Donovans 01 - Amber Beach

have to breathe oxygen—like amber or a dead body.
    “Sorry,” he said, pulling Honor close. “Right now I’m not any happier about this mess than you are.”
    “He’s not your brother,” she said against Jake’s flannel shirt.
    “But you’re his sister.”
    While Honor tried to make sense of Jake’s words, he went out on the bow and pulled up the anchor. Before she had time to get nervous about being adrift, he was back in the helm seat. Anxiously she looked to the east, needing dawn in a way she couldn’t explain. If only there was enough light, surely she would be able to see where Kyle was, wouldn’t she?
    Dawn hadn’t arrived yet. The wind had. It caught them as soon as they left the lee of the island. But by the time they hammered through the waves to Seal Rock, it was light enough to see everything.
    There was nothing to see except foam.
    Even though her head had known it would be this way, disappointment broke over Honor in a long, cold wave.
    Kyle, where are you?
    “He can’t be dead,” she said hoarsely. “He’s my brother . . .”
    Jake saw a tear slide down her cheek. He had tried to prepare her for the bleak reef. Obviously he hadn’t done a very good job.
    “You believe he’s dead, don’t you?” she demanded. “A thief and a murderer and dead! ”
    “It’s one explanation for his disappearance,” Jake said in a neutral tone.
    “He isn’t dead,” she said, her voice ragged. “What else is around here?”
    “Water.”
    “You know what I mean!”
    “This may surprise you,” Jake said bitterly, “but I didn’t come here just to rub your face in the most probable explanation for Kyle’s disappearance. This is the last place Kyle recorded on the chart plotter. Period. No hidden agenda.”
    “If Kyle can’t be here, why bother?”
    “Because there’s a chance, just a chance, that a panel from the Amber Room is tied to the bottom somewhere around Seal Rock.”
    “And if you find it, you’ll be back in business.”
    Jake didn’t say a word.
    For a time Honor tipped back her head and closed her eyes as though to stop tears from falling. It didn’t work. “How long will it take you to search for the amber?”
    He grimaced. There was nothing in her voice, no color, no life, like a room with no light in it.
    “Not too long,” he said. “There are only a few places where it would be safe to stash the panel.”
    She blinked hard and looked out at the ragged rock and white water. “What are you talking about? You could hide the Queen Mary out there.”
    “If something is down there, it has to be safe from tides, currents, and storms. We get some pretty steep tides around here, so you’re looking at least fifteen feet down.”
    Unwillingly Honor turned and faced Jake. His expression was intent, his eyes like hammered silver as he stared out over the nasty-looking rock.
    “Kyle was limited by the amount of air in his tank,” Jake continued, “even if he had a spare. I’m betting that he free dove to check out possible hiding places. I doubt that he went much deeper than twenty-five feet, because it gets real dark in these waters and the breath is squeezed right out of you by pressure unless you’re used to free diving.”
    “As far as I know, he always used a tank.”
    “That’s what I figured. According to the charts, there are maybe five places near Seal Rock that meet the requirements of tide, relatively calm water, and depth.”
    “You’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, haven’t you?”
    Jake ignored the accusation in Honor’s voice. “Yes. Ever since I found out that Kyle’s dive equipment was missing along with his Zodiac.”
    “Why didn’t you say something to me?”
    “You believe he’s innocent. That doesn’t leave much to talk about, does it?”
    “You believe he’s guilty. That doesn’t leave much to talk about, does it?”
    “How about me?” Jake demanded. “Do you think I’m guilty of stealing the amber?”
    “No.”
    His eyes widened in surprise. “Archer does.”
    She shrugged. “Archer is wrong.”
    “What makes you so sure?”
    “Observation. I watched you with Resnikov’s amber. You appreciated all of it, but your real passion was reserved for the Stone Age carvings. The Amber Room isn’t Stone Age.”
    “You don’t think I’d do it for sixty million bucks?” Jake asked curiously.
    “Money isn’t your passion either.”
    He would have preferred to have Honor’s faith in him based on something