Rock Harbor Series - 03 - Into the Deep Read Free

Denise’s grasp, and Naomi grabbed her.
    Alex began to cry as his mother shrieked. “Shh, it’s all right, little one,” Bree whispered. But it wasn’t. Nothing would be all right for this little family for a long time.
    The adults and children turned at the sound of Denise’s desperate cries. Mason took the widow’s arm and helped her into the car.
    “I’ll take care of the children,” Bree promised. “Just let the dogs out of the Jeep. I’ll need Samson here.”
    Mason nodded and opened the back door for the dogs. Charley went to nose the ground at Naomi’s feet while Samson jumped out and raced to join Davy. The little boy turned and caught sight of his mother. Worry rippled across his face, and he looked down at his wet, muddy clothes. Bree smiled at him, and his face cleared. He threw his arms around the dog and turned back to his friends.
    “We should feed the babies and put them down for a nap,” Naomi whispered.
    Bree nodded. “Let’s tell the others what is going on first. They have to be wondering.”
    Yancy Coppler lumbered toward her like a genial bear. Bree hadliked the researcher the minute she’d met him. He reminded her of Santa Claus with his head of white hair and neatly trimmed beard. She’d heard he was still recovering from a nasty divorce, and she couldn’t imagine a woman ditching him.
    “Trouble?” he asked when he reached her.
    She nodded. “Phil drowned in the lake.”
    He winced, and his pale blue eyes watered. “Ah, poor Denise.” He glanced at the twins. “Is there anything I can do? The rest of Phil’s team is here too.” He blinked and rubbed his forehead.
    “Just tend the kids until their parents pick them up,” Naomi said.
    “I can help with that,” he promised. He hesitated. “Do we know what happened?”
    Bree patted a wailing Alex on the back. “Looks like he drowned while fishing. Samson found him just off Three Indians rock.”
    A muscle worked in his jaw. “Phil was a great guy. We’re going to miss him at the lab. He did all my computer work. I’m hopeless at it. I guess I’ll have to break down and hire an assistant. But that’s minor compared to what Denise and the kids will be going through.”
    Bree watched him walk slowly back to the adults huddled by the sidewalk. She recognized the other scientists on the team. Chito Yamamoto, the youngest of the researchers, took a step back when Yancy began to speak. A Japanese-American, Chito had a three-year-old daughter here at the party. Ian Baird, who had thinning blond hair and clothes that rarely matched, was distant and single, though from the glances he was sending Nora’s way, he seemed eager to change that. Nora Corbit and Lola Marcos were also single, both in their fifties. Denise had told Bree they considered themselves grandmothers to the Taylor children. Bree hoped they’d be of special help to Denise now.
    The head of the lab, Cassie Hecko, stood with her assistant, Salome Levy. They both stopped talking when Bree approached. The two older women glanced toward Bree and nodded, then turned to take charge of Adrian and his friends.
    Bree and Naomi carried the squalling toddlers into the house. Thekitchen’s aromas of fresh-baked cake and hamburgers made Bree’s stomach growl. She hadn’t eaten today. After several minutes of rummaging through the cabinets for a cookie or something to distract them, she found saltine crackers. They both accepted one and began to quiet.
    “Mum-mum-mum,” Abby said.
    “We’ll go see Mommy in a minute,” Bree assured her. It was nearly suppertime, so maybe they were hungry. Naomi found some jars of baby food in the cupboard and heated them in the microwave.
    By the time they’d fed the children and settled them down with toys, the childish squeals and shouts from the front yard had abated. Bree and Naomi stepped onto the back porch. Davy, Timmy, and Adrian, the Taylor’s five-year-old, played quietly with boats in a nearby mud puddle. The adults stood