Heather Graham - Protector, Lover...Husband?

“She didn’t really what?” Alex demanded.

“Well, people have mused that he was about to say she didn’t really go down anywhere near South Carolina. You see, before he was caught, he claimed to have seen the ship go down in a storm that ravaged the Eastern Seaboard, but some historians believe he attacked the ship himself.”

“He couldn’t have attacked the ship alone,” Alex pointed out.

“Some legends suggest that since he was off the Florida coast, it would have been easy for him to go ashore, and kill his own men with the intent of going back himself for the treasure.”

“And what was the treasure?” Alex demanded.

“There are full records in the English archives somewhere,” he said, “but basically, tons of gold buillion, and a cache of precious gems that would be worth millions today.”

Alex shook her head. “I don’t understand. There must be hundreds of ships with treasures that sank in the Atlantic and are still out there to be found. Why would people kill over this one?”

“Most people wouldn’t kill over any treasure. But the bounty to be found on this particular ship would be just about priceless.”

“Did Alicia think she knew where to find the Anne Marie? If so, she should have announced an expedition and gathered people around her. No matter what, she’d have to go by the laws of salvage.”

“Yes. But she was afraid, I think, of letting out what she knew. Afraid that someone would beat her to it.”

“Why would Danny Fuller have hidden whatever information he had for so many years? If he knew something, why wouldn’t he have gone after it himself?”

“I wondered about that myself. Maybe he just found out. It’s my assumption that Alicia learned something from Danny Fuller about where the Anne Marie went down. She intended to set up an expedition, and that’s why she wanted to meet me here. But she must have talked to other people, as well. And I think someone she brought in on her secret decided that they wanted the secret—and the treasure—for themselves.”

“The thing is,” David said, hoping he was making an impact on her, “someone is willing to kill for that treasure. And I don’t think this person wants the government involved in any way. If he—or she—thinks he can bring up a fortune without the authorities getting wind of it, then I’m assuming whatever information Danny Fuller had, suggested the vessel went down in shallow waters, and that the tides and sand have obscured her. You know, kind of like time itself playing a joke, hiding her in plain sight.”

“So…you believe Seth Granger was involved—invited here to meet Alicia, too, and that he didn’t just drown, but was killed?” Alex asked.

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “A probability,” he amended.

“How? He was in the bar with everyone else. And he’d clearly been drinking too much. And if someone did kill Alicia, and it was her body that I found…how in the hell did it just disappear?”

“Obviously it was moved.”

“Have you talked to Sheriff Thompson about this?”

“Not directly. I haven’t had a chance. I had Dane call him, though, and give him all the information he acquired when I asked him to check into things.”

“Great,” Alex murmured. “Do you have any idea who this person is?”

“Someone with an interest in the sea and salvage. I thought at first that it might have been Seth, but now…apparently not.”

“Who else might Alicia have invited here?” Alex asked. “Or who else might have gotten wind of what was going on?”

“Well, Seth was rich—he could have provided the funding she would need for the expedition. She invited me for my expertise. I’m not sure who else she might have invited.”

“So who might have found out something?”

“Your boss, for one.”

“Jay? But he isn’t an expert salvage diver. As far as I know, he’s competent enough on a boat, but he doesn’t have the kind of money you’d need for an expedition like this and…” She paused and shrugged. “I see. You think he’d like to have that kind of money. And he would love to be respected for a discovery of that kind.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. Not Jay.”

“There’s Hank Adamson,” David said.

She stared at him incredulously. “He’s a reporter.”

“And he’s very conveniently here right now.”

“I think you’re reaching,” she said.

“Maybe.”

“Is there anyone else on your list of suspects?” she asked.

“Just one.”

“Who?”

He hesitated before answering. “Your ex–navy SEAL,” he told her quietly.

She rose, pushing her cereal bowl away. “I have to go to work,” she said curtly, turning her back on him.

He went after her, catching her arm, turning her around to face him. “Please, Alex. Honestly, I’m not trying to run your life, much less ruin it, but for now…just until we get to the bottom of this, don’t be alone with anyone, okay?”

“Except for you?” she asked, and her tone was dry.

“Except for me, yes,” he said flatly.

She tried to pull away.

“Alex, please?”

“I have to go to work, David,” she said, staring at his fingers where they wrapped around her arm. She met his eyes as he let her go and added bitterly, “You really don’t have anything to worry about. Last night might have been…unintended, but still, I’d never switch around between men with that kind of speed. I like John, yes. I admire him, and I certainly enjoy his company. But I have a few things to settle with myself before…Under the circumstances—let’s see, those being that we’re not legally divorced and we may have two murders on our hands—I’ll be taking my time getting to know anyone. Will that do?”

He hated the way her eyes were sharp and cold as they touched his. But she had given him the answer he needed from her. He nodded. She turned and headed for the bedroom, and a few minutes later, wearing the simple outfit she wore to work with the dolphins, she came back out, heading straight for the door.

She turned back and said, “Don’t forget to lock up when you leave.” A slight frown creased her forehead.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Just don’t forget to lock up before you leave. My keys are by the door. Please make sure you pick them up.”

She walked out, and he felt as if an icy blast passed by.

Alex’s actual degree had been in psychology, with a minor in marine sciences. But as far as her work went, she had learned more from an old trainer when she had interned in the center of the state. He had pointed out to her that the same theories that worked with people also worked with animals. Most animals, like most people, responded best to a reward system.

With dolphins, a reward didn’t have to be fish. Like people, they craved affection.

Take Shania. She accepted fish and certainly had a healthy appetite. But she also seemed to know that her vets and the workers here had given her life back to her. The best reward for her came from free swims with the people she loved, mainly Alex and Gil. That morning, after feeding her charges with Gil, Alex entered the lagoon with them, one at a time, for a play period.

At eight, an hour before the first swim was due to begin, there was still no sign of Laurie Smith. Concerned, she called Laurie’s cottage, then her cell phone, and received only her voice mail. Worried then, she called Jay.

“I don’t know where Laurie is,” she told him. “She isn’t here, and she isn’t answering her phone.”

“Give her fifteen minutes, then we’ll start a search. She’s been talking about taking a few days to visit her family in St. Augustine, but I can’t believe she’d just leave without asking for the time. Unless…she’s just walking out on us,” Jay said over the phone.