The boat is at the end of the dock. Wait there. I’ll go in and gather up the forces. Hopefully anyone who wandered off shopping is back. And hopefully those who did more drinking than eating won’t be too inebriated.”
She smiled and thanked him, then started down the dock. The sunset was coming in, and she believed with her whole heart that nothing could compare to sunset in the Florida Keys. The colors were magnificent. If there was rain on the horizon, they were darker. On a bright day like today, the night came with a riot of unparalleled pastels.
It was her favorite time of day. Peaceful. Especially when she had a few moments alone, as she did now. The dock was empty. The other boaters docked nearby were either on shore or in their cabins. The evening was hers.
She strolled the length of rustic wood planks and, at the end, stretched and sat, dangling her feet as she appreciated the sky and tried not to think about the corpse she had seen.
Or the husband she had so suddenly reacquired.
“Who’s missing here?”
David had just reentered the restaurant in time to hear Jeb Larson’s question.
“Mr. Granger,” Zach called out helpfully.
“Mr. Denham,” Jeb asked, spotting David. “Have you seen Mr. Granger?”
“Sorry, I went out to make a call. He was at the table when I left.”
Jay Galway came striding in at that moment, a bag bearing the name of a local shop in his hand. He arched an eyebrow at Jeb. “Got a problem?”
“Just missing a diver,” Jeb said, never losing his easy tone. “Mr. Granger.”
Jay seemed startled as he looked around. “He was here twenty minutes ago,” he said. “David?”
“Don’t know. I was on the phone.”
“He said something about going out for a smoke,” Hank Adamson called. He was standing at the end of the bar. David was certain he hadn’t been there a minute ago.
He looked around. John Seymore seemed to be among the missing, as well, but just then he came striding in from around back.
“Excuse me, Mr. Seymore,” Jeb called. “Have you seen Mr. Granger?”
“Nope,” John Seymore said.
“Leave it to Granger.”
The words were a bare whisper of aggravation, but David was close enough to Jay Galway to hear them.
“Well, relax…we’ll find him,” Jeb said, still cheerful.
“Maybe he went shopping,” Zach suggested.
“Yep, maybe,” Jeb said, and tousled the boy’s hair.
“You know,” David said quietly to Jay, “they can take the dive boat on back. We can wait for him.”
Jay cast him a glance that spoke volumes about his dislike for the man, but all he said was, “We can wait a few minutes.”
Alex stared at the lights as they played over the water. The lapping sound of the sea as it gently butted against dozens of hulls and the wood of the dock pilings was lulling. The little ripples below her were growing darker, but still, there was a rainbow of hues, purple, deepest aqua, a blue so dark it was almost ebony.
She frowned, watching as something drifted out from beneath the end of the dock where she sat.
At first, she was merely puzzled. What on earth…?
Then her blood ran cold. She leaped to her feet, staring down. Her jaw dropped, and she clenched her throat to scream…caught the sound, started to turn, stopped again.
No. This body wasn’t disappearing.
And so she went with her first instinct and began to scream as loudly as she could.
“We all have to wait here for just one guy?” one of the divers complained.
“My Mom will be getting worried,” Zach said.
“Don’t worry, you can use my phone,” David assured the teen, handing it to him. “Don’t you have a cell phone?” he asked the boy.
Zach grinned. “You bet. But Mom wouldn’t let me take it on the boat. Said I might lose it overboard. She doesn’t dive,” he said, as if that explained everything about his mother.
“Leave it to Seth Granger,” Jay said, and this time, he was clearly audible. “Go ahead,” he instructed Jeb. “You and the captain and Alex get our crew back. David has said he doesn’t mind waiting for Granger.” He turned to David. “You’re sure?” he asked.
“Sure. We’ll wait,” he said, and he hoped to hell it wasn’t going to be long. Now, more than ever, he didn’t want Alex out of his sight.
The others rose, stretched and started to file out.
And that was when they heard the scream.
Somehow, the instant he heard it, David knew they weren’t going to have to wait for Granger after all.
Chapter Six
Everyone came running.
Alex wasn’t thrilled about that, but after her last experience, she’d had to sound an alarm—she wasn’t letting this body drift away. Before the others came pounding down the dock, though, she dived in. Though the man was floating face downward and sure as hell looked dead, she wasn’t taking any chances.
The water right by the dock was far from the pristine blue expanse featured in tourist ads. She rose from a misty darkness to grab hold of the man’s floating arm.
With a jolt, she realized it was Seth Granger.
By then the others had arrived. David was in the lead and instantly jumped into the water to join her. He was stronger and was easily able to maneuver the body. John Seymore, with Jeb at his side, reached down as David pushed Seth upward; between them, they quickly got Seth Granger lying on the dock, and, despite the obvious futility, Jeb dutifully attempted resuscitation. Alex heard someone on a cell phone, telling a 911 operator what had happened. By the time she and David had both been fished out of the water and were standing on the dock, sirens were blaring.
Jeb, youthful and determined, kept at his task, helped by John, but Seth was clearly beyond help.
He still reeked of alcohol.
Two med techs came racing down the dock, and when they reached Seth Granger, Jeb and John stepped aside. The men from Fire Rescue looked at one another briefly, then took over where John and Jeb had left off.
“Anyone know how long he’s been in the water?” one of them.
“Couldn’t be more than twenty minutes,” John Seymore said. “He was definitely inside twenty minutes ago.”
“Let’s get
