Demon Spirit, Devil Sea by Charlene D'Avanzo

Author:Charlene D'Avanzo [D'Avanzo, Charlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Maine Authors Publishing
Published: 2017-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

15

I caught up with Ted and Harvey. “Jesus. What the hell happened?”

“Not sure when it happened,” Ted said, “But a seismic shift below must’ve caused what happened.”

“Just one pool drained?”

“As far as we can see,” Harvey said.

I hugged myself. “D-damn coincidence it’s the one where William died.”

Despite the confusion outside, Harvey and I took our time in the bathhouse. After all, we’d been immersed in fifty-degree water for nearly an hour and chilled to the core on the ride home. I slipped down into warmth, pushed hair off my face as I surfaced, and knotted it into a tight ponytail. The knot held for a change.

My core temperature had returned to normal by the time Aaka arrived. She stripped off her clothes, dropped into the tub without a word, leaned her head back, and shut her eyes. Her faced was scrunched up like she was in pain.

I touched her shoulder. “Aaka, what’s the matter?”

She slid under the water, came up, and raked her hands down her face. “Um, what’s happened out there.”

“That water drained out of the pool?” Harvey asked.

“It’s the one William died in.”

Aaka looked like she was about to burst into tears. Was she related to William? I didn’t want to pry and wasn’t sure what to say. Harvey looked at me and shrugged.

Aaka broke the tension. “William and I were lovers. We were going to get married.”

Now I was utterly confused. Anna had said she and William talked about marriage.

“Oh,” was all I could manage.

Harvey was more gracious. “Aaka, how terrible this must be for you. I’m so sorry.”

Aaka’s eyes filled with tears. She slipped under the water again.

When she came up, I went for a neutral question. “Have any of the pools emptied like this before?”

She shook her head. “Not that I remember. This is going to freak people out. Especially the older ones.”

“Yes?”

Aaka clicked into guide mode. “For Haida, hot pools are sacred. They’ve been here for centuries. Longer.”

“And they attract tourists,” Harvey said.

“That, too. If more drain, it’ll be a disaster.”

“Speaking of tourists,” I said, “where’s your dive operation and where do you live?”

“Up on Moresby Island. I usually dive there but came down a lot to—” She looked to the side and squeezed her eyes shut.

“You’re a terrific guide. I’d recommend you to anyone. You know the currents, the natural and cultural history. You’re very safety-conscious. I’m sure Harvey agrees.”

“Absolutely.”

Aaka pushed herself up onto the edge of the tub. “This is a dangerous place to dive. We’ve had a couple of deaths. Last one got tangled in the kelp.”

My stomach flipped.

Our dry clothes hung on the bathhouse pegs. We toweled off and said good-bye to Aaka. We’d paid her earlier and told her to look for another check—our tip, a generous one. She said she needed time alone and asked us to thank Ted for her.

Harvey and I stepped outside.

“I feel so bad for her,” I said.

“Yeah. It was hard to know what to say.”

Ted was waiting for us outside the men’s bathhouse. We walked down the path to join the crowd.

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