Possibilities, all of them horrific, flooded her mind and she stumbled to the chair.
“Can we approach?” Georgie asked.
Lights illuminated both boats and Nhiari and Dot were on board Joy Ridin’.
“Can either of you scuba dive?” Nhiari replied.
“Yeah,” Georgie answered. “Why?”
“Murray says they threw him overboard attached to an anchor.”
Though her head spun, Penelope moved to her backpack and emptied it onto the deck while Georgie sped towards the luxury boat. The gear Penelope had put in her BCD pockets was still in there from her failed dive attempt with Sam—dive torch, waterproof notebook and pen, safety marker buoy. She gathered it all up as they reached Joy Ridin’.
Dot and Nhiari stood on the deck. Grant was dead, Murray bandaged and handcuffed, and Declan knelt on the deck handcuffed as well.
She’d process that later. “Where?” she yelled as Georgie pulled alongside.
Dot pointed to the scuba gear at the back of the boat. Penelope vaulted over and shoved her gear into the pockets of the BCD. She attached the regulator and turned on the air as Georgie demanded, “Where did you dump him?”
Murray spoke. “We’ve been drifting. It was about five minutes ago.”
Penelope checked the gauges. Sixty bar. Not a lot. She had to find him fast. As she slipped on the BCD, she said, “Declan, where is he?”
Declan didn’t look at her.
Georgie was still on the PAWS boat and Penelope called out the last coordinates she had for Joy Ridin’.
“Get on,” Georgie yelled.
Penelope climbed back, hating the slow movement because of the weight of the tank. Nhiari passed her a mask and fins and Georgie motored to a spot nearby while Penelope finished getting ready.
Georgie reached the coordinates.
Penelope hadn’t done her checks.
Fear tightened her throat, making her gasp for breath.
“Go, Penelope,” Georgie called.
“Checks,” she gasped, trying to shake away her fear. Sam was drowning. She had to get to him.
Georgie strode over, tested the regulator and air. “Go!”
Penelope splashed backwards into the water and gasped as the cold water hit her. She breathed through her regulator, trying to stop the panic.
She checked her coordinates.
This was where Joy Ridin’ had been five minutes ago.
Sam could be right below her, desperate for air.
That image was enough for her to start her descent despite the panic in her chest. She switched on her torch, impressed by its wide beam. She rotated, shining the light in each direction, looking for signs of life.
A few fish darted out of the beam, but no Sam.
She sucked in another breath and equalised her ears as she sank. He could be just out of beam range and if she went in the wrong direction, she would never find him.
The thought brought a different type of panic that eclipsed her fear of diving.
