Phantom Prospect Read Free Page B

part of it, anyway.”
    Annja frowned. “Part of it?”
    Sandy looked her over. “There wasn’t much left.”
    Cole shook his head. “Let’s get back to the office and talk some more. I don’t like discussing my business out in public.”
    Sandy led them back up the gangplank and toward the row of small wooden buildings scattered along the dock. At a pale blue row house, Annja saw the brass nameplate of Cole Williams Research and they entered. The narrow staircase up to the second floor seemed to be warped and it creaked underfoot as they climbed. But at the top Annja smelled coffee brewing and suddenly realized how much she wanted a cup.
    Sandy pointed to the small coffeemaker. “Figured you all might be in the mood after being on the water.”
    Cole got himself and Annja each a cup and then sat down at an old table that must have served as a conference table by the look of it. He smiled at Annja. “It’s not fancy here, but we make do.”
    Annja sipped the coffee and found it was a good roast. She smiled at Sandy. “This is delicious.”
    “Peruvian blend.” Sandy glanced at Cole. “You didn’t mention you had a visitor coming out.”
    Cole shrugged. “Annja’s a good friend. Known her for years.” He sipped his coffee. “And since I’m the boss, I don’t think it’s necessary that I keep you in the loop on everything that happens in my life.”
    Annja looked down into her coffee and wondered what sort of history Sandy and Cole had. Whatever might have once been, it certainly didn’t appear to be intact any longer.
    Sandy brushed off Cole’s comment. “It would have been nice for me to know so I could make sure she’s set up in town.”
    “Why don’t you tell me about what’s going on at the dive site?” Cole said. “Then I can figure out where to go from there.”
    “What dive site?” Annja asked.
    “It’s off the coast of Nova Scotia,” Cole said. “My brother is up there heading the expedition to discover where the HMS Fantome went down back in 1814.”
    “Fantome?” Annja frowned. “You mean the ship that was supposedly carrying treasure looted from the White House during the War of 1812?”
    “The same. My brother has been after it for years. Guess you could say that the love of the ocean runs deep in my family.”
    Annja sighed. “Great pun.”
    “Sorry.” Cole shrugged. “But whereas I want to study the ocean and its wildlife, my brother is a bit more fixated on the economic aspects of it. He’s been a treasure hunter for years.”
    “After all the time we’ve known each other,” Annja said, “I never knew that.”
    Cole sipped his coffee. “Yeah, well, it’s been a bone of contention between us for a while. Neither of us approves of the other’s work. My brother thinks I’m a fruitcake for swimming with sharks and not making a buck off of my research. I think he’s a money-grubber after fame and fortune.”
    “And never the two shall meet?”
    Cole smiled. “Only during the holidays at my mother’s house. She usually starts the visits by telling us that if we fight she’ll smack us around.”
    “Smart woman,” Annja said. “What’s your brother’s name?”
    “Hunter,” Cole said. “How tragically fitting, huh?”
    “The problem is the death of one of his guys,” Sandy said. “Hunter told me that they’ve spotted a big shark in the area.”
    Annja leaned back. “Sharks off Nova Scotia? Isn’t that a little far north for any of the dangerous species?”
    “Not at all,” Cole said. “Great whites can regulate their internal body temperature and keep it higher than the surrounding water. They’ve adapted so they can hunt the seals that prefer to stay in the cooler waters. It’s not uncommon to find great whites that far north.” He took a breath. “Now, whether one is attacking divers at the dive site, that would be another matter entirely.”
    “Would it?”
    He looked at Annja. “As you’ve seen, just because a great white is around