The Reef

he? Exchanging recipes with your mother one minute andarguing foreign policy the next with a side trip into baseball and eighteenth-century art.”
    “He’s a regular Renaissance man,” she murmured. But she was holding out on judgment of him. Any friend of Matthew’s, she thought, required careful scrutiny. Even if he was interesting, well read and charming. Particularly if he was. “I haven’t figured out what he’s doing with Matthew.”
    “Oh, I think they suit each other well enough.” Ray filled the sink with soapy water for the pots as Tate loaded the dishwasher. “Matthew’s always had a lot going for him, he’s just never had much chance to put it all to use.”
    “I’d say he’s a man who knows how to make the most of an opportunity. Which is something I want to discuss with you.”
    “The Isabella. ” Sleeves pushed up, Ray began to attack pans in the sink. “We’re going to get to that, honey. Soon as everyone’s had a chance to settle in for the evening. I held off saying anything more to the rest until you got here.”
    “Dad, I know how you felt when we found that virgin wreck eight years ago. I know how I felt, so I understand that you may think it’s a good idea to go back. But I’m not sure you’re considering all the details, the pitfalls.”
    “I’ve thought of them a great deal over the years, and little else for the last nine months. We had our share of luck, good and bad, the last time. But we’ve got a hell of a lot more going for us this time around.”
    “Dad.” Tate slipped another plate into the dishwasher, straightened. “If I have the right information, Buck hasn’t dived since his accident, and LaRue worked on ship as a cook. He’s never had on tanks in his life.”
    “That’s all true. Maybe Buck won’t go under, but we can always use another hand on deck. As for LaRue, he’s willing to learn, and I have a feeling he’s a quick study.”
    “There are six of us,” Tate went on, trying futilely to chip away at the optimism. “Only three of whom can dive. I haven’t done any serious diving myself in nearly two years.”
    “Like riding a bike,” Ray said easily and set a panaside to drain. “We need people to read and run the equipment in any case. Now we’ve got a professional marine archeologist on hand, not one in training.” He sent her a beaming smile. “Maybe you’ll do your thesis on this expedition.”
    “I’m not concerned about my thesis right now,” she said, straining for patience. “I’m concerned about you. You and Mom have spent the last several years playing at hunting, Dad. Exploring established wrecks, pleasure diving, shell collecting. That’s nothing compared to the full out physical labor needed for something like you have in mind.”
    “I’m in shape,” he told her, vaguely insulted. “I work out three times a week, dive regularly.”
    Wrong tactic, she thought. “Okay. What about the expense? It could take months of your time, plus the cost of supplies, equipment. This isn’t a vacation you’re talking about, or a hobby. Who’s backing this venture?”
    “Your mother and I are very stable financially.”
    “Well.” Fighting temper, she snatched up a dishrag to swipe the counters. “That answers my last question. You’re putting your money on the line, which means you’re carrying the Lassiters.”
    “It’s not a matter of carrying them, honey.” Genuinely puzzled, he pulled his hands out of the water and wiped them dry. “It’s a partnership, just like before. Any imbalance will be taken out of the profits once we salvage the wreck.”
    “What if there isn’t any wreck?” she exploded. “I don’t care if you toss your last penny away on a dream. I want you to enjoy everything you’ve worked for. But how can I stand by while you let that self-serving, opportunistic bastard take you for a ride?”
    “Tate.” Alarmed at the way her voice carried, he patted her on the shoulder. “I didn’t know you were upset. I thought when you said you were coming back, you were committing to the idea.”
    “I came back to try to stop you from making a mistake.”
    “I’m not making one.” His face closed up in the wayshe knew it could when he was hurt. “And there is a wreck. Matthew’s father knew it, I know it. The Isabella is there, and Angelique’s Curse is with her.”
    “Not the amulet again.”
    “Yes, the amulet again. That’s what James Lassiter was looking for, what Silas VanDyke