Severed Threads (33 page)

They swam in a westerly direction for five more minutes before arriving at the merchant ship’s hindquarters. Rachel’s companion stalled instantly– perhaps as much in awe as she’d originally been by the
Wanli’s
vast and inconceivable presence. After a few seconds, he finned up beside her and signaled, “Go!” He waited for her to proceed then resumed his position.

She shimmied through an open window on the third level and entered a small cabin, where the greatest collection of dishware had been found. She aimed her flashlight into the room’s dark interior and shadowy alcoves to verify its vacancy. Fortunately, the only sign of life came in the form of shimmering particulate, reflecting in the light’s beam. The moray eel she’d encountered on a previous dive was now nowhere in sight.

She swam half the circumference of the room before coming to a partially open doorway. The passage beyond led downward to the ship’s main cargo hold, where the shark had taken up residence. By all accounts, it wouldn’t be long before the illusive creature transformed into a vicious predator, disposing of the belligerent fool trailing behind.

Rachel slowed her approach. Except for the broad mast slanting through the dark, the huge space appeared completely empty. A cloud of silt was wafting down from the upper floor, obscuring the view before them. The quickest exit rested in the ship’s darkest corner – the camouflaged crack that had provided Ian and Wade with an alternate escape route.

Rachel concentrated on their pitch-black surroundings, primed for any sudden movement. But the sudden flash from an enormous school of glistening fish startled her and nearly cost her the beacon of light leading the way. With her confidence finally restored, she continued on. But Viktor stalled more than once in obvious protest.

“
Where are we going?” he signed repeatedly.

She motioned downward. “Just five more minutes,” she assured him.

When they reached the bottom of the hull, the visibility had diminished to ten feet. She was also keenly aware that a cloud of fine silt now rose in her wake, completely obscuring Viktor’s vision. His hand signals had been reduced to indiscernible complaints and no longer warranted her response. She glanced over her shoulder as they swam on and was assured by the growing distance between them. Her lips curled around her regulator, as she delighted in the perverse pleasure. Viktor would soon be trapped in the
Wanli’s
tangled maze with his dimming flashlight, empty air tank, and no one to lead the way out.

She increased her speed and seized the opportunity to change course. She ducked under rotting timbers and headed south, increasing her depth as she left Viktor far behind. She entered the last compartment in the
Wanli’s
vast cargo hold and kept her eyes peeled for the crack in the ship’s outer hull. But it didn’t take long to realize something was terribly wrong. The escape route she’d been counting on was now sheathed in a rock wall.

What the hell!
The unstable volcanic sediment, where the ship had been moored for hundreds of years, had shifted, causing huge chucks of Basanite to break through her underbelly. Any possibility of escape had been foiled by nature’s resolve. She carefully pushed away rocks, but after another ten minutes, she realized it was suicide to keep looking. Her air was getting dangerously low. She’d already disregarded every rule, every ounce of common sense, and by her calculations, one hundred feet down with only ten minutes of air equaled only one disturbing quotient. Without the aid of a pony tank, her own life was now on the line.

She doubled back, slowing her steady breathing. By now Viktor’s tank had to be close to empty. In a panic, he would be coming after her. She wasted no time working her way out of the ship’s cargo hold, pushing the BC rig ahead of her. Even though she hadn’t passed any intersecting vents, she maintained contact with the monofilament laid line Chase had attached to the Penn reel leading to the
Stargazer
. Wrapping it inch by inch over her right wrist, she retraced her path until she sensed the
Wanli’s
open hatch ahead of her.

Upon entering the blackness of the open ocean, Rachael sensed she wasn’t alone. She scanned the watery space surrounding her, half-expecting Viktor to materialize. But that wasn’t the case. The luminous creature Chase had angrily dismissed and the crew had disannulled was back! Her attempt to erase its presence from her mind only made the image grow stronger – become more apparent and inescapably real. Before her eyes the specter took shape, becoming a glowing orb. From its center, the face of an angel slowly immerged. She was surrounded in streams of white gossamer, extending beyond her like fluid, shimmering silk. Her black hair framed her angelic face, flowing aimlessly in the ocean’s current.

Rachael stared at the woman’s astonishing face, transfixed by her gentle smile. She felt blissfully content, foolishly lightheaded. She smiled back, giddy over the vision’s kind, wholesome goodness. But then something happened in an instant. The woman’s brown eyes became black. They darted to the right, compelling Rachel’s eyes to follow.

The great white was charging, preparing to devour her in one piece. Its dull lifeless eyes were fixed. Its mouth was stretched open wide – exposing white, limb-ripping teeth. Instinctively, Rachel reached for her knife then remembered it was gone. Miraculously, the shark passed by, coming within inches of her.

Oh, my God!
Rachel’s vision followed its fast-moving tail. The shark had been attracted to something larger, more threatening. Far more appealing than herself. A black wetsuit was rapidly approaching from the opposite direction. Viktor Dubov’s knife was pulled and extended before him. After discovering he’d been duped, he was obviously intent on doing her harm. But the villain wasn’t prepared for a head-on collision with an angry 400-pound shark.

The creature slammed into his body full force. Viktor’s eyes bulged as the big fish whipped away. Behind his mouthpiece, his voice remained a hostage.

Rachael had no intention of sharing his fate. She swam closer, focused on reclaiming her knife. But Viktor panicked in an instant. He grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her, holding her helplessly in place.

No!
She squirmed and twisted, trying to free herself. Yet the fool held fast. The shark returned and attacked from below, latching onto Viktor’s left leg. She could feel the terrific jolt as the shark shook his body, demanding ownership of its prey.

Then suddenly, there was blood everywhere. Viktor’s face was completely aghast, stunned by disbelief.

Use the knife! Use the knife!
Rachel pointed repeatedly at his weapon.

He released his hold and brought the knife into view. She grabbed it from his hand just as he was pulled down beneath her. The shark swept by in a deep methodical circle. On its second pass, the great white brushed by her shoulder with Viktor firmly locked in its jaws.

Stunned into disbelief, Rachel watched as the monster took the villain away.

Twenty-Eight

Rachel could still feel the pressure of Ian’s hands under her arms, lifting her out of the ocean. Setting her down on the seat. She stared mindlessly at the men in uniform staring back and surmised she’d been deposited on the deck of a Coast Guard cutter following the shark’s vicious attack.

“
Where’s the man who was with ya?” Ian asked, concern stitching his brow.

Rachel closed her eyes again, trying to still her jangled nerves, her quivering lips. But her bent knees wouldn’t stop shaking. “Great white took him,” she mumbled.

“
Was no fault of yers. Ya let it go now.” His arm was draped over her shoulder, pinning the warm gray blanket in place. She glanced to her left where a Coast Guard officer was cross-examining Wade. From the look on his face, her exuberant protector was anxious for the clipper to shove off and let them to get back to business as usual.

She looked out at the rolling waves extending far beyond their starboard side. “She was there,” fell out of her mouth.

“
Who’s that?”

She lifted her chin, meeting Ian’s gaze. “Mai Le. I saw her.”

“
The ghost of that dead Chinese girl?” At Ian’s question, two Coast Guard officers turned. “Jaysus,” Ian bellowed. “She offed herself four hundred years ago. We’re not jawin’ bout that again, are we?”

Rachel recognized the stress in his eyes. She shook her head and looked away.

“
That’s me, girl. As it is, Cap’n’s gonna have a conniption when he hears what’s gone on.”

Wade’s voice suddenly grew louder. “Why isn’t anyone listening to me? I’m telling you she needs a
real
doctor.”

The Coast Guard paramedic glared at him. “Like I told you, she’s pinking up. She’s obviously shaken, but under the circumstances, her pulse appears fine. She doesn’t show any sign of nausea and somehow, despite everything she went through, she made all her stops. I can call and arrange for an ambulance, if you’d like…just to put your mind at ease.”

Rachel’s head snapped to the right. “I’m fine. I just want to be left alone.”

“
I think it would be a good idea to have a doctor look at you anyway, ma’am.”

Two more uniforms approached. The first officer, a clean-cut, middle-aged man, eased himself onto the padded seat beside her. Off to his right, the prim young woman with short brown hair simply observed.

“
I’m Lieutenant Commander Phillips and this is Petty Officer Nelson,” he said. “San Palo sheriff’s deputies are still searching the area for the man who went down with you and the diver who escaped before we arrived. We’re also trying to piece together exactly what happened here. According to Blaine McKenzie, who’s waiting on board your ship, you were boarded and accosted by these men and one of them managed to get away with some of your personal effects. Their boat was rented from the San Palo marina. Assisting officers are currently towing it back to the harbor. But where there seems to be some confusion is in regard to the third individual who was manning that craft. He was fished out of the ocean twenty minutes ago and claims he was brutally attacked by members of your crew without provocation. I know that’s totally unlikely given their story. However, since your captain is unavailable at this time, I’m hoping as the owner of this vessel you’d be willing to answer a few questions.”

Petty Officer Nelson stepped away to answer a call.

Rachel glanced at Ian and then Wade, leaning against the rail, hoping for clues to their collaborating accounts. Their lax postures and bland stares revealed nothing. She looked back at the lieutenant and cleared her throat. “I’ll try,” she said doubtfully.

He opened his small binder and reviewed his notes. Then he looked up. “Mr. Rodriguez claims you have a Chinese relic belonging to him and his associates. Is there any possibility this is true?”

Rachel almost laughed out loud. The officer’s inquiry brought obsolete airline security questions to mind.
Has anyone unknown to you asked you to carry an item on this flight? Have any of the items you’re traveling with been out of your immediate control since the time you packed them?
No wonder they were scrapped years ago.

“
Let me ask you something, Lieutenant,” she said cynically. “If I had this item in my possession, what makes you think it would belong to
any
of these men?”

“
I just ask the questions, Miss Lyons.”

Ian’s left brow lifted a fraction. Wade’s eyes returned to the sea.

“
Sir,” she added, “I don’t mean to be crass but they’re pirates. They ransacked our boat and threatened our lives. They’d say anything to keep from going to jail, wouldn’t they?”

“
Normally, I would completely agree with you. But given Mr. Rodriguez’s claim and his relationship to the mayor of San Palo – ”

“
Relationship?”

“
Turns out they’re brothers. But in any regard, if your ship’s log and dive journal are in complete order, you should have no problem clearing all this up. Otherwise, it becomes a matter for the courts.”