Until recently, only Maddie and Scott knew Nathan and I were married. It was a secret. One I agreed to keep because Nathan asked me to. He insisted no one could know who I was to him. That it was important. As much as I asked him to share the reasons with me, he refused. It’s the one thing we ever fought about. He was so damn stubborn. Nathan carried his secrets to the grave. Leaving me alone, his hidden widow with a broken heart.
Then I married Mark, ourfriend. Burying the past that I shared with Nathan. Mark promised to take care of my unborn child and me until I could get back on my feet. Blinded by grief, I trusted him. I’d known him for as long as I’d known Nathan. At least I’d thought so.
Why couldn’t I have seen what should have been so obvious from the beginning?
Now they’re both dead, and I’m still Crystal Glassier. Keeping Mark’s name for Natalie’s sake and because of my uncertainty about what Nathan was hiding.
Mark.
When he died, and I learned what he did to Nathan, I gave the monster’s rings to a women’s shelter and threw away his ashes.
I despise my last name.
In my heart, I’ll always be Crystal Carter.
“Hey...” Maddie’s raised voice draws me from my thoughts.
“Where’d you go?”
“Sorry, there’s a lot on my mind. That’s actually why I stopped by.” I take out the lab report. “The coral in the waters surrounding the Key is showing signs of bleaching. Something’s causing the water surrounding the island to heat abnormally. We’ve got to figure this out quickly, Maddie.”
Maddie’s face drops.
I point to the symbiont density counts and the chlorophyll concentration.
Maddie gives me a puzzled look.
“Unfortunately, to reduce the stress on the coral as much as we can now, we need to shut down aquatic activity near the reef. It’ll happen soon. Before the end of the week.”
“No,” she says, closing her eyes. “We were just getting back to normal.”
“I’m so sorry. I know Scott and his team were getting ready to restart the dives into Carter’s Drop, but they may have to wait a little while.”
Maddie blows out a puff of air and shakes her head. “Yeah, but more than that, it’s going to cause some bigger problems. Dr.Phenias Clark arrives any day now, and Garrett’s head is going to explode if he doesn’t have any progress he can share.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Phenias Clark.”
The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.
“He’s taking over all of Elaine’s responsibilities and more. Clark has earned a reputation as a maverick in the scientific community. He works across several fields and does his own thing. According to Hannah, the rumor is he’s a JASON. Whatever that is.”
That gives me pause. I’m familiar with the advisory group of elite scientists. They’re often consulted by the government for urgent, complex problems, but they insist on complete independence from state influence. Why is one of their members getting involved with the Carter’s Drop blue hole? As much as they may try, their research is never completely independent. Someone powerful is always watching.
“What’s his field?” I ask.
“Get this. Deep theoretical science in materials, quantum mechanics, and archaeology. That’s an odd combination, isn’t it?”
I keep listening as she explains what she’s learned. But my thoughts are racing, thinking of all the connections Nathan had with others like Dr. Clark.
“If they’re still trying to explore and chart the caves in the Drop, they don’t need someone like Clark. Have they changed their goals?”
“Nothing that Garrett has shared. Scott thinks they’re after rare earth or something.” She frowns. “But the university hasn’t trusted Garrett to run things alone since the beginning. Even less so after the murders. Do you think this is about what Nathan found?”
“The stone?” I ask.
“There’s no explanation for it. Carved symbols in a language no one’s recorded, and it generates heat on its own. What could it be?”
