PREDATOR ISLAND (Sea Lab Book 2)

CHAPTER 36

Puffs of cottony clouds drifted across an azure blue sky. The scenic view hung above Sarah and the caldera lagoon on the lower flank of Cerro Yglesia. The dormant volcano rose up from the jungle floor, its summit looming high above their heads. Dr. Graham must have been right about it being inactive. She didn't smell the slightest hint of sulphur dioxide. If magma were present in a subterranean chamber, the gas could permeate through the soil and seep up to the lagoon. She wasn't an expert on volcanic activity by any stretch of the imagination, but even now, she didn't consider it wise to refill their canteens here.

Sarah had been standing with the rest of the group as they discussed the meaning of the third and final riddle. Now that they found the lagoon, the question was what to do next? Everyone had a different take on their next step. What to do? What to do? With tensions running high, she walked away to be alone with her thoughts.

She recalled the key words that Dr. Graham emphasized earlier: swallows and mist.

Sarah tuned everyone out, letting their voices drift away with the clouds. She started with the word, mist. It seemed obvious it should come first. She didn't know why, just her instincts.

At the moment, there was no mist of any kind issuing from the lagoon or the caldera beneath it. She pondered the possibilities. Maybe in the 1800's, a mist had wafted from the water's surface? The volcano could have been active two hundreds year ago, heating the lagoon and producing steam. That seemed the most likely scenario. Or maybe not? There was a distinct possibility that Captain Bennett Graham's riddle had been referring to clouds hovering low on the mountain, like fog. She supposed that might be possible at certain times of the year. But one thing was for sure, there was no mist on the caldera now. Then again, the whole mist thing could have been a ruse, the captain's imagination? A decoy? Who knew?

Maybe the word mouth was more important than mist? Undecided, she moved on to the other key word, swallows. Then she realized...a mouth is something that swallows.

Sarah stared at the water. It was difficult to describe its size or compare it to anything, but she estimated it at roughly two hundred feet in diameter. She could see the bottom. It had to be forty to fifty feet down.

Jake, Dylan, and Tony walked up, as did Savannah, followed by Rachel.

Dr. Graham stood a few feet away, hand on his chin. They had wrapped up their discussion and now it looked like they'd come to a decision, and the doctor was pondering it.

"We think there's a drain at the bottom of the lagoon," Dylan said. "Hence, the mouth that swallows."

Savannah crossed her arms and glared at Sarah. "We believe there's an earthen plug, and we think someone needs to go pull it."

"Fifty feet of water with no dive gear? Are you kidding me?"

"A free dive," Jake said. "And I'm gonna do it."

"Are you serious? You have no idea if, or even where, a drain might be."

"I'm an experienced diver, Sarah, I can do it. Don't sweat it." He gave her one of his convincing grins. "Besides, if I didn't agree to it Tony would have."

Savannah continued to stare at Sarah.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I'm going," Jake said. "That settles it. There's nothing to worry about."

Sarah cocked her head. "What if you find the plug? How are you going to pull it out? And if you do..."

"It's not that big of a deal." Jake turned to the water. "It's clear and calm, and there's not any marine threats in there. I'll just have to hold my breath...for a little while."