The Reef

sleepless night mourning a broken heart, giving it every tear inside her. Still, in the end, she had salvaged her pride and now braced against it.
    “He probably found a more interesting way to spend his day.”
    “Well, it’s not like him.” Marla glanced over when Ray stepped out of Buck’s room.
    “He’s settling in.” The bolstering smile did little to erase the concern in Ray’s eyes. “He’s a little tired, doesn’t really feel up to visitors. Matthew come in yet?”
    “No.” Marla looked down the hall as if she could will the elevator doors to open up, and Matthew to stroll out. “Ray, did you tell him about Silas VanDyke, the treasure?”
    “I didn’t have the heart.” Wearily Ray sat down. The last ten minutes with Buck had sapped him. “I think it’s just beginning to sink in about his leg. He’s angry andbitter. Nothing I said seemed to help. How could I tell him everything we’d worked for is gone?”
    “It can wait.” Knowing there was little else they could do, Marla sat down beside him. “Don’t start blaming yourself, Ray.”
    “I keep going over that moment in my mind,” he murmured. “One instant we were flying. We were kings. Midases turning everything we touched into gold. Then there was horror and fear. Could I have done something, Marla, moved faster? I don’t know. It all happened in a heartbeat. Angelique’s Curse.” Ray lifted his hands, let them fall. “That’s what Buck keeps saying.”
    “It was an accident,” Marla insisted, though a shiver raced through her. “It has nothing to do with curses or legends. You know that, Ray.”
    “I know Buck’s lost his leg, and the dream that was just at our fingertips turned into a nightmare. There’s nothing we can do about it. That’s the worst of it. There’s nothing we can do.”
    “You need rest.” Briskly, Marla rose, took his hands. “We all do. We’re going back to the hotel and putting all of this aside for a few hours. In the morning, we’ll do whatever needs to be done.”
    “Maybe you’re right.”
    “You two go ahead.” Tate tucked her hands in her pockets. The idea of sitting in her room for the rest of the afternoon was far from appealing. “I think I’ll go for a walk, maybe sit on the beach awhile.”
    “That’s a good idea.” Marla slipped an arm around Tate’s shoulders as they walked to the elevators. “Get yourself some sun. We’ll all feel better for a little break.”
    “Sure.” Tate managed a smile as they stepped into the elevator. But she knew nothing was going to make her feel better for a long, long time.
    As the Beaumonts went their separate ways, Matthew sat down in Dr. Farrge’s office. Already that day he’d put into play several of the decisions he’d made during the night. Decisions, he felt, that were necessary for everyone.
    “I need you to contact that doctor you told me about,the one in Chicago,” Matthew began. “I have to know if he’ll take care of Buck.”
    “I can do that for you, Mr. Lassiter.”
    “I’d appreciate it. And I need an accounting of what I owe here plus what it’s going to cost to transfer him.”
    “Your uncle is without medical insurance?”
    “That’s right.” Matthew braced his shoulders against the fresh weight. It was always humiliating to owe more than you could pay. He doubted a professional treasure hunter was a prime candidate for a loan. “I’ll give you what I’ve got. I’ll have more tomorrow.” From the sale of the Sea Devil and most of the equipment. “I’ll need some sort of payment schedule for the rest. I’ve made some calls myself. I’ve got a line on a couple of jobs. I’m good for it.”
    Farrge sat back, rubbed a finger along the side of his nose. “I’m sure we can make arrangements. In your country there are programs—”
    “Buck’s not going on welfare,” Matthew interrupted, a bite of fury in his voice. “Not as long as I can work. Just figure up the bottom line. I’ll deal with it.”
    “As you wish. Mr. Lassiter, it’s fortunate that your uncle is a strong man. I have no doubt that he will recover physically. He could, in fact, dive again. If he chooses. But his emotional and mental recovery will be slower even than the physical. He’ll need your support. You will need help to—”
    “I’ll deal with it,” Matthew repeated and rose. At the moment, he didn’t think he could stand hearing about psychiatrists and social workers. “The way I figure it, you saved his