Stu up the hill. His limp was more pronounced and his shoulders stooped.