The Girl Beneath the Sea (Underwater Investigation Unit #1)(72)

TANKER

The seas are choppy as Tropical Storm Baker begins to churn off the coast of South America, sending currents in our direction. Rain slicks the deck, and winds buffet the Fortune’s Fool as Dad keeps the boat steadily slicing through the waves. I stare at the ocean behind us through binoculars. A small black dot is visible near the horizon.

“Still back there?” asks George.

“Affirmative.”

Six hours ago, after we left Fort Lauderdale, an eighty-foot black cruiser with a massive radar array started following us from a distance.

At first we thought it was an unmarked DEA boat, but George couldn’t find any reference to it, and nobody we know had seen it docked in South Florida.

That’s the thing about this state—while it’s huge, people recognize boats, because there are only so many marinas and places to dock. A boat like this should have attracted attention. At least if it were familiar.

We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably K-Group’s. George has long suspected that one of the services they provide is countersurveillance. A boat like this would be ideal for keeping track of coast guard cutters and customs ships, as well as for spotting aircraft.

Right now, it seems fixated on us. There’s no way the Fortune’s Fool could outrun it, and chances are the other ship—the Vader, as we’ve been calling it—is armed.

“Coming up on the basin,” says Dad. “Do we have a decision?”

If we stop in the spot where we think the Kraken sank, then we’re basically telling the Vader where to look. Chances are, even with as much effort as Dad has put into the Fortune’s Fool, the Vader will have even better sonar and god knows what else to find the sub. Not to mention the fact that Karl’s renegade SEALs may be aboard.

“If I dive right here, they’ll probably hold back for a while.”

“And then swoop in when they think we found something. God knows what they’ll do then,” replies George.

“Do we just keep going and then loop back?” asks Dad.

“What would you do if you were them?” George asks.

Dad thinks this over for a moment. “I’d keep my position farther back. They probably have as much fuel as we do. Maybe more. If they’re patient, all they have to do is wait us out.”

“And we run the risk of them finding the Kraken in the meantime,” I reply.

Dad points to the sonar. The bottom of the ocean is unusually elevated for this far out. The sea bottom mostly runs three hundred to four hundred feet deep in this zone.

The sonar scan shows a number of irregular-shaped objects from the size of microwaves to ones bigger than the boat. Some of them are rocks and coral, and others are probably man-made—parts of hulls, shipping containers, and other debris that ended up in the basin.

The Kraken could be anywhere in this mess. The only way to know is to go down and look.

“What if we bring the boat about broadside to them and I go over the other side?” I suggest.

“And leave you out here?” asks Dad. “No goddamn way.”

“I’ll have my vest and radio. You can take a GPS of my position.”

He points to the choppy seas. “No way.” He turns to George. “Don’t even let her think about something like that.”

“Do we just turn back?” I reply. “Is that it?”

“Better than losing you.”

George takes off his hat and squeezes water out of it. “I agree. If that’s the only plan, then it’s a dumb one. We can’t leave you without a boat.”

“Okay . . . what if I have one? There’s a Zodiac raft in the locker along with a motor. I could use that.”

“What? Just set you adrift out here with them watching?” says Dad. “How suspicious would that look?”

“We do it later. Right now you stay on course, go a few more miles, preferably north, and then I take the raft back here. With the current the way it is, I can make good time. I can use a light anchor to keep it in position. That way I have a raft and everything I need.”

“You mean a night dive?” asks Dad.

“Yeah. That’s the point. You keep heading north. I drop off with the raft and wait awhile until you’re out of sight, then start up the motor and double back here. If they stop you, you have nothing to hide.”

“That’s a horrible idea,” replies Dad.

“You have a better one that doesn’t involve surrendering?”

“I’m not leaving you alone out there.”

“What if I go with her?” asks George.

“When was the last time you went diving? What happens if she gets in trouble? No way.”

“Dad, we’ve done more dangerous dives.”

“Just because I was careless doesn’t mean I should repeat that. Solar can’t actually watch you, and I’m not letting you out there alone.” He takes a long pause. “I’ll go with you if Solar promises not to wreck my house.”

George nods. “I’ll treat it like my own.”

“Treat it better. This is everything I own.” Dad sighs. “All right, Sloan, let’s get my gear out of storage. Solar, you’re the pilot now.”





CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

RUNABOUT