Deeper Read Free

gone
diving into the waters off the coast of
Connecticut
or
Massachusetts
.   And these people were saying they wanted to
go for swims every day.
    We discussed
the matter for a few minutes, just so I could make sure the people who were
about to pay for my Christmas vacation understood exactly what they were
getting themselves into.   I'm not really
fond of the idea of pulling corpses out of the water, especially when the dead
people in question are supposed to pay me a lot of money.   I'm a businessman first when it comes to my
services.   They agreed to sign a waiver
that excluded me and my crew from any liabilities.
    They wanted to
go diving, and they were bringing along fifteen college kids to help them with
it.   That would bring their number up to
nineteen, and we added a little more haggling about the cost for feeding them
all.   Two meals a day minimum meant a lot
more food shoved into the larder.
    After that, it
was just a matter of working out the details.
    You ever hear
that old saying about the devil being in the details?   Well, I'm here to tell you that there is a
lot of truth in that stupid phrase.   More
than I imagined when I met
Dr.
Ward and his
cronies.

     
    *           *           *           *           *

     
    I was late
coming home from the docks, but Belle was used to that.   Between being a bit anal about how the yacht
looked and the occasional drink with Charlie, it wasn't exactly a news flash.   My wife, being far more adept at changing
than I have ever been, started cooking dinner around the same time I pulled up
in the driveway.
    I got lucky
when I met Isabella, We met in college, and had probably a dozen classes
together, ranging from philosophy — a course I never should have taken — to a
few English courses and even a class on marine biology.
    I knew it was
lust at first sight.   Love came later,
but when it finally showed up I decided to spend the rest of my life with her
and she was good enough not to have me arrested for stalking her.   She's the only woman I've ever met who could
possibly put up with me, and, as an added bonus, she's a knockout.
    She took one
look at my face and knew something was up.   The chances of me ever pulling the wool over her eyes are about the same
as me growing wings.
    "What did
you do?"   Her voice was teasing, and
so was the grin on her face.
    "I landed
a really big fish."
    "Meaning
you went fishing instead of making a living?   Or meaning you made some poor bastard pay you too much?"   Belle stirred a collection of potatoes, meat,
and onions on the stove and my stomach decided to let out a few rude noises to
remind me I hadn't had much beyond breakfast to eat.
    "Second choice.   A nice gig.   I get to
run a couple of college types around and watch them freeze their privates
off.   Best of all, they're gonna pay
me."
    I wanted to
reach out and hug her, but I knew the rules.   The loving had to wait until she was done at the stove.   She's always had a thing about open flames,
and we had a piece of crap gas stove that I'd planned on having replaced for
the last five or so years.
    "How long a run?"   She stirred her concoction again and I moved past her to grab a few
plates and the flatware.
    "About a
month, but they want to come in every day."
    "A month?"   Her voice raised a few notes higher than usual, and I knew she was
thinking like me, that they had to be nutcases.
    "Looks like we'll have a little to sock away for a rainy day
this time around."
    "Well, I
won't complain about it."   She moved
over and scraped the potatoes, onions and sausage onto our plates, while I
pulled two Michelob's from the refrigerator.
    "You
won't mind not having me here and under your feet every day?"
    "Oh,
please.   Now I get to spend extra time
with the milkman every day."   Once
the food was out of her hands and the pan was back on the stove, Isabella slid
into my arms for a proper hug.   There's
little I love more