Danger at the Dive Shop Read online

  “I know. It looked really busy in here.” Kitty was watching Mark’s face. He didn’t respond, or even look embarrassed to be manhandling his employee.

  “Are we meeting in the dining room?”

  “Yeah, we’ll be there in a minute,” Mark said.

  “Actually, I wanted to ask Angelina something. If you don’t mind.” Kitty tried on her most innocent expression. She didn’t want to have to insist, but Angelina didn’t want to be talking to Mark and Kitty wasn’t going to walk away until she was allowed to leave.

  His brows lowered over blue eyes and for a moment he looked just like his uncle, Coleman. “Sure, go ahead.”

  Angelina flashed Kitty a grateful look and walked around the counter to join her. They walked toward the dining room, and Kitty didn’t bother to make up a conversation for Mark’s benefit.

  The room was empty and Angelina took several deep, calming breaths.

  “Sorry about that,” she said.

  “Don’t apologize. It wasn’t your fault.” Kitty hated that Angelina felt she needed to make amends for someone else’s bad behavior.

  Angelina looked surprised. “No, it was. I double booked a charter for the morning. It was completely loco in there. I got confused.” Her eyes filled with tears again.

  “It’s because of the treasure?”

  She nodded. “Tomorrow is the last day. They just announced it. Coleman was already taking tours out night and day. And now this.”

  “He took tours out in the nighttime, too?”

  “Oh, sure. With big lights.” She frowned. “I forget the word. Flooding lights?”

  “Flood lights.” They must have underwater lights to help with the search. And if Coleman was out all night, no wonder the man was crankier than a wet cat.

  Andrew walked into the room and called out, “Hello, ladies,” in a jovial voice. “Have a good afternoon? Meet any nice locals, Kitty?”

  For a moment, Kitty couldn’t understand what he was asking about and then she remembered her walk around the neighborhood earlier. He must have seen her leave or return. “Hi, Andrew. Yes, I met lots of nice locals.”

  “No, I mean nice male locals.” He gave her a huge wink and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops.

  “Yes, lots of nice male locals, too.” Kitty kept her face very straight but almost smiled as Angelina’s lips twitched. Playing dumb wasn’t her favorite pastime, but for some people, it was the only course of action.

  Andrew frowned. “I mean, did you meet any good-looking guys when―”

  He was interrupted by Jenny and Ren entering the room, followed by Lisa, Joan, and Christina.

  “Looks like everyone’s here,” Ren said. “Except Coleman.”

  Kitty wondered if Ren and Jenny were refusing to leave, or if they had made up with the bad-tempered owner.

  “He sends his apologies but he can’t be here tonight,” said Mark, coming through right behind them.

  There was an uneasy pause and then Jenny said, “We’re going to set the itinerary for tomorrow, right?”

  “Sure.” He waved for them all to sit down. Glancing at Angelina, he gave her a soft smile. He looked as if he’d gotten over the double-booking fiasco.

  As they took seats around the small room, Chica moved a few feet closer to Angelina. Kitty watched her sit by the young woman’s side, and thought back to their time on the boat. Maybe Chica hadn’t been waiting for chorizo after all. Maybe Chica sensed that Angelina needed a little back-up.

  “Are we going to Punta Molas tomorrow?” Joan asked. “It’s our last chance to look for the gold.” Christina and Lisa nodded in unison.

  Kitty blinked. The tales of treasure hadn’t been contained to the marine biology students and the Texan. Apparently, everybody on the tour had heard about the gold coins before Kitty. She’d somehow wandered into the hottest treasure hunting spot in the Caribbean without even trying.

  Kitty looked at Mark and felt herself holding her breath. She couldn’t imagine what kind of outrage would happen if they didn’t go. She and Chica didn’t care where they went, but the rest of the tour was determined not to be left out.

  “Yes,” Mark said with a big smile. “We’re going to have to double up with another group because of a little scheduling mishap, but yes. We’re going treasure hunting tomorrow!”

  The group burst into applause and Andrew tossed his hat in the air.

  “Dinner is in half an hour, and then everyone should get right to bed.” He sent a meaningful look to Lisa, Joan, and Christina. No visits to the Blue Dolphin down the street. Kitty realized this let her off the hook for an outing with Andrew. “We’re leaving at dawn.”

  Kitty couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face. She said she didn’t care, but deep down, the idea of treasure had already taken hold in her psyche. Her latent gambling addiction sprang to life and she wished they could leave immediately. She’d search all night, then the next day, all the way until they closed the area to the public.

  She was sure she could find it, with Chica’s help.

  That night, after laying awake for hours tossing and turning, Kitty finally slipped into a restless sleep.

  She dreamed of gold coins sparkling in the white sand and a crab wearing a silver goblet as a shell. And later, toward dawn, Kitty dreamed of dirty waves of water and Chica barking out a sharp warning. In her dream, she looked up at the light filtering through the murky water and felt a surge of fear as her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. But then she looked at the gold coins she clutched in her hands and smiled as she dropped down, down, down into the swirling darkness.

  Chapter Three

  “People who get up early in the morning cause war, death and famine.”

  ― Banksy

  Kitty shivered as the boat sped toward the north end of Cozumel. The sun was just beginning to rise and the sky’s pale orange tint reflected in the placid water of the sea. Chica usually stood at the railing and put her head through the bars like a dog poking its head out the open window of a car, but today she sat beside Kitty. During Kitty’s nightmare last night, Chica had woken her with several slobbery licks to the face and had stuck close to her side ever since.

  Pulling her sweatshirt hood over her head, Kitty stuffed her hands in her pockets. She’d never felt such a chill in the Yucatan. Then again, she was rarely up before dawn and never out on the water in the dark. Her job entailed a lot of fancy dinners, lounging on the beach, and sleeping in a wonderfully comfortable bed until at least seven.

  Glancing around at the rest of her group, Kitty noted how Andrew seemed more subdued than usual. He had been so excited to dive in Punta Molas that he’d talked about nothing else all through dinner. Kitty had had to detach herself in an awkward way in order to escape to her room. This morning, reality seemed to have set in. Andrew must have realized the chance of finding gold was next to none because he sat with his hat in his hands, staring out at the rising sun, his face set in heavy lines. Or maybe he just wasn’t an early riser.

  Jenny and Ren were the opposite. Kitty had heard them talking in the courtyard long into the night. Now they sat close together, whispering to each other. faces alight with excitement. They were both already fully suited except for his flippers. Jenny was braiding back her hair and tying it with red yarn. She wondered if Jenny had an unlimited supply somewhere. Kitty thought if anyone needed to find treasure, it was these two, if only to keep them from experiencing crushing disappointment.

  Lisa nervously reapplied her lipstick and tucked the tube back in the little pocket in her jacket. She’d never seemed like the enjoyed the scuba diving as much as the other two in her little group. Kitty could imagine Lisa being perfectly happy spending the week in a fancy spa, rather than rising before dawn and struggling into a wet suit.

  Shaking out her hair and pulling it back into another ponytail, Joan looked ready for business. As much as she complained about the weather, she still gave Kitty the impression of being tougher than her friends. Maybe
it was the callouses Kitty had felt on her palms the day they had shaken hands, or maybe it was her athletic grace as she walked the ship’s deck. Whatever it was, Kitty thought the whole trip had probably been Joan’s idea, and the others had just joined in.

  Joan leaned over to whisper something to Christina and the woman laughed her head-turning guffaw. Kitty wondered what Christina had found so funny, and then was glad she wasn’t close enough to hear the conversation. The woman’s voice was incredibly irritating. Kitty tucked her head back into her hood and was grateful the wind whipped most of the noise in the other direction.

  “No book today?” Angelina asked, sitting down next to Kitty. Her words were clear, but her accent was so strong that Kitty had to listen hard to understand her.

  “In my bag,” Kitty said, pointing to where ‘The Scarlet Letter’ waited wrapped in a towel and some extra clothes.

  “Ah. I thought the treasure was too interesting. Will you share with me if you find it?”

  “Of course,” Kitty said, laughing. “Anyone who is nice to my dog gets a cut.”

  “A cut?” she asked, a bemused expression on her face.

  “Some of it, a portion.” Kitty said. “La ración.”

  “Oh, you speak Spanish?” She seemed genuinely surprised.

  “I work as a translator on cruise ships.”

  Angelina glanced at Chica. “I thought you translated sign language.”

  “That, too. Both of them.”

  “You’re very talented. All I do is fill out paperwork. And even that, I do wrong. Coleman says he would hire someone else if he could.”

  Kitty glanced up to where Mark was standing in the stern. He’d seemed unnecessarily harsh with Angelina for a simple paperwork error, but maybe that was because he knew Coleman would be very angry. With as many people as there were in the dive shop, he should be grateful that Angelina didn’t double book every trip.

  “Everyone makes mistakes. And you’re a wonderful cook and a very good tour guide. Lots of things go wrong when you’re scheduling this many people.”

  She nodded, smoothing back the tendrils of dark hair escaping from her ponytail. “I guess. But if I spoke English better… But I did not meet Mark until last year.”

  Something about the way Angelina said ‘meet Mark’ had her wondering if it was only a business relationship. “Your English is very good. I learned Spanish as an adult. I know how hard it is.”

  Angelina glanced at her shyly. “You have a Mexican boyfriend?”

  “Oh. Well, no.”

  She nodded. “I think it is better to stay in your own culture. Too many problems when you love someone from another country.”

  Kitty didn’t know what to say. Leander was certainly not her boyfriend. He wasn’t the stereotypical American, either. He’d told Kitty he was from Tallahassee, Florida, but his family was Catalan. Their ancient culture was in danger of being wiped from the modern European world stage and therefore the Catalan people took preserving their traditions much more seriously. Sort of like the deaf community. With the advent of the cochlear implant, the deaf community was swiftly changing, and those changes were causing a lot of pain to some who had worked hard for their rights.

  “I’m sorry. I said something rude,” Angelina said.

  “You did―? Oh, no. Sorry. Just thinking.” Kitty smiled reassuringly.

  They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Angelina stood up. “I have to get the boat ready for the other divers.”

  “How many are coming aboard?”

  “Four. They are from a cruise ship. I should have put them on their own boat. Mixing groups is very hard.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine. Let me know if I can help.”

  Angelina smiled. “Thank you. I will.” She walked toward Mark and looked over the papers he had placed under the acrylic top of the counter. As Kitty watched, Mark reached out and touched Angelina’s hand. She didn’t move away, but she didn’t look at him, either. Kitty wondered if their relationship would survive the stress of working for Coleman. Angelina definitely seemed to be having seconds thoughts, both about her relationship and her job.

  A few minutes later, they pulled up to a dock where another boat was already moored. Mark came toward them, a clipboard in hand. “I’m going to go get the rest of the group. We’ve still got about a five minutes’ ride around the point until we get to the reef, but you can start checking equipment and getting some gear on if you want.”

  Andrew didn’t wait for Mark to leave the boat before he walked to the rows of air canisters. As he slung the pack over one shoulder, Kitty could see his wet suit bunching under the friction. It was a lot looser than his usual suit. Probably a back-up.

  Ren and Jenny exchanged excited glances and went to grab their equipment. Their flippers were set out carefully beside their bench and with a few seconds preparation, they’d be ready to jump right in.

  After glancing at the other boat, Kitty decided to follow the others’ lead and retrieve her tank. It wouldn’t hurt to be ready when they docked. Kitty couldn’t deny the thrill that went through her as she slipped off her sweatshirt. She could see other boats on the horizon and several passed them as they waited at the dock. It was going to be a busy morning at Punta Molas.

  Kitty craned her neck to peek at the other guests waiting on benches in their cheery orange life jackets. Two of them wore matching lime green windbreakers and Kitty felt a powerful wave of recognition. Surely not.

  Mark jumped aboard and minutes later Penny and Elaine clambered after him. They wore identical lime green windbreakers and Toto had on matching lime green doggy life jacket. Kitty started to smile, despite the realization that her treasure hunt was now going to include two former tour group guests who never seemed to stop talking. Of course, since they were both deaf, scuba diving wasn’t going to keep them from chatting at Kitty even as she paddled around looking for gold.

  Penny glanced up and her eyes went wide. Her gray hair was neatly covered in a hot pink cap. “Kitty,” she signed. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Kitty couldn’t help laughing and waving. “What are the odds that we end up on the same boat?”

  “Pretty good since we’re stalking you.” Nearly missing a step, Elaine rushed forward, wrapping Kitty in a hug. Stepping back, she looked her up and down. “I’m kidding, of course. You’re our favorite guide, but you need a break from us sometimes. Your vacation is treating you well, I see.”

  “Thank you. It’s wonderful to see you both.” Kitty could feel the eyes of the rest of the group on them as they signed. She didn’t feel offended, only grateful that Elaine and Penny hadn’t had to fight for Toto to join the group. Since Coleman was busy with another scuba trip, Mark was in charge, and he’d never said a word about Chica.

  Kitty smiled when she saw the two dogs touch noses. Service dogs knew better than to interact with other animals while on duty, but Toto and Chica were old friends by now. Two cruises together and a scuba trip meant they could bend the rules a little. “Angelina here,” she pointed toward the young woman, “has been really wonderful with Chica while I’m diving.”

  “Oh, good. I was nervous when they said we’d be with a different group today. Our old one understood about Toto.” Elaine let out a sigh of relief. “We couldn’t pass up the chance to look for sunken treasure, you know.”

  “You, too? My whole group seems to be obsessed with it. I thought there would be a riot when the dive shop owner said he wasn’t going to come here.” Kitty glanced around. The nice thing about sign language was how you could gossip in public without worry. But she also knew never to assume. She’d heard plenty of stories about people having extremely private conversations in front of people they thought couldn’t understand them, and who then experienced a rude awakening when the observers started to laugh.

  “It’s better than Bingo, baby!” Penny bounced on her toes, her expression gleeful.

  “I’m not sure about that.” Kitty had a not-so-secret de
votion to the game with the numbered cards and the colored daubers. Her life wouldn’t be half as enjoyable without Bingo. Treasure hunting definitely tickled the same place she kept her love for Bingo, but instead of nice, orderly rows of cards and a glammed-up number caller, they were shrugging on oxygen tanks.

  “Sure it is,” said Elaine. “I can feel it. Of course, it’s all chemicals. Did you know…” She paused to put on bright pink diving gloves that matched her flippers. With the lime green windbreaker and the orange lifejacket, she looked one of the tropical fish Kitty had seen yesterday in the reef. “The body secretes ten times more dopamine during gambling than using cocaine? I read that in a Scientific American article about gambling.”

  Kitty covered a grimace. That was a chilling thought. She didn’t like the idea of her beloved Bingo being in any way compared to cocaine. She didn’t know much about the drug, but she knew it made a person do terrible things. As far as she knew, nobody had ever been seriously harmed over Bingo. “I guess that explains all the boats out here,” she said.

  Mark finished checking the equipment and seemed to be giving last minute instructions to the other two new passengers, a pair of young men. He hurried to Penny and Elaine. “You’ve both dived before, right?”

  Kitty explained quickly that they were deaf, and translated his question. His face went slack with surprise but he covered it quickly. He nodded as Penny reassured him that they knew what they were doing.

  “Good. You have any questions, make you sure ask Angelina or myself. Glad to have you on board.”

  Kitty was still wary after watching his interaction with Angelina, but she approved of his hospitality. Even though he was dealing with unexpected guests and a scheduling mishap, he made sure they felt welcomed. It was the opposite of what Coleman would do, she was sure.

  Taking his place at the stern, he pulled away from the dock and headed around the rocky outcropping, toward Punta Molas.

  Kitty faced into the wind, feeling her pulse quicken the closer they came to the sandy flats. She could see the lighthouse in the distance. Originally red and white striped, the color had faded to a dark pink. It was small compared to the lighthouses she’d seen on the Eastern seaboard but there was something charming about its rounded top and cheery colors.