Don’t panic.
Shep was about five feet away. They could share air.
Turning, Caley saw only the underwater world.
No Shep.
She fumbled for her tank rattler to signal him. Surely he’d hear it...but it wasn’t hooked on her belt like it normally was.
Her brain screamed for air.
Swiping her knife, she clanged it against her oxygen tank.
God, please let him hear me! I pray You hear me!
Turning upward she had two choices and not much time to decide which option was best. Caley could hope Shep had heard her banging and that she could hold out until he arrived with oxygen, or she could make an emergency ascent.
Up thirty feet.
Exhaling the entire time so her lungs didn’t expand and do catastrophic damage.
Could she exhale that long?
Every fiber in her being convulsed.
What to do?
Time was running out.
She needed to breathe!
Shep was nowhere.
No time.
She bolted for the surface.
Heart beating out of her chest.
Up she raced, slowly exhaling...exhaling...exhaling... Not too fast. Can’t stop exhaling.
She desperately needed air.
Anxiety continued to rise but she’d been trained. Don’t panic. Keep exhaling.
God, help me!
Something tugged at her leg.
She kicked, then realized it was Shep. She used her hand and made a slicing signal across her throat as she continued to exhale and rise.
Maybe fifteen feet left.
He grabbed her forearm, pulled her closer to his chest, removed his breathing apparatus and handed it off to her.
Caley wrapped her hands around his as he held it to her, inhaling sweet oxygen, then she passed it back to him as they made their ascent more slowly to the surface, their knees sometimes knocking together as they kicked upward.
He signaled the okay sign and she gave it back. Relief flooded her, but also the unsettling vibe over what had occurred.
They made their way to ten feet where they had to wait the three excruciating minutes for a decompression. Shep grabbed her pressure gauge and hose and studied it while they passed off air to one another, waiting.
She’d been on hundreds of dives. Could teach a class if necessary. This had never happened before.
With Mary Beth’s death on the edge of her mind, several frightening scenarios popped through her brain. And questions.
Shep dropped her gauge. His eyes narrowed. Two more minutes and they could talk this out. But for now it was just them.
The ocean that had once been peaceful and calm now took on an ominous appearance as if it was disappointed it hadn’t swallowed her up whole.
She shivered and concentrated on breathing. On Shepherd.
Sharing the apparatus with him felt intimate even though it was nothing more than a means to stay alive. Wanting to spring to the surface, to safety, she checked her watch.
Time was up.
She nodded and they finished their ascent, bursting into the atmosphere, inhaling all the oxygen they needed. Warm sunshine. Seagulls squawking.
“What happened?” Shep growled, all grit and gravel in his voice.
“I don’t know,” she said as she hauled herself into the boat, Shep right beside her. She removed her tank and studied it. “I just don’t know. One minute I had air, then a short breath, then nothing. I filled it up two days ago and haven’t been out since then.”
Shep studied the tank. “Didn’t Ashley say Mary Beth was in the equipment room the night before she died?”
Shep’s unspoken accusation was absurd. “Mary Beth did not tamper with my tank. Besides, she wouldn’t be skilled enough to know how. I don’t even know what happened.”
“But it’s possible.”
“It’s insane. What would her motivation be?”
“I don’t know.” Shep tossed his mask on the bench and frowned out at the sea. “We need to get a scuba tech to check it out. And not one from the center.”
Caley shook out her wet hair. “Why?”
“I don’t trust anyone there.” He faced her. “I don’t think this was an accident. Just like Mary Beth’s death wasn’t. And if I’m right, someone on the inside wanted you to run out of air. Could have been Mary Beth.”
Caley’s legs felt like jelly and she collapsed on the bench. “That makes no sense. I always dive with a partner. Whoever did it would know I’d have a buddy to breathe with.”
“Maybe whoever did it had planned to go with you. Maybe Mary Beth. What if she conveniently disappeared and you didn’t make your ascent safely? What if she lured you farther down?”
Caley’s stomach curdled. “I can’t...believe that.” Why would anyone want to harm her? Or Mary Beth? “If it was Mary Beth who messed with my gear, why did she end up dead? You think someone knows and killed her for it?”
“I don’t know why. But this whole scenario isn’t jibing.”
“I don’t always keep my gear in the equipment room. Most of the time I keep it on the boat. Anyone could have access. It could have been tampered with long before I brought it to the equipment room.”
“Either way, someone knows you use a hot-pink oxygen tank.”
Caley’s throat burned. “It could have been an accident.”
“Maybe.” Shep sat beside her. “But maybe not, Little Flynn. Maybe not.”
Shaken to the core, she hoped Shep would reach out with another weak “there there,” but he didn’t.
“I’m gonna call Wilder. Update him.”
Like a good soldier.
“Let’s get to shore and talk to personnel, see if Mary Beth dived with anyone not connected to the center. Then we can take the tank to the university and have it checked out by a random tech. If it’s not an accident, then call Wilder. Let’s not worry him until it’s necessary.”
Shep sniffed, seemed to mull the idea over. “All right.”
What if Shep’s guess was right? What if someone had planned to go diving with Caley and had thought to lure her farther below and disappeared? Which prompted her next question. “Where were you? One minute you were checking out a barracuda and the next, I couldn’t find you.” She wasn’t accusing him but she was curious. Five feet apart was too far to begin with, but out of eye sight was unacceptable, though easy to do, especially if you weren’t a regular diver.
He ran his hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have gotten too far away. I failed you, Caley.”
Was he joking? “Shepherd, I’m not sure I could have made it all the way up. And there is no decompressing on an emergency ascent. I’m not fussing at you.” She laid her hand on his. “I just wondered.”
He snatched his hand away and stood. “Let’s get moving.”
She cranked the engine. So much for accepting some grace. Maybe he’d accept this next gesture. “I meant to say something earlier—those twin beds are tiny at the dorm. I’m going to get you a hotel room. Do you want to be closer