Page 272 of Hidden Depths
The room fell silent.
"They're sending us a message."
I swallowed hard.
"What message?"
Thomas slowly looked toward the darkening harbor.
"They've found us."
Outside...
Far beyond the marina...
The white fishing boat slowly turned toward the open Gulf.
It never hurried.
It never looked back.
As if whoever sat aboard already knew exactly where we'd be tomorrow.
And somehow...
That frightened me even more than if they'd opened fire.
51
STORM
"The sea teaches us something every day. Sometimes the lesson is peace. Sometimes it's preparing for the next storm."
— James Sinclair
For several long moments...
No one spoke.
Thomas stood in the doorway of the old boathouse, watching us the way Grandpa probably had a thousand times before another voyage.
The evening sun painted the water in gold.
Everything looked peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Ward finally broke the silence.
"We should get everyone back on Sea Whisper."
Ben nodded.
"The less time we're sitting here, the better."
Nathan folded Grandpa's chart and carefully slid it into the waterproof case Ivy had brought.
"We'll study everything once we're aboard."
