Page 10 of The Sunken Truth (Lily Larkin Mysteries #5)

Chapter Ten

The area of the dive site was an entirely different scene that morning. Near the lighthouse, only two boats were moored, well separated from each other.

“It doesn’t seem as friendly as yesterday,” Lily remarked over her shoulder to Kit.

“The two dive schools,” he called back above the noise of the motor and the wind.

“There’s always been a bit of rivalry between them.

I don’t think it’s much to do with business since there’s enough for both of them in the tourist season.

The two owners went to school together and they’ve never got on. ”

“I take it you have a favourite?” Flynn asked as Kit steered them toward the smaller of the two boats.

“Not especially.” Kit shrugged. “They’re both nice guys.”

“That doesn’t mean much,” Lily said to Flynn beside her. “Kit’s character assessments are all approximately the same.”

“What was that?” Kit asked.

Smiling, Lily turned back to him. “You like everyone.”

“Not true,” he argued .

“It is true,” Seren said. “It’s actually quite annoying. But if you ever meet anyone Kit doesn’t like, you know to run a mile because they must be really awful.”

Kit slowed, drawing up alongside the white boat. “Can we tie up to you?” he asked the broad man standing on the deck.

“Of course. Did you have the same idea as us? Get in the water before the sand gets dredged up by the divers?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Kit said. “What’s it like down there?”

“I haven’t been in yet. I let my two young fellas go down there first while I manned the boat. They’ll likely be up again soon.” He threw a rope over to Kit. “Feel free to come aboard if you want more room to move around.”

With murmured thanks, they took him up on his offer.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Flynn said, extending a hand to introduce himself.

“Ryan,” he said, then tipped his head to the flag with the logo for the dive school. “This is my operation.” He smiled warmly at Lily. “I’ve seen you in your shop. My daughter is a big fan of your ice cream. I’m quite partial to it myself.”

“Nice to properly meet you,” she said, shaking his hand. “Was it you who discovered the wreck down there?”

“Aye.” He nodded. “The day before yesterday.”

“Do you really think it’s the Isles Fortune?”

He raised his hands. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? All I know is that there seems to be a ship sticking out of the sand in the exact spot that the Fortune went down.”

“Was there much to see when you first spotted it?” she asked. “Yesterday it was difficult to see anything down there.”

“It was much clearer than yesterday. Definitely a quarterdeck and mast rising out of the water.”

Lily set her bag down on the bench seat. “Did you get any photos? ”

“I did, yes.” Ryan’s lips straightened to a thin line.

“Are you keeping them for yourself?” she asked, confused by his sudden mood change.

“No.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I took a bunch of photos, but unfortunately they didn’t come out well.”

“You should treat yourself to a decent underwater camera,” Kit said lightly as he pulled one leg of his wetsuit on. “It’s a business expense, you know? No need to be tight.”

His eyes flashed with mock annoyance. “It’s top of the range. Takes brilliant photos.”

“Just not when you make a significant archaeological discovery?” Kit quipped.

“Apparently so.”

Seren moved closer to him. “Are you serious? The photos just didn’t come out?”

He nodded once. “I saw the quarter deck clear as day, but when I surfaced and looked back at the photos, they were all blurred. There’s nothing to see at all.”

“No way!” Seren pressed her hands against her temples. “You can’t be serious?”

“Stop it!” Ryan pointed a finger at Seren. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Hear what?” Flynn asked, looking about as confused as Lily felt.

“It’s the ghosts,” Seren said, her voice a dramatic whisper. “They don’t like people taking photos.”

“You need to get that insane talk off my boat, Seren!” Ryan shook his head, but his eyes danced with amusement.

Seren’s eyes were wide. “Our photos from yesterday didn’t turn out well, either.”

“All you could see down there yesterday was silt,” Ryan said, chuckling .

“I could see the mast,” Seren insisted. “It should have come out in photos. I’m telling you, the ghosts are interfering.”

Ryan moved to fetch his wetsuit, but turned and grinned at Seren. “I hate to pick holes in your mystical theories, but any historian will tell you that no one died when the Fortune went down. So who exactly do you think is haunting it?”

“It’s the spirit of the ship,” Seren teased.

“Ah, of course.” Ryan rolled his eyes at her before switching his attention to Flynn. “I’m assuming you’re not diving?”

“No. I’ll be staying above the surface.”

“In that case, I’ll go down with them, if you don’t mind manning the boat.”

“That’s fine.” Flynn glanced around. “Do I need to do anything?”

“Nope.” Ryan started to get changed with the rest of them. “Just make sure the boat is still here when we surface. I don’t fancy swimming home.”

“I think I can manage that,” Flynn said, then helped Lily with her wetsuit when she looked helplessly at him.

Five minutes later, their four-person dive party was in the water beside the boat.

“You know what you’re doing?” Ryan asked Lily.

She nodded.

“Do you want to buddy up with me?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied, then glanced at Kit and Seren.

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Kit huffed. “She gets the best tour guide!”

“We can stick together,” Ryan said. “But if the visibility ends up being like yesterday, we’re better off in twos.”

Kit and Seren agreed, and they all gave the okay sign before slipping below the surface. Lily caught Flynn’s eye just before she descended. It was a shame he couldn’t come with them. If he was staying on the island longer, he could take diving lessons and they could go out together.

Except he wasn’t staying, so there wasn’t much point. For a moment, she considered Flynn’s mission to prove himself to the superintendent, and the idea that it might lead to him being able to stay.

She didn’t even dare let herself hope.

Bringing her mind to the present, she glanced around. It was considerably clearer than the day before, and rays of sunlight shone down to illuminate the underwater world.

It only took a couple of minutes to reach the bottom, where the seabed stretched out in an undulating sandy expanse littered with the occasional large rock.

The gentle action of her flippers felt hypnotic as the four of them propelled themselves toward the wreck.

A couple of minutes later, it came into view. Just like Ryan had said, there was a quarter deck and mast emerging from the sand as clear as anything.

They all slowed, then stopped and stared before exchanging awe-inspired looks.

Sunlight shafted through the water – illuminating drifting specks of plankton and silt while making the rippling seabed sparkle. Feeling as though she was in some magical children’s film, emotions swelled in Lily’s chest. She had to remind herself to breathe evenly.

Around the wreck, a handful of scattered divers had their heads down to comb the surrounding area.

Suddenly, the idea of finding treasure didn’t feel farfetched after all. When the ship sank in the storm, its contents would likely have scattered all over the surrounding area. If there really had been gold on board, it could be right below her.

The thought sent a rush of delight tingling through her whole body.

It was daft, really. Even if she found the gold, she couldn’t keep it, and it wasn’t the monetary reward that thrilled her. It was the idea of finding some precious treasure which had been hidden for more than a hundred years, and holding it in her hand.

The others were clearly thinking the same. Without a word, they began creeping along the seabed with their eyes firmly down.

Tempting as it was to dig around, Lily held back. Even moving a small rock sent up a waft of sand that impaired visibility. No wonder it had been so murky yesterday with so many people intent on finding treasure.

After fifteen minutes of drifting along the seabed, the four of them split up – Kit and Seren exploring a wider search area while Ryan seemed keen to stay closer to the ship.

A fish swam by, taking Lily’s attention. She followed it for a moment with a foolish notion that it might lead her to treasure. All she came to was a stone poking out of the sand, taunting her to remove it. But then she wouldn’t be able to see anything else in the vicinity.

Glancing behind her, she inwardly groaned. Someone had stirred up the seabed, and the ship was once again lost to a cloud of sediment.

She’d lost sight of Ryan.

Seconds later, he emerged from the sand cloud, heading straight for her.

Something about his movements was off. A ripple of fear crept up Lily’s spine.

It wasn’t just his movements. He had his regulator in his hand, but wasn’t using it.

Glimpsing panic in Ryan’s eyes, she swam right up to him and put a hand on his arm.

With hand signals, she asked if he was okay. He responded to say no and indicated they should surface.

While her brain tried to make sense of what was going on, she set off towards the surface with him. A moment later he motioned for Lily’s back up regulator. Her eyes widened as she registered that his wasn’t working.

He was holding his breath.

How on earth was he so calm when he was underwater with no air supply?

She gave him her octo without hesitation. He visibly relaxed as he took a breath, then kept hold of her regulator as they rose steadily.

“What the heck happened?” she asked as soon as they broke the surface.

He coughed and inhaled deeply. “My kit malfunctioned.”

“Seriously?” Lily breathed.

“Yeah.” He pushed his mask off his face. “I’m always telling people not to panic if they get into trouble… but it’s really hard not to.”

“You seemed totally calm to me,” Lily said.

“I reckon my heart rate tells a different story.” He shook his head. “I’ve never had that happen before.” Raising his hand, he looked at the regulator clutched in his fingers.

“Wait,” Lily said, running her fingers along the hose that attached to the tank on his back. “It didn’t malfunction,” she said, lifting the hose and bending it to reveal a slit. “It’s cut.”

Ryan stared at it for a moment. “I thought I’d just dropped it,” he mumbled. “But maybe someone took it out of my hand. ”

“Took what?”

“Whatever I found… a small metal box.”

“Like a treasure chest?” Lily asked, not quite able to believe this was an actual conversation.

He frowned as though not quite believing it either. “Maybe,” he finally replied.