A CRY FROM THE DEEP (6 page)

Catherine reached for the sugar bowl and took two teaspoons for her coffee. She sighed. They were eating in silence again. It was as if nothing had changed. She and Richard used to sit for long periods, with nothing to say to one another.

Richard seemed to notice, too, as he said, “We’re very quiet this morning.”

“We’re probably jet-lagged.” Catherine didn’t want to say that they’d never had much to talk about in the old days anyway. Back then, she’d be the one who would share something she thought was interesting, and Richard would listen but look bored. Sometimes she had the feeling he was treating her like one of his patients. She guessed he was so used to listening and not responding, it had become second nature to him, even when he was at home.

“So,” said Richard to Alex, “we’ll go visit Grandma soon. She can’t wait to see you.”

Seeing Alex brighten, Catherine smiled. She was grateful for his help, but she wasn’t as sure about her ex-mother-in-law’s. Although Sybil could be great with Alex, she sniped at Catherine every chance she got. Not about her dragging Alex away from America but about her leaving Richard. Sybil had a habit of saying, “In my time, you wouldn’t leave for no reason. People stayed together for better or for worse. They weren’t selfish back then. They thought of the children.”

Well, Catherine would find out soon enough if there was any fallout after Alex’s visit with her grandmother. In the meantime, she’d be free to meet with Frank and find out more about the project. She hadn’t said yes, but she’d come this far. A little further, and there’d be no turning back.

FIVE

“See that building, Alex?” said Catherine, pointing as Richard’s car edged forward in the traffic. “That’s where Mama’s going.” With its granite exterior and a bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln on its front steps, the New-York Historical Society Museum and Library made for an impressive structure. Already, tourists were lining up to take pictures beside the sculpture.

While Richard double-parked out front, Catherine checked her lipstick in the passenger visor’s mirror.

“You look beautiful.”

His compliment unsettled her. She hesitated and then said, “I appreciate you doing this.”

“You know I’d do anything to help you.”

She didn’t know how to respond. She almost felt guilty for leaving him, but then she remembered the dark days.

When she didn’t say anything, he said, “Alex and I’ll have lots of fun at the zoo, won’t we, cookie? We’ll try and stay out of the monkey cage.”

Alex giggled. “Bye, Mama.” She made monkey sounds and scratched her armpits, forcing her mother to laugh.

Waving them out of sight, Catherine was torn. Why wasn’t she one of those mothers who’d be content to spend the day at the zoo with her family? Back in Provence, she’d been one of them.

But she hadn’t considered what she’d missed until Frank’s offer came out of the blue. That was when she realized she missed the ocean—a place where time seemed to stop, a place where she glided into another dimension. There was always one more crevice to explore, one more rock to look behind, and one more school of fish to follow. This surreal world with its flashing neon colors relaxed her like nothing else could. However, that was before the accident, before she let the sea seduce her into letting her guard down.

As she walked to the café’s entrance at the side of the building, she thought again about Frank’s phone call. That’s all it took and here she was acting as if she still had something to prove, as if she was still competing with her brother, who shone at whatever he tried. A star athlete in high school and a valedictorian for his graduating class, he’d given their parents lots to brag about. He’d even managed to keep his marriage intact. Why was she the one who was always screwing up? If she knew, maybe she wouldn’t be back in New York questioning her next step.

~~~

Caffé Storico, an elegant space with its high chandeliered ceiling, was half-filled with patrons. Catherine found Frank sitting on a yellow banquette against the wall, his head buried in the
New York Times.

“You haven’t changed,” she said. “Still glued to the news.”

“Catherine! I was afraid you’d chickened out.”

“I told you I’d come.” Frank stood and embraced her. He smelled of cigar smoke and she wondered how he managed in a world that left smokers out in the cold.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to see you.” He sat down and tucked his paper under the leather portfolio case on the table. “You look great. Life must be good in Provence. I’m almost sorry I dragged you away.”

“Good. Maybe you won’t be too disappointed then when I tell you I haven’t decided yet.”

“Was your meeting with Hennesey that bad?”

“What do you think?”

He leaned back and clasped his hands on his stomach. “Let’s have it.”

When she finished telling him her firsthand impressions, Frank said, “Okay, so he’s a prick. We expected as much.”

“True, but—”

“Before you say anything more, I want you to know I’m prepared to feature this dive on the cover.
Time
and
Newsweek
will probably publish excerpts.”

“There you go again. Jumping ahead before the ink is on the page.”

Frank sighed. “Catherine, you know it’s a fantastic assignment.”

He was right. What could be more exciting than covering the discovery of a Spanish galleon, one the world didn’t even know existed? That should’ve been enough to hook her, but Frank was smart enough to know that by suggesting some possible wrongdoing, she’d have trouble turning her back on his proposal. In the past, they’d had many discussions about pollution and how impossible it was to stop the various assaults on the planet’s waterways. It wasn’t that long ago she’d dissolved in tears while watching a newscast flash photos of pelicans covered with oil as a result of an rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This wasn’t oil, but it was greed of another kind.

Still, she wavered. “I know it’s fantastic, but I have to think of Alex.”

Frank crooked his head to the side and gave her an incredulous look. “C’mon, Catherine. You know Alex will be fine. She’ll have her father. It’ll give him a chance to make up for the time he’s been away from her.”

He was making it sound so simple. He didn’t know the butterflies in her stomach. No, they weren’t butterflies; they were more like screeching bats. “It’s not that. I wish it was. It’s … God, Frank. I don’t know if I can do another dive without hyperventilating.”

Frank’s brown eyes softened. “You got spooked. It happens to the best. Don’t think I haven’t thought about how hard it’s going to be for you to re-enter the field. In fact, I’ve already talked to someone who can help. Maybe you know him. Daniel Costello.”

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“He’s a nautical archaeologist. He may as well be an underwater psychologist, since he’s helped a number of divers recover their nerve. I’ve told him about you. He’s anxious to meet you.” Frank looked at his watch. “He’s across the street right now, doing a presentation at the Museum of Natural History.”

She cocked her head. “You devil. So that’s why you wanted to meet here.” She smiled and then gave him an annoyed look. “I promised myself I wouldn’t be roped into anything.”

“Just meet him.”

Just meet him
. Trust Frank to work all the angles
.
“I hope he has a lot of patience.”

They took a break from business and ordered lunch along with a glass of merlot. Frank had the rigatoni and Catherine selected the shaved zucchini and grilled chicken salad. This was one perk she’d missed since giving up her profession – dining on someone else’s expense account.

Between mouthfuls, they caught up on the more personal details of their lives. Frank had had a bypass and was slowing down, but he hoped to end his career on a high, which was why he was pushing to have her on the project. He was still married to Nona, even though she’d threatened to leave him if he returned to work after his heart surgery.

“I thought Nona was fed up with your hours.”

“She was, but I wasn’t any good at home. I was getting depressed. Maybe I should’ve taken up farming like you.”

Catherine laughed. “I can’t see you as a farmer.”

“Neither can I.” He took a sip of wine. “Now, what about you? How has an attractive woman like you managed to keep the wolves at bay?”

First Richard, and now Frank.
She’d never considered herself attractive, but she knew she had something. Her hazel eyes and long, wavy auburn hair set off a face that her friend Lindsey described as ethereal. “Thanks for the compliment, but pickings are slim over there. I even joined a local reading group for American expatriates, but no one of any charm came my way.”

“That’s a rotten shame.”

“I don’t know. A man would only complicate my life.”

At that, Frank raised his eyebrows and ate another forkful of pasta.

Catherine was thankful they went on with their meal without discussing anything that would require any further soul searching. And yet, Frank’s words—
a rotten shame—
echoed in her mind. It wasn’t easy to live without love. She missed the intimacy but not the tension that came when she and Richard had lost touch with one another. Maybe she was destined to be alone.

~~~

In a room adjacent to the Grand Gallery of the American Museum of Natural History, Frank and Catherine stood in the back of a group crowded around an antique world map and a few ink drawings of Dutch trading ships. The man addressing the crowd was Daniel Costello. Catherine’s eyes widened with her first glance, as there was something familiar about him. Her forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember where she’d met this man with raven hair and rugged features, a man who could give any Hollywood star serious competition if he was so inclined.

Frank leaned toward Catherine and said, “The only thing you have to watch with Daniel is that he’s a little opinionated.”

Catherine thought he looked more than opinionated. This man exuded confidence. He easily commanded the attention of his audience, largely middle-aged with a sprinkling of seniors and children. Catherine surmised the kids were on an outing with their parents or grandparents, and a wave of guilt consumed her as she thought about how things had changed for Alex.

Annoyed with her move across the ocean, Catherine’s parents had relocated to a suburb of Minneapolis, to be near her brother’s children. Oh, they wrote occasionally to Alex and there was the odd phone call, but not enough to keep up a bond that wasn’t that close in the first place. She supposed she had to share the blame for that.

Daniel finished his presentation and was now fielding questions.

A young girl, not much older than Alex, asked, “Is that the kind of ship Christopher Columbus sailed?”

Daniel’s eyes twinkled as he answered, “Yes, it is. Now, who knows what countries these explorers came from when they sailed to the Americas?”

A couple of hands shot up. Catherine and Frank moved in closer. Daniel noticed Frank and nodded to him. Then he connected with Catherine and stayed on her for a few seconds, his eyes warm and magnetic. Startled, she caught her breath and her pulse quickened.

Frank whispered in Catherine’s ear, “Are you sure you don’t know him?”

She shook her head. “No,” she said, almost too quickly.

“Funny. I could’ve sworn you both looked as if you’d met before.”

Catherine shook off Frank’s comment, even though she was puzzled by her feelings. Daniel’s name meant nothing to her, but his face did. So familiar, but why? She must’ve seen it in some magazine or on TV. She shivered for no reason.

“Let’s wait for Daniel over there.” Frank pointed to a bench in the corner.

~~~

When Daniel walked over to join them, Frank said, “I want you to meet Catherine Fitzgerald, one of our finest photojournalists.”

Daniel smiled, as he shook her hand. “I’ve seen your work. It’s outstanding.”

“Thank you.” The touch of his smooth skin was electric, causing her to tremble inside with desire. Was she imagining it, or did he hold her hand longer than normal? She took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Catherine, have I told you Daniel is a rare man in his field? If he wasn’t doing this, he’d be doing something else to save the planet.”

Daniel laughed. “All right, Frank. What do you want for that bullshit introduction?”

“He’s not usually this modest,” said, Frank, touching Catherine on the shoulder. He turned to Daniel, “You’re right, I do want something. Catherine’s been giving me a hard time. I need you to convince her to put on that scuba gear again. The two of you on this project would be a match made in heaven.”

“Now you are being dramatic,” said Catherine, shaking her head

Daniel grinned, “I take it you’ve known one another a long time.”