Phantom Prospect. Alex Archer

then hung up. “All set. Reservations for seven o’clock. That should give you enough time to grab a shower and change into something that will make me drool.”

      Annja punched him in the stomach. “Watch it, pal. I might get the impression all of this was done just to woo me, instead of in the name of science and the betterment of humankind.”

      Cole held up his hands. “Oh, hey, it’s definitely for the betterment of humankind. I’m just starting out with me first.”

      Tom shook his head. “You know he’s incorrigible, right?”

      “Apparently,” Annja said. She walked back into the main cabin and slid into the booth. Cole came in a second later and sat down across from her.

      “I’m really glad you came out here, Annja.”

      “Me, too.”

      Cole leaned back. “The great whites we have access to here are among the largest in the world. They feed in the deep waters and it always astounds me how big they are.”

      “What’s the biggest one ever caught?”

      “You’d have to go back,” Cole said. “There have been claims of thirty to forty feet about a hundred years back. Nowadays, it’s rare you see one over twenty feet in length.”

      “That’s still three times bigger than a full-grown man. Plenty of room to fit in the belly, huh?”

      “That’s nothing compared to the long-lost ancestor of great whites, the megalodon. Now that was something to behold.”

      “Why’s that?”

      “It was at least forty feet long when it cruised the prehistoric seas. Its teeth were as big as your hand with the same deadly serrations as great whites. Terrifying in its destructive power.”

      “Glad they’re not around anymore.”

      Cole frowned. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that.”

      Annja smirked. “C’mon. They died out ages ago. There’s no way they could survive in today’s oceans.”

      “Why not?”

      Annja stopped. “Wouldn’t someone have seen one by now?”

      Cole shook his head. “Not necessarily. You know what’s amazing about the oceans? Every year we find new species of fish or rediscover species we thought had long since died out. The depths that we are able to gain access to through advances in technology are enormous. We can’t swim miles below the surface, but the robots we’ve built that have journeyed there have recorded a fascinating world.”

      “But giant sharks?”

      Cole leaned forward. “Take the giant squid. For years, people swore it couldn’t exist. We had corpses wash up on shores or sometimes get caught in fishing nets, but never found a live specimen. And then that Japanese team got the first video footage of it swimming in the silent depths. And we know that sperm whales love to eat those things.”

      “And you think that somewhere out there a megalodon could be swimming around?”

      “Why not? We don’t know everything and, sometimes, even the most implausible ideas turn out to be true.”

      Annja shrugged. “I guess. I just can’t see it. I mean, a meg swimming out there would need to feast on a lot to sustain it, wouldn’t it? So, I guess my question would be, if it’s not extinct, then what is it eating?”

      “I don’t know,” Cole said. “Perhaps it dines on the sperm whales that dive after giant squid. Maybe it’s taken to living down far below the ocean surface where it can remain unseen except in its native habitat. All I’m saying is, we can’t discount its existence merely because we haven’t see one.”

      Annja shivered. “The idea of something that large and dangerous doesn’t exactly make me all warm inside.”

      Cole laughed. “If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn’t try to free swim with it, either.”

      “Well, there’s a brilliant decision.”

      Cole smiled. Annja glanced around. “Are we close to the harbor? Sounds like Tom’s throttled down.”

      Cole slid out of the booth and looked outside. “Yep. We’re coming in through the outer channel now.”

      Annja followed and she and Cole joined Tom in the wheelhouse. She could see the other boats lined up at the wharves. A few fishing charters meandered their way back into dock.

      Tom pointed. “Hey, isn’t that Sandy?”

      Cole peered through the window and nodded. “What’s she doing at the dock? She ought to have knocked off by now.”

      “Who’s Sandy?” Annja asked.

      “She works with us, handling calls in the office,” Cole said. “She never goes out on the boats, though. She’s terrified of the water. Her brother drowned when she was just six years old and she never goes near the water.”

      “That’s horrible,” Annja said. “And she’s waiting down at the docks? That seems a bit odd.”

      “Sure does,” Cole said. “Something must be up.”

      He and Annja went out on deck so they could secure the boat as they docked. Tom eased the engines down even further as they approached their mooring. He reversed, and then as the side of the boat touched the dock, Cole leaped on to the platform and Annja tossed him the lines. Cole tied the knots and Tom cut the engines.

      Annja stepped off the boat and looked up at Sandy. She had a short blond haircut that fell just by her ears. But what made Annja stare was the expression on her face. She looked intensely worried.

      Cole led the way up the gangplank and nodded at Sandy. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Everything okay?”

      Sandy shook her head. “No.”

      “What’s the matter?”

      “I just got a call from your brother. There’s trouble up at the dive site.”

      “What kind of trouble?”

      Sandy laid a hand on Cole’s arm. “There’s been a death, Cole.”

      3

      Cole’s face went ashen. “Not my brother—?”

      Sandy shook her head. “No, but someone else on the dive went missing. This afternoon, they recovered a body. Well, part of it, anyway.”

      Annja frowned. “Part of it?”

      Sandy looked her over. “There wasn’t much left.”

      Cole shook his head. “Let’s get back to the office and talk some more. I don’t like discussing my business out in public.”

      Sandy led them back up the gangplank and toward the row of small wooden buildings scattered along the dock. At a pale blue row house, Annja saw the brass nameplate of Cole Williams Research and they entered. The narrow staircase up to the second floor seemed to be warped and it creaked underfoot as they climbed. But at the top Annja smelled coffee brewing and suddenly realized how much she wanted a cup.

      Sandy pointed to the small coffeemaker. “Figured you all might be in the mood after being on the water.”

      Cole got himself and Annja each a cup and then sat down at an old table that must have served as a conference table by the look of it. He smiled at Annja. “It’s not fancy here, but we make do.”

      Annja sipped the coffee and found it was a good roast. She smiled at Sandy. “This is delicious.”

      “Peruvian blend.” Sandy glanced at Cole. “You didn’t mention you had a visitor coming out.”

      Cole shrugged. “Annja’s a good friend. Known her for years.” He sipped