by J. T. Cross
He watched her twirl her hair with her finger. He knew her well enough to know that she only did that when something was bothering her. “Why are you so interested in that plane?” He waited for her response as he listened to the sound of the wind and the ocean waves lapping at the sides of the boat.
“Just curious. It’s been going around in circles for hours.”
“No law against it.”
“No, but it doesn’t make much sense either. I think they’re searching for something.”
“No doubt, considering how many valuable artifacts are out here,” he said sarcastically.
Raising her eyebrows, she glanced across the deck at him. “Just the ruins of an ancient city, if my theory is correct.”
He stared at her, feeling his frustration rise. She just didn’t get it. “We’ve talked about this before. No intact artifacts, no money.”
She turned away. “There’s more to life than money.” She adjusted her bathing suit, sat down, and stretched out her long muscular legs, resting her feet against the side of the boat. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’m bushed.”
He decided he wanted to get back to the marina as soon as possible. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “I’ll go down and get your other sample bags while you rest.”
She glared at him. “We go down together or not at all.” A moment later, her expression changed to one of sadness.
He immediately realized he shouldn’t have suggested that, not after what had happened to her husband a year earlier.
She took her feet off the edge of the boat, scooted back in her seat, and sat upright. “Tommy thought it would be okay to go down alone and I didn’t stop him. We both know what happened.”
He raised his shoulders and put his hands up. “All right, we’ll do it your way…you okay?”
She looked out over the water. “I’m good,” she said softly.
“We’ll go back down together,” he said.
“It’s back,” she said, pointing off the rear port side of the boat.
It took him a couple of seconds to spot the plane. It was about a half mile away, several hundred feet over the water, and heading toward them. It continued to lose altitude as they watched in silence.
She stood. “It’s coming right at us.”
That got his attention. He stood and moved next to her. He estimated the plane was now no more than thirty feet off the water. “What the hell’s the pilot doing?”
The plane continued to descend and then banked to their left, correcting its course so it would pass just to the right of their boat. The wheels, attached to a rigid landing gear, were now only feet above the water.
“That pilot better pull up,” she said loudly.
The small plane’s engine suddenly quit, dashing all hope for that. For several seconds, it continued gliding silently, mere feet above the water, before the nose tilted upward, and the plane stalled. A second later, its nose fell and its front wheel dug into the crest of a small swell.
Matt winced as the plane flipped forward and cartwheeled. Time seemed to stretch out as the wings and tail were torn off and the sound of metal being hammered and ripped filled the air.
Megan gasped as the plane finally came to rest, leaving only the fuselage and pieces of the broken wings floating on the choppy ocean.
Chapter 2
Megan’s heart pounded and her stomach clenched as she stared at the pieces of wreckage. She had never witnessed a plane crash and was unprepared for the violent destruction of the small craft. She turned to Matt. “We have to do something.”
He didn’t respond but kept gazing at the wreckage with his mouth open, slowly shaking his head. He turned and looked at her. “Ouch, that’s gotta hurt,” he mumbled.
Frowning, she wondered if he ever took anything seriously. She looked back at the plane and saw movement in the cockpit. “I think the pilot’s alive.”
Matt went to the front of the boat and started the engines. He glanced back at her. “I’m going to pull closer to the plane. Maybe we can fish out the pilot.” He pushed the switch to raise the anchor.
She heard the sound of the lugging windlass motor as it reeled in the anchor, and then looked back at the plane. It was riding lower in the water than it had just moments before.
She climbed up on the side of the boat and yelled, “There’s no time for that. It’s sinking!” She took a deep breath and dove off the side.
The cold water was a shock to her warm body as she glided just below the surface in the direction of the plane. She felt herself slowing, came to the surface, and began swimming hard toward the front of the fuselage. A strong swimmer, she reached the cockpit in less than a minute. She glanced back at The Gypsy Queen. Matt was still bringing up the anchor.
She turned and looked into the cockpit window. Inside, a white-haired man held his head as water rushed in around him. Seeing that the water was already up to his waist, she knew she didn’t have much time to get him out.
She looked down through the water along the outside of the door and saw a handle. Grabbing it, she pushed it down and pulled. The door refused to open and she only succeeded in pulling herself closer to the sinking plane.
She repositioned herself in the water, putting both feet against the side of the fuselage, and pulled again. This time, she had more leverage and felt the door open, slowly at first, then more easily as water rushed into the cockpit. She pushed it back and out of the way.
Grabbing the man by the arm, she tried to pull him out without success and immediately realized his seatbelt must still be engaged. “Unfasten your seatbelt!”
He looked at her with glazed eyes. “What?”
She took a couple of deep breaths, ducked under the water, and pulled herself into the cockpit. She searched for the seatbelt clasp, working her way around his waist until she found and released it.
She pushed herself back out of the cabin, grabbed his arm, and began to pull. “Let’s get you out of here.”
To her surprise, he resisted, turned away from her, and reached around to his right to grab a floating yellow case.
He pushed the case in her direction. “Save this. It’s the most important thing,” he said in a strained, gravelly voice.
Megan pushed the case back. “I’ve got to get you out first. Your plane is sinking.” She grabbed the man’s arm and tried again to pull him out of the cockpit.
The old man pushed the yellow case back in her face. “No, first, save my data!”
She angrily grabbed the case, pulled it out of his hands, and shoved it out onto the water.
She turned her attention back to the man in the cockpit. Once again, she found him reaching for something. “Is anyone else on board?” she asked.
“No, I’m alone. My pills!” he said in a stilted voice.
“Are you crazy? I need to get you out,” she said forcefully. She grabbed him by the front of the shirt and roughly pulled him out of the cockpit.
As she held onto him, she treaded water to keep them on the surface while she looked at him more closely. He appeared to be in pain.
Inches away from her head, a life preserver suddenly splashed into the water. Matt had pulled the boat alongside and thrown the preserver, which was attached to a rope. She grabbed it and shoved it into the old man’s arms. “Hold onto this,” she said.
Matt immediately began pulling the man toward the boat. He looked back at her with a panicked expression. “It’s my heart. My bottle of nitro pills. It’s still on the plane.”
Now she understood his concern about his pills. She turned back to the fuselage, just as the tail disappeared below the surface. She took several deep breaths and dove straight down, struggling to catch up to the sinking wreckage. When it was within reach, she grabbed the top of the cabin and pulled herself inside.
Beginning to feel a little out of breath, she quickly looked around but saw nothing, then glanced up and caught sight of a small bottle floating up against the headliner. She grabb
ed it, stuck it in her bathing suit top and pulled herself back out of the cabin. She needed air.
She pushed off against the fuselage and began swimming toward the surface. She was surprised, and then alarmed, as she realized just how deep the sinking plane had taken her.
She pushed herself upward with hard kicks and wide swipes of her arms. Above her, she could see the outline of The Gypsy Queen, and not far from it, the man. She really needed air. Just as she felt as if her lungs might burst, she broke through the surface and began taking in deep breaths of fresh air.
She pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around to get her bearings. She saw Matt tugging at the man’s shirt, trying to help him climb up the ladder that hung over the side of the boat.
She swam over to them and looked into the old man’s half-closed eyes. “How are you doing?”
“I can’t climb the ladder,” he said as he gasped for breath.
For a moment, she wondered if she could help push the man up the ladder. No, she was going to have to get in the boat and help Matt pull him up.
“Just hang onto the ladder,” she said and climbed up into the boat.
Standing next to Matt, she reached over and grabbed one of the man’s wrists as Matt took the other. Together, they slowly pulled him up the side, over the edge, and into the boat where he collapsed onto the deck.
She got on her knees next to him. “How are you doing?”
He looked up. “Did you find my pills?”
“Yes,” she said, reaching into her bathing suit and withdrawing the small bottle. She opened it. “How many do you need?”
“Two.” He reached up, opening his hand.
She shook out two of the small pills and carefully placed them in his hand. She watched him put the pills under his tongue and then lay his head back down. He stared up blankly, as if waiting for something.
“Ah…” he said a few moments later. “They’re helping, but I still need to go to the hospital.”
Matt bent over them. “Why don’t you get a seat cushion for his head, Megan? It’s going to be bumpy on the way in.”
“No!” the old man said in a panicked tone as he tried to raise himself up. “We can’t leave without my equipment. Please…”
Megan’s eyes went wide as she remembered she hadn’t retrieved the man’s case. She got to her feet and looked back out over the water. She spotted the yellow case bobbing up and down, just thirty feet off the starboard side and was surprised to see it was still floating.
“Pull the boat next to it and I’ll grab it,” she said to Matt and then walked to the bow and pulled a grappling hook from its holder.
The diesel engines revved as the boat began to move. She kept her eye on the case as Matt pulled the boat beside it. Reaching out with the long pole, she snagged the yellow case by its handle and pulled it aboard.
She laid the case and pole down on the deck and went back to the old man. “Your equipment is safe.” She laid her hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get you back to the coast as fast as possible. You’re going to be okay,” she said.
He looked up and reached out his hand to her. “By the way, my name is Robert Woodland. It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for saving my life.”
She gently shook his hand.
“I’m Megan O’Brien and the guy at the wheel,” she frowned, “is Matt Turner.”
Woodland smiled up at her. “Before we leave, could you bring over my equipment case?”
She scooted the yellow case next to him as Matt joined them. “Sorry, your stuff is probably soaked,” she said.
Woodland rose up on one elbow. “It’s supposed to be waterproof,” he said, unlatching and opening the case. He looked inside and then took a deep breath and sighed. “I think everything’s okay.”
She quickly glanced inside and saw a laptop and some other electronic equipment. On top of them was a spiral notebook. He quickly closed the lid.
“What were you doing up there, anyway? I saw you fly by at least five times,” she said.
He looked at the case as if in deep thought for several moments, then stared at Megan. “I’ve discovered something incredible out here.”
Matt moved closer. “What did you find?”
The old man shook his head slowly. “I don’t really know. It will take experts to get their hands on it so we can find out. It could be priceless.”
She saw Matt’s eyes go wide.
He bent down closer to the man. “Priceless? What do you mean by priceless? Are we talking about gold?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“I can’t really tell you.”
Matt gave him a knowing look and grinned. “That big of a treasure, huh?”
Woodland blinked, grimaced, and then looked off the side of the boat. “No, it’s not like that at all. What I discovered out there is a violation of the fundamental laws of quantum physics.”
Matt continued to stare intensely at the old man. “What do you think caused it?”
“Don’t know…”
Megan thought the old man looked uncomfortable. “Do you think you could sit on one of the seats at the back if we helped you? It would be more comfortable.”
“I think so,” he mumbled with a faraway look in his eyes.
She and Matt helped him to a seat at the rear of the boat. Matt kneeled at Woodland’s feet and Megan sat next to him.
Woodland rested for a moment then continued, “There’s something out there that is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered.”
“And it’s priceless?” Matt pulled closer to Woodland. “So, if we could locate this thing, and bring it up…”
Megan glanced at Matt and could see by the expression on his face that he was almost intoxicated with the idea of a priceless treasure.
She pushed Matt back. “Oh, my gosh. Would you leave him alone? His heart’s bothering him.”
Matt cast an indignant look her way.
She glared back. “We need to get him back to shore now. Can you please get this boat going?”
He stood. “He looked like he was doing better. I was just asking him a few questions. Didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”
“Well, stop it. Let’s get going.”
He made a face at her.
She stared back angrily as he went back to the wheel and sat down in the captain’s chair.
She watched him push forward on the throttle and felt the powerful diesels come to life as he pulled The Gypsy Queen around in a circle and accelerated back toward the coast.
She turned back to Woodland. “It’s going to take us about an hour and a half to get back.”
“I understand; we’re quite a distance out,” he said and blinked several times. “Could you do something for me?”
“It depends on what it is.”
“Would you promise to take care of my equipment until I get out of the hospital? I want to make sure it stays safe.” He paused for a minute as he looked into her eyes. “I trust you.”
She felt honored. He hardly knew her and yet, he trusted her. “Thank you. Of course, I’ll take care of it.”
“However,” he paused for a moment and took a breath, “if I don’t make it, open the case and follow the instructions in the spiral notebook.”
She frowned. “Don’t talk like that. You’re going to make it.”
He continued staring directly at her. “Can I count on you?”
“Yes. I’ll take care of it until you get out of the hospital.”
He patted her hand. “Thank you.” He laid his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes.
Megan got up and went below deck. She found her purse and took one of her business cards out of her wallet. Turning over the card, she wrote a quick message on the back.
I’ll take good care of your things. Call me when you’re better. Megan.
She rushed back on deck and over to the old man. Sitting down next to him, she held the card in front of his face. “This is a card with my number. When you’re better, give me a call a
nd you can pick up your things.”
He slowly opened his eyes, looked at the card, and nodded. She slid it into his shirt pocket. She looked up at the clouds. Please let him live, she thought.
Chapter 3
On the way back to the marina, Matt called the Coast Guard and let them know where the plane crash had taken place. He also let them know there had been only one passenger and that he appeared to be having heart problems and would need an ambulance.
As they entered the marina, Matt slowed the boat to a crawl and Megan caught sight of the paramedics waiting on the dock.
She looked over at the old man. His head was still tilted back and his eyes were closed. The fact that he hadn’t said a word for the last half hour caused her more than a little concern.
As they got closer to the dock, she stood and motioned to the paramedics and they began to make their way out along the wooden planking. She felt the boat nudge the dock and Matt jumped out and moored it.
A well-tanned, muscular paramedic climbed on board. “We got a call on a plane crash victim,” he said.
She pointed to the old man. “This is the guy we pulled from the plane. He seems to be having heart problems. About an hour and a half ago, he put two of these pills under his tongue.” She handed the bottle to the paramedic.
“Okay, thanks. We’ll check him out,” the paramedic said as he carried his emergency kit to the stern of the boat. She watched him pull out a stethoscope and begin examining the old man.
She stood off to the side as another paramedic came on board, unpacked a portable device, and attached leads to the old man’s chest. After a few moments, the first paramedic glanced back at her. “We need to get him to the hospital immediately.”
There was a blur of activity as another man rolled a gurney out to the boat and it was brought on deck. Minutes later, she watched them roll the old man off the dock and toward the ambulance. As they loaded the gurney and slammed the back door of the vehicle, it seemed so final. She watched the ambulance pull out of the parking area and rush away with its lights flashing and siren blaring.
