The Music of the Deep by Elizabeth Hall

Author:Elizabeth Hall [Hall, Elizabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503954687
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2018-04-17T04:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

Alex sat down at her desk in Maggie’s cabin the next morning. She had a cup of coffee next to her, and she turned on the computer, waiting for the antiquated machine to fire up. Outside, the branches of the cedars, heavy with drops of water, caught the sunlight, looking as if they were decked out in their finest jewels. She stared for a moment, caught by the way the light made everything sparkle.

Alex reached inside the box she’d been working through and grabbed another pile of papers and articles. When she lifted it from the box, a small photograph slipped loose and fluttered down to the floor. Alex stooped and picked it up.

It was a picture of Maggie’s boat, the same one Alex had been on the day before, and three people, smiling broadly. The woman in the middle had dark hair and glasses, but was much younger than the doctor of marine biology who sat across the room. Alex stood and walked over to Maggie’s desk. “Is this you?” she asked, holding the photograph out for Maggie.

The woman peered through her glasses. “Yes, it is. Before my hair went gray. That must have been taken . . . oh, I don’t know. Late eighties, maybe.”

“Is that your son?” Alex asked, indicating the bright-eyed young man standing at the wheel of the boat. He was tall and muscular and smiling broadly in the photo. Alex glanced at the photographs of a young man that stood on the shelves at the back of the room. There were numerous framed photographs of him.

Maggie nodded. “Yes, that’s Brian. He worked with me in the summers during high school and a few of his college breaks.”

Alex looked at mother and son in the photograph. They were strikingly similar, with strong jawlines and body height. “And the girl? Is that his girlfriend?”

Maggie glanced at the photo, readjusting her glasses. “Hmm. Some intern, I think. I’ve had so many, I can’t remember all their names.”

“She’s very pretty,” Alex murmured.

Maggie shrugged and turned away. “If you say so.” She returned to the papers on her desk.

“Do you want me to scan this?” Alex asked, holding up the photo. “I know it’s not related to the science, but there may come a day when someone will want to have archival photos of you at your work.”

Maggie looked over the tops of her glasses. “That won’t be necessary.”

Alex returned to her desk, laid the photo to the side, and began work on the first scientific paper in her stack. She was just starting to find her rhythm, to let her mind get lost in the information, when she was interrupted.

Maggie stood and walked over to her desk, holding a newspaper in front of her. “Have you seen this?” she asked.

Alex swallowed. She felt a flush rising to her face, and she shook her head. “I haven’t really been keeping up with the news.” Her heart slammed against her rib cage, the sound so loud she thought sure Maggie would notice.

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