by Clare Revell
“What?” Varian’s anger-filled voice screamed down the phone at him.
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Evan snapped back. “And you need to stop blowing things up around here. Someone will get hurt if you don’t.”
“I intend to do whatever it takes to keep things quiet. The past has to stay dead, Evan. You know that as well as I do.”
Evan straightened. Once again the man hadn’t denied the accusations. “Then you shouldn’t have sent her up here to work on the lake!” He sucked in a deep breath. “If you want this matter closed, then sack her and publish your report stating there is nothing to tell up here.” He slammed the receiver down onto the base and closed his eyes.
He didn’t want Lou here, uncovering the secrets of the past, exposing the lie he’d helped cover his whole life, but he didn’t want her to leave either. Didn’t want this fledgling spark between them to be extinguished before he’d had a chance to find out how brightly it would burn and whether it would turn out to be an eternal flame.
17
Lou leaned backwards off the edge of the boat and entered the murky waters of Dark Lake. Cloudier than the previous few days, alarm bells sounded in her mind. There had been an abundance of activity going on at the dam since first light. Trucks, marked police cars, and equipment lined the road leading to it, stopping her from parking where she normally did. In a way, it had worked in their favour. They’d been able to park right next to where they moored their boat. This, in turn, meant she could leave her prosthesis in the car and use crutches to get to and from the boat.
Small chunks of debris floated in the water. Debris that hadn’t been there on any previous dives. AJ tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to it. She nodded in response, wishing the diving budget had extended to full facial masks that would give them proper communication with each other.
Kicking hard, she swam down the side of the church, heading towards the main door. A pile of bricks lay in front of it. She frowned and did a slow three-sixty.
The cottage behind her had gone. She exchanged a horrified glance with AJ. They swam slowly along Main Street. All the houses had been destroyed, leaving piles of rubble in their stead. Her mind whirled, and her temper rose. She desperately tried to tamp it down. She needed a clear head. Needed to be able to think, to process this unexpected development.
But this was more than she could do underwater. She needed to breathe.
Lou pointed upwards, kicking hard until she and AJ surfaced. She tugged off her mask. “What on earth is going on here?”
“Must have been those explosions last night. The power plant blowing must have been the cover blast for this lot. No wonder there was an earthquake.”
She nodded slowly. “Obviously, someone is hiding something big.” And I would give my eye teeth to know what.
“The question is who. Evan Close, perhaps?”
“I was with him when the first blast happened.”
“Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have arranged it and used you as an alibi.”
She shook her head. “The other question is what are they hiding, and more importantly, why? Why go to the bother of flattening everything? Are we that close to finding something? Let’s go check out the crypt. Assuming the door on the far side of the church isn’t blocked as well.”
It wasn’t, but it took their combined strengths to open the door. Lou swam the length of the nave and found the crypt door open. She entered slowly, shining the torch around. The water was clearer down here. AJ swam in front of her and headed to the left. She swam to the right.
A pile of chests stood on the far wall. As she touched one, it disintegrated, spilling its contents onto the floor. A plume of miasma enveloped her, and she twisted away, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the water. A smaller box lay tucked in the corner. She swam over to it and picked it up. The box had to have been constructed from waterproof material as it appeared to be intact.
The alarm went off on her tank, and she tapped AJ on the shoulder, pointing upwards. He nodded, and together, they exited the church and surfaced.
“What’ve you found?” he asked.
“Not sure. It was tucked away in a corner, and this stuff is waterproof. I imagine it was intentionally hidden. I want to get it in the car and safe for now.”
“Then let’s break for lunch,” he suggested. “We can change the tanks and eat while you stash that somewhere for safe keeping.”
“Yeah.” She hefted it into the boat then heaved herself over the side. “We’re being watched.”
“You mean the men on the dam?” AJ glanced over his shoulder. “They’ve been there all morning and seem too busy to be bothered by us.”
“No. On the shoreline. There’s a glint of binoculars every so often. Which will stop me from checking out the rest of the lake bed this afternoon.”
AJ shook his head. “We’re dropping sonar buoys, right? I drop them while you swim across and check the positioning is right. You can survey the lake bed at the same time.”
She frowned. “I thought you said no diving alone for one-legged people…”
“I was mad, OK? You’re more than capable. ’Sides, I’ll be right up top.” He tilted his head, starting the boat and heading to the shore. “And I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you said you were wrong.” Lou laughed. “Can I have that in writing?”
“Don’t push your luck, boss.”
Fifty minutes later they were heading back out, a boat load of sonar buoys and spare tanks with them. Lou glanced over at AJ. “Start at the church and go across in a zigzag pattern. Make sure you drop one by the foot of the dam.”
“You reckon they have a problem up there?”
“I don’t know. But those engineers are still there. Maybe they’re being thorough, but then again, maybe they really do have something to be concerned about.”
AJ shook his head. “If that thing goes…”
“Tell me about it. Let’s just get this done. Then tomorrow we can pick up the images from the boat.” She surveyed the lake. “Not that there is much left. We might be able to pack up and go home by Tuesday at the latest.”
“You working Sunday, Dr. F.?”
Lou raised an eyebrow. “You know I don’t work on a Sunday. Ever.”
“Just checking.”
“OK. See you on the other side.” She slipped on her mask then rolled over the side of the boat. Now that she was alone, the water seemed darker, but it was nothing more than her imagination. She swam slowly, following the buoys, making sure they landed in the right place. At the far end of the village, a single house stood untouched by the devastation around it.
Her interest piqued, Lou swam to the door and pushed it. It gave way, and she swam inside. She caught her breath, not having expected the sight that greeted her. The whole house was wired with explosives. She took photos, wondering why it hadn’t been blown along with the rest of the village the previous evening. But at least she now had proof the destruction was deliberate.
She swam into another room, to find a body floating. Unlike the others they had found, this one was fully dressed and not a skeleton. Hair floated around his head, his eyes wide, mouth open, a gunshot wound to the side of his face.
Shocked into stillness, she gripped the doorframe for support. Her heart raced, and she swallowed bile.
Forcing herself into work mode, Lou took several photos. Perhaps the police would be able to ID him. As soon as she surfaced, she’d arrange for him to be brought ashore.
As she left the building, a massive concussion ripped through the water, sending her tumbling head over heels, wind-milling in the current. Her ears rang, and once she regained her equilibrium, she headed for the surface. Ripples and waves crashed around her. Had the dam burst? She shook her head. No. She’d be dead if that were the case.
Lou ripped off her mask. “AJ?” she yelled. She twirled, using her arms to keep afloat. Her heart stopped, and her breath caught in her throat.
&nbs
p; The boat was gone.
In its place lay burning debris.
“AJ!”
She swam over to the wreckage, heart pounding, terror gripping her. Floating, burning debris hindered her, and she pushed it out of the way. AJ lay across a large piece of wreckage.
“AJ?” She flipped him over and gasped, tears stung her eyes and a huge lump obstructed her throat. “No, AJ…”
18
Evan’s car swung into the last remaining parking space. He leapt from the backseat before the driver had switched off the engine and raced over to Lou in several long strides. The small jetty was a hive of activity. People talking, cars, noise, emergency services, but she sat small and quiet on a bench by the wall, with a blanket around her shoulders, seemingly unaware of it all. Tears tracked her cheeks. At that instant, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and take her away from all this.
“Lou?”
She raised her head slowly. Her eyes were red, face white. She wrung her hands against her lap. Her bottom lip trembled. “He’s dead…AJ’s dead.”
Evan sank down beside her and took her hand. He noticed that she had her prosthesis on and although that puzzled him as he knew she swam without it, now wasn’t the time to ask. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
“He was dropping sonar buoys. I was following underwater to check their positioning. There was another explosion. When I surfaced, the boat was gone and AJ was…was…” She broke off, struggling for control. “I should call Varian.”
“I already have. He’s on his way. Have you spoken to the police?”
Lou nodded slowly, the fingers on her free hand worrying the edge of the blanket. “Yeah, they took a statement. I gave them copies of the photos I’ve taken below the water today. Along with all the photos I had originally of the artefacts and burned bones. They are coming by the manor this afternoon to collect the originals, along with the actual pieces themselves.”
“Why weren’t you in the boat as well? Your unbreakable rule…”
She shrugged. “I broke it. It’s my fault. I wanted to check the remains of Abernay. We were being watched from the shoreline, so he said he’d stay with the boat and drop the buoys. I swam supposedly to check their position.”
“None of this is your fault.” Even as he spoke, Evan’s mind whirled. This was the second attempt on her life in three days. She should have been in that boat right alongside AJ.
“Abernay is gone,” she said quietly. “Blown up last night. The power plant was a cover. There is one house down there they missed. It’s wired ready to go.”
Evan swallowed, his burning stomach sending bile upwards. “You have proof?” he asked.
Lou nodded. “I took photos. Like I said, the police have copies of them now. And there’s a body there. A recent one. It’s possible that’s where the explosion came from, but that wouldn’t have taken out the boat. Not like this.” She glanced up as a camera crew arrived and began filming. “I should give the press a statement.”
He shook his head. “Wait. You need to tell AJ’s family first.”
“He doesn’t have any. He lost his parents last year.” She sniffled, more tears falling. “It should have been me. I fired him, I don’t know how many times this week. He was way too stubborn to accept it.”
The reporter came over. “Dr. Fitzgerald, do you have a moment to answer some questions?”
Lou nodded. She pushed to her feet.
Evan stood and moved out of camera shot. He glanced to his right as a black sedan drew up, and Varian exited the back. “Didn’t take you long to get here. I assumed you hadn’t left town.”
“You know full well I haven’t,” Varian replied. “What happened?”
“The boat exploded. Too early to tell why. AJ’s dead.”
Varian nodded to Lou. “But she isn’t.”
“You don’t sound happy about that.” Evan paused. “You don’t even sound remorseful about AJ.”
Varian scowled. “I’m calling this dig off. The church is dangerous in that condition. There’s a demolition team coming in tomorrow to take it down.”
“She won’t like that.”
“I don’t care. I’m also terminating her contract with immediate effect.”
“That’s heartless, even for you.” Evan studied him. “Does she scare you that much?”
“I’m protecting our interests,” Varian began.
“Don’t you draw me into your mess,” Evan hissed. “Your interests, not mine.” He paused as the recovery crew unloaded a body bag onto a waiting gurney. Even from here, he could tell the body in the bag was much shorter than it should be. That just gave added weight to Lou’s comment that the house couldn’t have caused this. Another crew unloaded the remains of the boat onto the jetty.
Varian cleared his throat. “She’s responsible for the hiring of the boat and for AJ’s death. If she’d done her job properly…”
“She’d have been on the boat and also be dead.” Evan rounded on Varian. “Or is that what you wanted? You couldn’t scare her off, so you tried killing her. And now that’s failed, you’re going to sack her?”
“Not immediately. There will be an investigation.”
“Witch hunt more like.” Evan shoved his hands into his pockets, curling them into fists. He noted that Varian didn’t attempt to deny trying to kill Lou. He spun around; his attention caught by the reporters interviewing Lou a few feet further down the jetty.
Not wanting to be anywhere near Varian, Evan edged closer to Lou. One of the reporters had shoved a microphone in Lou’s face.
“Dr. Fitzgerald, Dark Lake has a history of death, never mind the rumours and troubles that surround it. Would you attribute the death of AJ Wilcox to this or was it, as has been insinuated, mismanagement of the diving expedition?”
Evan shook his head and strode swiftly to Lou’s side. He tugged the microphone towards him in an effort to deflect the question. “Mr. Wilcox’s death was, as far as we know, a tragic accident. The police will conduct a detailed investigation into the cause of the explosion, and you will be informed of the outcome in due time. Meanwhile Dr. Fitzgerald has lost a valued colleague and friend. Now if you’ll excuse us, the interview is over.”
He wrapped an arm around Lou and led her back over to the waiting ambulance.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s get you checked over.”
“I’m fine.”
“Humour me, please. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
She quaked in his arms as AJ’s body was wheeled past them. Tears swam in her eyes, and she choked back a sob.
Evan drew her closer. “Don’t hold back,” he said gently. He held her as she sobbed. A desire to protect her overwhelmed him, along with an insane desire to go back to Varian and knock his block off for attempting to kill her. Because he knew that was what had happened. No matter what the police report would finally indicate, this was too much of a coincidence to be anything else.
Lou lifted her head from his soaked jacket. “Sorry,” she sniffled.
Evan retrieved a clean hanky from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. “It’s fine.”
Varian appeared, the perpetual scowl seared into his brow. “Lou, we need to talk.”
“It can wait,” Evan told him. “Lou needs to get to the hospital.”
Varian’s scowl deepened. “No, it can’t. Lou, what happened?”
“The boat blew up,” she said. “AJ died.”
“I need a report.”
She glared at him. “The boat blew up. AJ died,” she repeated. “Want it a third time? Let me borrow a phone, and I’ll text it to you.”
“And you’ll get your report,” Evan interrupted. “For crying out loud, Varian, leave the woman alone. Right now she needs to be checked over at the hospital.” Evan helped her into the ambulance. “I’ll meet you there, Lou.” As the paramedics shut the door, his gaze raked over Varian, and he lowered his voice. “You get a grip.”
&n
bsp; “I lost a good man out there. If she did anything…” Varian hissed.
“Oh, please! Pot, kettle, black.” Evan stepped to one side as the ambulance drove away. “If I find you have anything to do with this…”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Oh, I don’t make threats. You know that. I make promises. I need to go.”
Varian smirked. “Then by all means go. I’ll handle the press.”
Evan turned his back on him and stomped over to the car. His gaze flicked to Ira. “Take me to the hospital.” He paused. “I’d like you to do a complete background check on Varian Sparrow. I want to know everything there is to know about him. And try to get ahold of his financial records as well, if you can. Also the health and safety records. I want to know how many on site accidents there have been and their causes.”
“You think this was deliberate?”
He climbed into the car. “I know it was. I just can’t prove it. Yet.”
19
Back at the manor Lou spent a couple of hours being interviewed by the police and giving them all the original photos from the Dark Lake files. Relieved that was over, she went in search of Evan, finding him in a small, cosy living room. She flopped next to him and glanced at the TV. The local news was full of the accident at Dark Lake. She stilled Evan’s hand as he grabbed the remote. “Don’t change the channel. I want to watch it.”
Varian’s face filled the screen. “The remains of the church are in danger of collapsing and as such will be demolished, for safety reasons, first thing in the morning, with the permission of the police. AJ Wilcox lost his life here, it’s only fitting that no one else does. Destroying the church will ensure no one else dives here.”
“What about Dr. Fitzgerald?” the reporter asked.
“This whole area is a crime scene, so she won’t be diving again. However, she did hire both the boat and equipment. The police are conducting an official investigation into last night’s explosions and today’s tragic events.”
Lou leaned back in shock. “He’s trying to blame me? And destroy the church? That building is sound. I’ve been in it myself.”
