Page 23 of The Sunken Truth
“Ten grand for gold,” Kurt said from beside Lily.
Flynn blinked rapidly, clearly bewildered by the entire situation.
“I’m telling you,” Harry said. “I didn’t even think about taking him up on it. Any finds should be properly documented as far as I’m concerned.”
“Well somebody here doesn’t share your morals,” Ryan said. “And it sure as heck wasn’t anyone on my boat.”
Harry threw up his hands. “You can come aboard and search the boat if you don’t believe me.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” Ryan said.
“When you don’t find anything, we can search your boat too,” Harry said. “At this point I wouldn’t put it past you to have cut your own hose and make a fuss so you can smuggle this artefact out for yourself.”
“Ah, for god’s sake,” Ryan muttered.
Flynn tilted his head. “If everyone is okay with it, I’ll happily do a search.”
Ryan looked thoughtful. “Don’t bother. You won’t find anything. Harry’s clever enough to cover his tracks. That box will be stashed down there somewhere for him to retrieve later.”
“Or maybe you just dropped it,” Harry snapped.
“Maybe I did!” Ryan shouted. “It’s a little difficult to concentrate when you suddenly can’t breathe.”
“Should we go back down and look for it?” Kurt said, taking a step towards Ryan.
Ryan’s gaze went to the buoy marking the wreck. “I’m not sure there’s much point, given that it’s difficult to see anything down there now.” He checked his watch, then sucked in a lungful of air. “We also need to get back. The equipment will all need a thorough going over before we take customers out.”
“We can come back and look for it later,” Benji said.
Not seeming to register the comment, Ryan turned to Flynn. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I don’t know what happened down there,” he muttered.
“Whoever cut your hose must have been carrying a knife,” Flynn pointed out.
Lily could see where his thoughts were, and it was a logical train of thought for a non-diver. “It wouldn’t prove anything,” she said. “It’s normal for divers to carry knives. For safety. In case you get snagged or something.”
“I always carry one,” Harry said, tapping the sheath on his upper arm, before pointing at Ryan. “So does he.”
“Lily’s right,” Ryan agreed. “That’s not proof.”
Harry looked at Flynn. “Are we free to leave? I’ve got paying customers I need to get back for.”
Flynn looked questioningly at Ryan.
“There’s no proof of anything,” Ryan said, then shot Harry an icy look. “Not yet anyway. But it’s going to look very shady if you or Nat show up with a small metal box in the next few days.”
“I’m telling you,” Harry said. “I did nothing. I’m offended you think I’d do somethinglike that.”
“Funny what people will do for a cash injection,” Ryan said, before turning away from Harry.
“I’d like your names,” Flynn said, pulling out his notepad. “Then you’re free to go.”
While he scribbled away, Lily followed Seren and Kit’s lead in peeling off their wetsuits and getting dry.
She was pulling her shorts on when the Australian guy caught her eye. Sitting on the bench with his wetsuit peeled down to his waist, he rummaged in the backpack on the seat beside him. He stared at something in his hand, turning over the small object.
Immediately, Lily’s investigative instincts kicked in and she tried to home in on the small object. The boat lurched on a wave and he lost his grip on it.
In a flash, Lily moved to pluck it from the deck.
