Chapter 2 - A Breath Below

Evelyn threw her arms wide as the dock vanished beneath her front wheels. The chair pitched forward. For half a second she saw the lake upside down, a gray sky framed by hanging willow leaves. Then cold water closed over her face.

Her lungs seized. The black wheelchair pulled at her hips, the belt she'd buckled out of habit turning into an anchor. She clawed at it. Underwater, every motion was slow and useless. Her burgundy cardigan rose around her shoulders like a dark flower.

Something pale drifted below: Daniel's hand.

Evelyn fought the buckle once, twice. She remembered his warning that morning. Don't let them take us to the lake. If anything happens, trust the red box. She'd thought he was confused again.

The clasp finally gave. Her chair rolled past, wheels turning quietly into the dark. Evelyn kicked toward Daniel. The movement hurt her bad knee, but pain meant life. His cardigan floated open; his face looked peaceful in a way that terrified her.

She caught the back of his collar and tried to lift him. His eyes opened suddenly. He gripped her wrist with surprising force and pressed something small into her palm: a brass key attached to a red plastic tag.

A sharp metallic clang rang out above. Through the wavering surface she saw Grant moving on the dock. He wasn't trying to rescue them. He was dragging a heavy chain toward the water.

Daniel pointed beneath the dock, toward a cluster of old pilings. Evelyn followed his gaze. A narrow gap yawned beneath a half-submerged maintenance platform. Air shimmered there, trapped under the wood.

They pushed into the pocket, breaking the surface in darkness. Evelyn gasped. The space smelled of mud and rotting boards. Daniel coughed violently, then covered his mouth.

Above them, Grant's voice traveled through the planks. "Make sure they don't come up."

Mara answered so softly Evelyn almost missed it. "I didn't agree to murder."

A chain dropped beside the platform with a splash. Daniel's fingers closed over Evelyn's hand.

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"The red box," he rasped. "Before he finds it."

Then a flashlight beam swept into their hiding place.