Passionate Choice

Chapter 7.2

"Well, fancy you and Max deserting us like that," Selena rebuked Gary.

He made a face at her, pushing back fronds of blond hair from his brow.

"If you'd heard that bitch carrying on, you would have done what she wanted, too," he retorted. "We were only allowed to come back for both of you because the professor insisted." Gary glanced sideways at Keith, out a hand beside his mouth and whispered at her, "The professor seemed to think you'd been kidnapped by our skipper. Couldn't get it into his head that Heather had made us desert you to bring her back. Are you ready to leave your tropical paradise now and return to face the wrath of your affianced husband?"

In a way, Gary's humor was bracing, thought Selena, as she stepped into the dinghy. It brought everything into perspective. Of course, she would have to face Ben's anger when she returned if he felt she and Keith had deliberately arranged things so that they could be alive together. But his anger would enable her to confront him with the truth, with the fact that she knew about the secret cache of treasure in a wreck which he had told her didn't exist, in a place which he had said he explored with Louis Langdon and where they had found nothing. Oh, yes, there was going to be quite a reckoning between herself and Ben when she got back to the resort.

"Did you show those grenades we found to Professor Hunt?" she asked Gary once they were on board the dive-ship and it was under way with Keith at the helm.

"I did. He seemed pleased but not excited," said Gary. "You know I'm sure there was nothing like that near the cavity I was working on yesterday. I'm sure I would have seen them before this afternoon." He looked at her, frowning in a puzzled way. "If I didn't believe the professor is honest, I would say he planted them there for me to find."

"Planted them?" exclaimed Selena, feeling a coke uneasiness creeping through her. Supposing Gary, who wasn't dumb by any means, guessed he had been tricked. Would he be as magnanimous as Keith and decide not to inform on Ben and Heather to any authorities who might be interested? "Why would he do that?"

"To keep us quiet. To make us believe we really are on the track of the wreck of the Santiago. I've been thinking for the past couple of days that the timbers in the crevasse are too light for any Spanish galleon. A few years ago, I helped salvage treasure from two galleons that were wreck in the bay of Samana, in the Dominican Republic, around the years 1700 and, believe me, their timbers were massive even though they had been drowned for a few hundred years."

"But those are really Spanish hand grenades and the Santiago was carrying such weapons," she argued, wondering first why she was protecting Ben, then realizing that it was his reputation as an archeologist that was at risk and with his, so was hers, because her name was linked with his, not only professionally but also personally. She wasn't only his assistant, she was engaged to him. "If they were planted, as you suggest, where did they come from?" she asked Gary warily.

"I haven't got as far as answering that question yet," he said. "But I will." He gave her a moving glance. "I thought you would know," he remarked.

She didn't answer him and was glad they were approaching the jetty and he had to jump ashore with the ship's bowline.