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“There’s a lot of very valuable statuary in that shipwreck,” Remi reminded him. The merchant vessel had gone down with all hands, and had been rumored to be smuggling priceless antiquities from Greece to Britain, where there had been a large market for them among the royals and the upper class. Their careful inventory of the wreck had confirmed the centuries-old suspicion, and there were untold millions of dollars’ worth of never-before-seen Greek relics in its hold—a different kind of treasure, to be sure, than the usual gold and jewels, but treasure nonetheless.
The hope had been to keep the remarkable discovery quiet until the government could arrange to retrieve the statuary from the sea, and it was always a concern that mercenary treasure hunters could intrude, damaging the site as they attempted to pilfer it, although the likelihood was low.
“There is indeed,” Sam conceded. “I’m sure the people of Spain wouldn’t want anyone to try to make off with their property.” Sam and Remi had agreed that anything they discovered would be turned over to the government—a policy of theirs that had made them welcome additions to many of the most interesting expeditions around the world. They were in the game for the thrill of discovery, not for the money, Sam’s fortune having been long solidified by the sale of his company to a conglomerate years before.
“Dominic didn’t seem too concerned. And he knows these waters well.” The shower shut off and the door swung open. Remi emerged and wrapped herself in a thick towel and dried her hair with another in front of the bathroom vanity as Sam tapped at the laptop computer in front of him.
“True.”
“I think we should keep an eye on that boat.”
“Aye, aye, Skipper.” Sam’s gaze drifted from the computer screen to the bathroom doorway, where he could make out half of Remi as she brushed the tangles from her auburn mane. “Have I mentioned that you look fabulous?”
“Not nearly enough. Now, where are the champagne and chocolates?”
“I might have exaggerated to lure you belowdecks.”
“It worked. I hope you have a suitable alternative in mind.”
Sam powered down the laptop and closed the screen.
“I have a few ideas . . .”
When Sam and Remi returned to the main deck, they glanced up at the second level, where the crew sat around a card table dotted with beer bottles, laughing and tossing money into the pot as they studied their hands, smoke curling skyward from hand-rolled cigarettes. The expedition was over and now it was time to relax, a pursuit at which the Spanish excelled.
Remi watched with amusement as one of the men accused the head of the dive team of cheating. The target’s predictable response to the gibe was one of outrage and offended pride, which
was suitably soothed with a round of toasts celebrating his integrity. She turned to Sam, but he’d moved to the stern, where he was staring at the horizon. A light breeze from the south tousled his hair and his white linen shirt. Remi joined him, and together they watched as four divers from the visiting yacht donned their wet suits and equipment and then dropped into the water.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That maybe we’ve been compromised?” Remi asked.
“Actually, I was more leaning toward it being a nice afternoon for a relaxing dive.”
“I can’t go very deep. Still need a lot more surface time.”
“I don’t think you’ll need to. I just want to have a look around and make sure that our suspicions aren’t correct.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.”
“Exactly. So what do you think?”
“That it’s time to go back and put on our bathing suits? You’re going to owe me some serious spa sessions for this after doing the last dive.”
“You know I’d have gone with you if I could have. The decompression tables don’t lie.”
“Which means you have limited dive time, too, Mr. Cousteau,” she warned, concern flittering across her face.
“Yes, ma’am. Whatever you say, ma’am.”
“Now, that’s a little more like it.”
Five minutes later, they were ready, the crew still absorbed in its revelry, unaware of Sam and Remi’s approach to the dive platform.
“Visibility still about sixty feet?” Sam asked as he put his mask in place.
“About that. Maybe a little better.”