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He said, “Sometimes you amaze me”

“Really?” she asked “Still?”

He led Reht turn so they completed a vast circle When they came back to their boat, she went a hundred yards up to the next bend and pointed The black-and-gray boat was anchored up there to hide it from them

Sam sat down on an old fallen tree trunk, put on his flippers, and pulled his mask down over his face

Reure of speech, you know”

“Don’t tell them I’m here” He moved into the murky water and disappeared He reappeared at the stern of the black-and-gray boat He went to the bow, pulled up the anchor, and let the boat begin to drift downstream

Re the shallows to where they had left the dive boat, close to the shore aaff to push off, lifted the anchor, and looked up the watery channel at Saray boat She could see he orking with a set of wires he had cut and stripped with his dive knife

As Reine started, and he began to steer the boat down the bayou toward her She started the engine of their boat andon her s and muddy bars had been In a few minutes she was out into Mud Lake, then into Vermilion Lake, and then out into the Gulf In a ray boat

When they reached the open water far out froether and tied theray boat “Sneakily done”

“Thank you,” he said They began to search the black-and-gray boat, concentrating on the cabin In a few es in it “They’re a company Have you ever heard of Consolidated Enterprises?”

“No,” Sa specific”

“I guess they don’t want to rule anything out,” she said

“At the moment, they’re treasure hunters” He pointed to a marine metal detector on the deck, ready to be deployed

“Why use that thing when you can just follow people who find treasures, wreck their equipment, and take over their spot?”

Saain “There’re six of them”