A CRY FROM THE DEEP Read online

  ~~~

  Daniel and Catherine took the sea route back, past stone walls adorned with fuchsia on one side and ocean views on the other. They passed through Malinbeg and stopped briefly to view Silver Strand beach, a secluded stretch of sand in an inlet. On the road again, they drove past ring forts, Celtic crosses and standing stones, evidence of the various religious groups—the Druids, the Protestants and the Catholics—that’d populated the land. When they got to Slieve League, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe according to Catherine’s guide book, Daniel pulled over and parked the car.

  The winds were still fierce as they walked to the trail overlooking the steep rock face leading to the water. There they stood on the cliff’s viewpoint, protected only by a guard rail. The reward for battling the elements was the extraordinary outlook over the indigo sea. Hundreds of meters below, waves crashed on the horseshoe-shaped rocky shore, adding their notes to the blustery weather’s symphony.

  Daniel said, “Any dive today would’ve been impossible.”

  “The power of nature, it keeps us humble.” A few hair strands blew across her face and Daniel tenderly pushed them back, tucking them behind her ear.

  “Thanks.” She teased, “If you think this is going to win you any favors…” Her voice petered out as he continued to gaze at her.

  He smiled. “I was thinking something like that.”

  She laughed.

  Just then, a rogue gust of wind pushed their backs. Although there was a fence of sorts, the thought of falling down the steep slopes was enough to make them both step back.

  “Scary,” said Catherine.

  “It’s not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure.”

  “Standing up here, you get some idea of what the seas must’ve looked like when those ships went down. Reading about it doesn’t do justice to their stories.” She watched another wave hit the rocks, sending a plume of water at least a storey high into the air. “I can’t imagine how horrible it must’ve been battling the storms that took those men. The women and children, too, on those immigrant ships. It must’ve been terrifying.”

  He put his arm around her shoulders. It both surprised and comforted her. It wasn’t that cold, but she shivered as he held her tightly. She glanced at him, but he remained focused on the drama below. They stood like that for awhile, the wind playing with their hair and senses.

  Daniel faced Catherine and cupped her chin. The light played with the flecks of warm greens in his eyes as he said, “Catherine, are you her?”

  “Who?”

  He then leaned forward and kissed her gently. Desire shot through her like lightning and she pressed her body against his. She returned his kisses with a fervor she’d never experienced before. And then, as quickly as a storm dies down, she willed herself to pull away.

  “Daniel…,” she said softly, leaving his name suspended between them. She wanted him to know the only reason she stepped back was because he was engaged. But she said none of this.

  “I know,” he answered as if he knew what she wanted to say. He held her from him at arm’s length, and studied her for a moment before kissing her again, this time lightly and with less urgency. He then said, “I guess we should get back.”

  Her legs felt weak as she walked back with him to the car. She longed for more. She wanted to forget there was another woman waiting for him. She wanted to forget she had a child and a life back in Provence. She wanted to throw herself at him and see where fate would take her.

  Daniel put the keys in the ignition and was about to turn it, when he suddenly sat back. He turned to her and said, “Catherine…” He looked into her eyes as if some answer he needed was there. And before she could say anything, he leaned in and kissed her lightly at first. His lips were soft, inquiring. She found herself responding again, feeling his warmth, his hunger. His musk scent aroused her senses even more as his mouth touched her neck. When he kissed her behind the ears, she moaned with pleasure. He kept kissing her, arousing her, as he helped her take off her jacket and she did the same with his. He then lowered her seat back, pressing his taut body against hers. With their bodies wet with desire, she was swept along like a raft on a rushing river.

  She could feel his strong hands sliding under her t-shirt, caressing her breasts, touching her nipples, causing her to moan. With the heat of their lust rising, he was about to lift her t-shirt over her head, when the sound of a car honking stopped him. She froze. They both looked back. They could see nothing but the steam that covered the car windows. Suddenly self-conscious, Catherine moved over and straightened her clothes.

  Frustrated, Daniel leaned back in his seat.

  She wiped the window with her sleeve and saw a mother with two small children running to a car nearby. It looked as if the father had let them out to look at the view. She guessed he’d honked to remind them it was time to return.

  She wished there was something she could say, anything that would take them back to the point before the disruption, but the mood had been broken. The family’s appearance had jolted her back to reality. She was suddenly aware of how far she and Daniel had gone. Had she led him on? Much as she was attracted to him, that had never been her intent. She had gotten carried away. She glanced at him, then peeked at her watch. It was close to the dinner hour. If they didn’t get back soon, they’d be driving in the dark.

  He caught her looking at her watch.

  She didn’t have to say anything. She could tell by his downcast face that he was disappointed, too.

  He gave her a half smile and started the car. “It was nice, while it -.”

  “While it lasted.” She said, overlapping him. She wished she could’ve said, This isn’t like me. I’m not a flirt. I’m not a tease. She also wasn’t the type who could take a summertime flirtation lightly.

  On the ride back, Daniel put the radio on. They said nothing, but a curtain had fallen, hiding both of their needs, stopping any further performance and it didn’t rise again even when he dropped her off an hour later at Sea Breeze.

  ~~~

  Catherine lay on the bed and mulled over her trip to the museum. It’d been an odd day, there was no other way to describe it. There was that business with the Gaelic voices she’d heard, the dress hanging in the cottage, and her calling him Daniel Gallagher with an Irish accent. Where did that come from? Gallagher? She knew no one by that name. And that dress, and seeing her face on that vision, the woman looking out to sea? She could make no sense of it. There was something else at play here. But what? She picked up her ring from the night table and twirled it between her fingers. Was it possible that she was somehow entwined with the young woman from the past? But that was ludicrous. More craziness to talk about with Barbara when she got back to New York. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t seeing a shrink. The next thing she’d get with stories like that would be anti-psychotic medication.

  She put the ring back and turned off the lamp by her bed. Why had Daniel called her in the first place? Maybe he had hoped for a little fling. And what did Catherine know about that? After her divorce, she’d had the occasional date, some arrangement through a friend or someone who knew someone, but it rarely went beyond one or two meetings. She couldn’t get her hopes up now. They had fallen into each other’s arms because they were far from home, that was all.

  But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise, she kept returning to what had happened. They had come together as easily as a hand in a glove. She knew he’d entertained the same lust when he’d taken her in his arms and kissed her. It had taken all her strength to untangle herself, not that he was forcing her. It was her own desire that had taken her farther than was safe. If that family hadn’t happened by, would they have gone all the way? Would she have complicated things to the point where it would’ve been impossible to work alongside of him?

  She sighed. She’d always despised the whole other woman thing, and yet here she was, entertaining the possibility. But where would it lead? Nowhere, that’s w
here. There was no ‘I love you or I can’t live without you or my engagement was a big mistake’ confession from him. She could at least give him credit for that. She’d hate for him to lie just to see how far he could get. She’d read enough to know that these things happen all the time and in the end, the couple go their separate ways. Finis.

  She didn’t fall asleep easily. It wasn’t only her encounter with Daniel that made sleep so unattainable, it was the fact she’d forgotten to call Alex. By the time it dawned on her she should’ve called, she realized Alex would’ve been at Kaitlin’s for her sleepover, and she didn’t even know Kaitlin’s last name. Why hadn’t she asked? She’d always been so good at details. She tried calling Richard to find out, but he wasn’t answering. He was probably in session and had his cell phone turned off. Or maybe he was out with Monique. She could’ve waited and called later, but as it was, she had to get to bed. Between her guilt over Alex, and her confusion about Daniel, she tossed and turned all night.

  She dreamt she was standing on shore, watching a baby float away on a neon green plastic ring. She watched it go, feeling powerless to do anything about it. Horrified, she watched the baby become smaller and smaller as it drifted away on the ocean. She tried to yell but no sound came out.

  She woke up in a panic, and was relieved to find it had only been a dream. She wrote it down to try and make sense of it later, and then went back to sleep.

  Somehow, she ended up on a sailboat with Daniel. They were both naked in the hot sun. He was feeding her grapes while she was petting a swan in the water. And then, there was a lemon tree, right beside them. She turned to take a lemon, and it seemed they were now on a small island. Where it came from she didn’t know. She took a lemon from the tree, bit into it, and made a face. It was sour. But when she turned to tell Daniel not to bother trying the lemons, she found she was talking to Richard. Daniel was nowhere to be seen.

  THIRTY

  Having overslept, Catherine skipped breakfast and raced down the road to the docks. As she ran, she rehearsed all the things she might say to Daniel.

  I had a nice time with you, but I didn’t mean it to go so far. I know you’re about to be married, and it was just one of those things. Don’t worry about it, these things happen. I’m not ready for a relationship anyway.

  It was at times like this, she wished she’d been a writer. Try as she might, she couldn’t find the right words. Well, maybe that was a clue. Maybe she didn’t need to say anything.

  When she got to the boat, Patrick was already untying the rope.

  “It’s a good thing you arrived when you did,” he said, as she climbed on board. “We were going to leave without you.”

  “Someone slept in.” said Olaf, coming to help Patrick. “Daniel arrived bleary-eyed, too. Must be something going around.”

  “Hope we don’t catch it,” said Patrick, chortling.

  “Very funny.” She went along with the kidding, but she wondered what they knew about her and Daniel.

  It seemed everything was different. Even their boat’s departure from the bay. This time, Hennesey and his crew got more attention than they’d had before. Since the government agents had paid them a visit, their cover was blown. Now, they couldn’t pass other boaters without hearing the odd comment thrown their way.

  “Have you found anything yet?” And then a laugh. “As if they’d tell us if they had.”

  “Make sure you share any gold you find with the rest of us.”

  “Aye, it’s a bonny day when the Americans come looking for treasure. Just remember, whatever you find, if it’s on Irish land, it’s ours.”

  Catherine could see Hennesey in the wheelhouse. It looked like he was muttering obscenities. She was too preoccupied with what had happened the day before to care one way or the other. When she checked to see where Daniel was, she found him down in the galley talking with Tom. She’d have to catch him later, when it was more private. She didn’t even bother going all the way down the stairs. Instead, she went back on deck and let the vistas soothe her troubled mind.

  When they passed Carrigan head with its nineteenth century watch tower, she was struck by how desolate it looked. The vertical cube of stone had been erected during the Napoleonic wars and now it stood on the rocky precipice, abandoned. There was no longer any need for its observations.

  Though the thought of being alone troubled her, diving again and Daniel’s attentiveness had bolstered her confidence. She felt sexy and attractive again. Coming to this mysterious land had given her some hope, along with some persistent ghosts.

  They were now getting close to their dive spot. Since Daniel hadn’t come up on deck, she went below hoping to find him alone.

  He was still sitting at the table with Tom. His head was down, and he was pouring over a chart that marked the two wrecks. Neither man looked up when she entered the galley.

  Nearby, Joy was cutting up pieces of chicken.

  Catherine said, “You got anything for breakfast? I missed it this morning.”

  “Check the fridge. You might be able to scrounge something up.” Joy stirred onions in the fry pan; the smell was like that of a greasy spoon.

  Catherine found some yogurt with berries in the fridge and poured herself a cup of coffee. That would have to do until lunch. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Daniel. It was then he looked up and gave her a smile before returning back to his chart. She wondered what he was thinking. Was he having any regrets? She hoped not.

  Pulling a chain from inside her shirt, Joy said, “Hennesey got me this yesterday.”

  On the chain was a gold Celtic cross, carved with fine detail. Catherine had seen one like that in a jewelry story in town. “It’s lovely. Any special occasion?”

  “No,” said Joy. “Nuttin’ special goin’ on. He does things like this every so often.”

  Who would’ve thought Hennesey had it in him? Catherine mumbled, “nice surprise”, and left with her make-do breakfast, casting one more look at Daniel before she climbed the steps. His head was still bent over his papers; his focus, remarkable. Could he really put aside what had happened so easily? She couldn’t, and was immediately annoyed with herself for being so foolish.

  Gazing at the rocky coastline, she wished she could talk to Lindsey, but then again Lindsey would probably tell her to go after him and not let a little engagement stand in her way. No, Lindsey wasn’t the one to confide in. Maybe Joy could help, not that Joy was an expert when it came to men. Was it possible she was blind to Hennesey’s unprincipled conduct? There were couples like that. One day they’re happily married, and then the next, one of them wakes up to find they’ve been tied to a murderer, adulterer, or embezzler, and they wonder how they could’ve gone on thinking their life was so rosy.

  In a bid to escape her punishing thoughts, Catherine scanned the waters. Everything was a blur. Ahead were the Slieve League cliffs. She viewed them now in a different light. It was there she’d stood with Daniel and experienced that first kiss, that had led to another and another. And then in the car, they’d carried on as if there was no one else in the world. That was only yesterday. Was this love or had this magical place colored her heart with its brush?

  And then she’d had that crazy dream. Maybe there was something to it. In it, Daniel had vanished. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her something. Maybe she had to accept the fact that she had her life and he had his, and soon they would be going back to their routines. In her dream, she had ended up with Richard. Was that where her future lay? People did remarry the ones they’d divorced. Unless this Monique had her claws in him already, he was someone she could consider. He had definitely mellowed, and he was Alex’s father. But could she love him again?

  The other part of her dream was less puzzling. The baby floating out to sea was obviously her guilt in not calling Alex. She hadn’t even known how to reach her daughter, who was over at a friend’s. What kind of a mother was she? Of course, her baby had drifted away.

  She bent ove
r the gunwale and stared at the sea with its white foam trailing on the surface. She inhaled the salty sea air as a spray of water spattered her face. She looked out at the shoreline rocks rising steeply out of the water and the rolling glens beyond them. Despite her disappointments, she was going to miss this beautiful place steeped in folklore. She had a week left, not nearly enough time to solve the mystery of the phantom woman.

  This whole National Geographic assignment had been a confusing one right from the start. She’d given up her life on a lavender farm (albeit temporarily), had left Alex for three weeks more than she’d ever left her before (which was never), and had tackled her fears of diving (which she had to admit was long overdue). But if someone had told her that her life would take a paranormal turn, or that she’d fall for an engaged man, she would’ve stayed home.

  ~~~

  Having given up on talking with Daniel anytime soon, Catherine pulled her sports bag over to the bench and took out her camera. She was about to review her photos when Raul sat down beside her and said, “Alfredo says you saw a ghost.”

  Catherine’s brow furrowed as she glanced over at Alfredo, who was suited up and standing some yards away. “Why would he think that?”

  “He told me Daniel mentioned it.”

  She recalled Alfredo being around when Daniel teased her but she didn’t think Alfredo would’ve dwelled on it. She smiled, hoping the truth didn’t show. “Daniel likes to kid around. He knows I can get jumpy down there.”

  “Alfredo, he always thinks something will pop up. He thinks sometimes spirits do not like us digging in the water. He says it can make bad ju-ju. I think that too, but I push it away.”

  “Divers get superstitious sometimes -”

  “You remember that treasure hunter in Florida?” said Raul interrupting. “The one who found the Atocha? Everyone say the hunt was jinxed.”