Page 43 of Vanishing Legacy
When they reached the bottom at around sixty feet, they began scanning the area around the coordinates she had mapped out. They swam toward a rocky outcrop covered in a kaleidoscope of coral formations. Vibrant, colorful marine life darted through the reef and around her head. “Let’s spread out but keep a visual.”
“Copy.”
She searched each crevice for any signs of the car. Parts that broke off or personal items that found a place to rest here. Something glinted in a small opening between two rocks. Her heart quickened, but she found nothing but a few rusted beer cans and some fishing line.
She turned and came face to face with a moray eel peeking out from its hiding place and gasped.
“You okay?”
“Got an up-close view of this eel’s sharp teeth on full display.” Interesting creature. Lovely, yet terrifying. “I’m just glad he wasn’t hiding in the hole where I stuck my hand.”
“Alana, come check this out.”
She glanced around and saw that he was pointing at a massive object buried in the sand a few yards away. It was outside her search coordinates, but not by much. “Let’s check it out.”
They swam closer, sweeping their dive lights over the object. As they got within a few feet, she realized it was a rock.
“False alarm,” he said. “Sorry.”
“No worries. We’ll keep looking as long as we can.”
They continued searching and checked in with each other through the comms to make sure they were still on track.
She paused to check her gauges. They were running out of time. They’d searched for half an hour, scouring the ocean floor for any signs of Sonia’s car. Nothing. Whatever Oak had picked up with his metal detectors, they weren’t finding it.
What had made her think she could locate Sonia’s vehicle when teams of divers with better gear hadn’t been able to do it? Now she had Cash’s hopes up, thinking he’d be able to lay Penny’s mom to rest.
A group of blue runners darted past Alana. Her eyes followed them, admiring their elongated bodies, sleek and streamlined. Beyond them, a sand tiger shark hovered near a mysterious formation rising up from the ocean floor.
She swam toward it with her dive light shining on layers of sediment. It was bigger than Sonia’s car, but years of debris and sediment buildup would add to the vehicle’s bulk. Could this be it?
She approached the odd hill-shaped formation. Its contours were smooth in some places and jagged in others, hinting at the powerful forces of nature that had shaped it over time. Coral and sea creatures clung to the surface, creating their very own ecosystem in the depths.
The shark swished away, leaving Alana to her discovery. She descended the slope. The water became darker. More still. The eerie atmosphere and the close proximity of the shark sent shivers down her spine.
“Cash, I think you’ll want to see this.”
“Where are you?” Cash’s voice crackled in response.
Alana shined her dive light in his direction. “See me?”
“Yep. On my way.” Cash swam up beside her. “What is that thing?”
“I don’t know, but we’re going to find out.”
He reached out to touch the muddy, pockmarked hill. As he ran his hand over it, pieces crumbled away, revealing a glint of metal beneath the rust.
The oxygen monitor on her wrist beeped. “We’re at thirty percent. We need to start ascending in three minutes.” Time was not on their side, but they’d come too far to turn back without answers.
“Mark the spot.”
“Done. Now hurry,” she said.
They clawed the mud. Pieces of sediment and rusted metal crumbled away from beneath her fingers. She didn’t want to leave without knowing if they’d found Sonia’s car or not. A cloud of dirt and debris swirled around them. They dug deeper, uncovering more of the object’s form.
The shape made Alana’s blood run cold.
Cash yanked his hand back at the same time she did. They stared at each other in disbelief.