LAST ASSAULT ON OAK ISLAND 32

Chapter 32

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The Second Wind dropped anchor in Joudrey's Cove later that afternoon.

An observer watched two swimmers with air tanks falling into the azure waters—not a particularly unusual sight in that area.

The boat bobbed on the gentle swells, a radio playing lowly behind him. To the set of field glasses trained on the craft with the divers, it appeared a normal scene.

Which only made watching more tedious.

Lauren was finding the afternoon anything but typical. Maruso predicted any cave visible to Brielle could not be more than a meter below the present water level.

She spent the first twenty minutes fidgeting with the snorkel and letting the water out of her mask as they treaded water near the Second Wind. She was happy to discover that she could swim, sort of, and did not sink nearly as quickly as she thought she would. After a bit of practice, she was able to keep up with Maruso as they surveyed the shoreline. The short swim brought them right up to the deep side of the island. Here the water was clear and supported a cornucopia of aquatic life. Eventually, Lauren lost interest in giving every strange fish her full attention and settled down to investigating with Maruso.

For an hour, no opening presented itself in the shore. Farther on a couple of false leads resulted in simple indentations in the occasionally boulder-lined shore. The only break in the serene quiet of water was a brief burst of bubbles and sputtering when Lauren dove too far under.

The first real cause for excitement came when they found a cave-like opening two feet below the water. Maruso motioned to surface, and she gladly did so.

"What do you think?" he asked at they clung to the side of the rocky shore.

She caught her breath and wiped the water from her face. "I don't know. It's dark and it may or may not open above water inside."

"I'll find out."

She nodded.

He dropped back beneath the water.