“I figured you might say that.”
JD and I tried to keep our eyes on the horizon. Paisley was quite the distraction, but we managed to get to Miami without hitting anything or running aground.
It was a little after 10:00 PM when we arrived at the marina. Jack navigated the boat into the slip, and deckhands helped us tie off. We might see a little wind and rain up here, but nothing major. Still, we secured the boat as best we could.
We weren't the only ones who had the idea. The marina filled up fast. Every available slot they had was taken. We were lucky to get in when we did. If Jack hadn't known the guy who ran the place, we’d have been out of luck.
By the time we got the paperwork filled out and the slip paid for, it was definitely time for a cocktail.
We sat on the sky deck under the stars and raised our glasses.
“Mission accomplished,” Jack said.
“Since this is a completely different city, and no one knows we’re here, we should go dancing at a club,” Paisley said.
I chuckled. “We are not going dancing at a club.”
"Well, you don't have to go,” she said with a sassy smile. “I can go and tell you all about it later."
"I don't think that's a good idea. You do what you want, but…"
She frowned at me. "Okay. I'll be a homebody. But nobody knows we’re here, right? You weren't followed. You're good at what you do.”
"What if somebody sees you?”
"I don't know anybody here.”
"I can’t keep you safe if you’re not gonna play by the rules."
She raised her hands in surrender. "I'll play by the rules. I'm just saying. At least I’m out of that hotel room.”
We had a few drinks under the stars, then called it an early night. Possibilities swirled, but I decided not to pursue that for now. No need to complicate the situation with Paisley. She was a witness in an investigation. That was complication enough.
Two days later, the sheriff called with bad news. It looked like we just couldn’t catch a break.
11
"We've got a problem," Daniels said.
I groaned. "What is it now?”
We had just finished breakfast and were enjoying a nice moment on the sky deck.
"You’re not going to like this, but there's a situation on the habitat."
"What kind of situation?"
"Somebody's dead. I don't know who at the moment. Communication is spotty right now. They're trying to get comms back online.”
My throat tightened. We had plenty of adventures with Flynn, and he'd become like a brother. I thought the worst, but hoped for the best.
"As you know, according to Florida law, that body can't be moved until it's been evaluated by the medical examiner. Now, Brenda does not have any training or experience withsaturation diving, and you two nitwits do. That means you are my only option. You’re going to go down there, assess the situation, and preserve the evidence. But as you know, this is not going to be a quick trip.”
"Copy that."
"Get your things together and meet me at the station. I'll take you out to the DSV Curiosity. You’ll go down to the habitat, and Brenda will walk you through a remote evaluation. Once that's complete, you two will investigate the situation, determine if this was an accident, and arrange for the recovery of the body. That body can't be brought up immediately without decompression damaging tissues. It will have to go through deco like everyone else.”
"I'm aware.”
