Staring at the beautiful teenager in front of her, Christina’s affection for her was real. “If you’d like to go to the guesthouse for practice, that’s fine with me. I have to admit, playing the violin in that beautiful space with the water just outside is very uplifting.”
She smiled as Amelia picked up her violin case, music, and her phone. Blushing, she looked up at Christina and said, “I know that normally I have my phone turned off, but Mom said she’d call sometime this afternoon. She wants to check on the progress of my English Lit paper, and of course, to check with the housekeeper about the friends I’m having over tomorrow.”
The two hurried down the path that wandered through the lush gardens toward the guesthouse. Once inside, they quickly got to work, Christina aware that they’d spent extra time chatting and walking instead of practicing. Amelia was always motivated but today even more so. The lesson flew by, and Christina praised her pupil’s accomplishments.
Amelia’s phone vibrated, and she said, “Oh, this call is Mom!”
“Of course, go ahead and take it. Tell your mother I said hello.”
Amelia darted outside the guesthouse and began walking up the path. Christina followed slowly to give the teenager some privacy. She turned to look back over the estate, breathing deeply the fresh air. The grass was already green, and the trees were budding. The waterfront at the edge of the estate was crystal blue, reflecting the cloudless sky. She thought for a moment about Clay’s house. He’d told her that several of the Keepers had residences near the water, if not directly on it like Blake and Sara’s house. I wonder if that’s what he’d like… to continue to live near the water.
Her mind filled with the idea of a house near the water that she and Clay could share. At that thought, she smiled, her heart feeling lighter. Maybe the time is right for us… or at least close.
“Ms. Monroe!”
She startled out of her musings and looked at Amelia shouting from the other side of the garden.
“I forgot my music! Would you mind getting it for me?”
Chuckling, she waved her acquiescence and turned back toward the guesthouse. She found the small satchel of music on the coffee table and turned to walk back out. A movement in the distance caught her eye and she peered out the window. Jerry Kincaid was walking rapidly around the back corner of the guesthouse, disappearing inside the adjacent boathouse. Amelia said he was in New York City with her parents. Suspicion snaked through her, and she sucked in her lips, curious as to why he was back on the estate. Glancing around, she saw no one else outside, and Amelia had disappeared into the main house.
Suddenly, the thoughts of everything Steven told her came slamming back and her anger rose. How dare he try to walk in and change everything with the band! Deciding it was time she had a few words with him, she marched forward, determination on her face.
Clay walked over and clapped his hand on the shoulder of the newest Keeper. Rick was similar in looks and build to his brother, Rank. Also filled with confidence, eager to learn, and not overly cocky, that made him the perfect match for the rest of the Keepers. Mace insisted that egos had no place at LSI. “How’s it going?”
“I’ve been staring at this damn monitor for three days, going back over the feeds,” Rick said. “I’ve stared at it so much that I feel like I’m starting to see things. A few minutes ago, it looked like there were ripples in the water and then nothing.”
“I know we don’t have any idea how often these drug runs are made, and my assumption—since the submersibles run on a simple charge—could be anytime day or night.”
Rick twisted his head up and looked at Clay. “Have you ever been in one of these?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Not me.”
Walker looked over and added, “I was pulling up fuckin’ YouTube videos of what it’s like in one of these two-person submersibles. They say some of them can go really deep, but the idea of doing that wouldn’t make me comfortable.”
“It makes me think of the movie Titanic.”
That comment had everyone swinging their heads around toward Sylvie. She looked up and blushed. “You know, the James Cameron movie, Titanic? At the beginning, they had the submersibles that were going around and looking at the Titanic wreckage.” The men in the room gave her a blank stare, and she rolled her eyes. “You all need to expand your horizons!”
“The only thing I know about that movie is if I heard Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On one more time, I was going to shoot the radio,” Walker said. Looking around, he hastened to add, “My sister had it on all the time.”
Clay looked up at the screen that Josh was now showing and watched a video of a two-person submersible. Turning to Josh, he asked, “Is the Coast Guard able to track any of this with sonar?”
“Yeah, they have the equipment but too much of an area to cover,” Josh replied.
“What about us? Anything from a satellite we can ping?”
Josh twisted in his seat and grinned. “I’ve already been looking, and if I have an idea where they are, then yes, we could follow them. The problem is, like the Coast Guard, the area is too big unless they can pinpoint where you’re looking.”
“So, for example, if we can see them in the boathouse near Kincaid, then you can follow them?”
“Absolutely. If we were unable to apprehend them where they are, then I’d be able to follow them and give directions to someone on a boat.”
“Shit, there’s more than ripples in the water!” Rick called out, drawing everyone’s attention to his side of the room. With a quick tap, Josh pulled up the video to the wide screen on the wall.
A glass-domed bubble rose from the surface, and they watched as the hatch on top was pushed open. A single man climbed out and hopped to the dock, securing the submersible. It only took a moment for him to move to a cabinet, pull out a key, and open it, retrieving the charger.
“Do I call it in now?” Levi asked. “My FBI contact is standing by.”
“Wait until we’re sure,” Mace said.
Movement was visible from the side, and Clay watched with the others as a man walked into the boathouse from a side door. As he turned, his face became visible. “Kincaid… it’s Kincaid. Get the volume up.”
“His itinerary has him in New York with the congressman,” Babs called out as Josh brought the sound from inside the boathouse to a volume they could all hear.
“Obviously, he’s had a change of plans,” Clay said. “Can we get an ID on the man from the submersible?”
“On it,” Josh said.
Clay sat down quickly, tapping on his keyboard. “I’ll take the international database.”
“His tats are Minotaur,” Rank identified.
The submersible driver walked through a door and Tate said, “Bathroom,” as an explanation to the other Keepers. They continued to watch as Jerry moved over to the submersible and squatted, appearing to check the charger.
The door to the outside opened again, and they watched as Jerry leapt to his feet, turning quickly. Another figure walked in, and to Clay’s horror, he heard Christina’s voice.
“Mr. Kincaid? I didn’t know you would be here today, but since you are, we need to talk.”