Free Below by Ryan Lockwood Page B

said were on the water. Joe read the rest of the brief article.

    LA JOLLA, CALIF.—A Claremont Realtor and his 12-year-old daughter were reported missing Saturday night, following an afternoon fishing trip on which they went into the water. Both are presumed dead, although no bodies have been recovered.
    Daryl Whittaker and his daughter, Megan, were last seen by family members when they left to go deep-sea fishing with Whittaker’s brother. Police say the brother, John Whittaker, told them in a statement that his brother and niece both fell off his boat while the trio fished for yellowtail. According to the statement, both simply vanished under the surface despite calm conditions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported one-to-two-foot swells and fair weather in the area on Saturday.
    “According to Mr. Whittaker, his niece fell into the water while fishing off La Jolla, and her father dove in after her,” said La Jolla Police spokesperson Janet Sharp. “Mr. Whittaker has stated that neither his niece nor brother ever resurfaced, and that the water underneath the vessel was glowing when the pair vanished.”
    During the summer months, glowing lights in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California are often reported. The glow is generally seen in the wake of boats at night, due to the presence of bioluminescent plankton that produce light when disturbed.
    No charges have yet been filed in the case, but foul play has not been ruled out. Sharp says the Coast Guard and La Jolla Police Department are looking into Whittaker’s story and plan to have boats out today on a search for the missing pair.
    Whittaker could not be reached for comment.

    Joe lowered the paper onto his lap and leaned his head back into the couch, shutting his eyes. A glow. Could there be any connection here?
    Two thoughts occurred to him. First, that the loss of the immigrants last week might not have been an isolated incident. Second, he was starting to realize he should be doing something about this, but it was his day off. He felt the first pang of guilt and threw the paper across the room. This was crazy. His wife was right when she said he tried to bear the weight of the world. What the hell was he supposed to do here?
    “What’s the matter, baby?” Elena was in their open kitchen preparing breakfast.
    “Nothing, hon.” He forced a smile. “Padres lost again.”
    Elena was beating eggs in a large metal bowl. “Why do you care so much? It’s only one game.”
    “Only one game? You know how much I love baseball. Better be careful what you say before my morning coffee, lady. Unless you want to be spanked.”
    Joe looked back to the article. A little girl. The article said a twelve-year-old girl had gone missing. Joe looked over at Gabby. His daughter was lying on the floor, playing a video game. She wasn’t much older than that. He slid off the couch and crawled up next to her, nudging his shoulder against hers.
    “Stop it, Dad!”
    “You winning, mija ?”
    “You don’t win this game, Dad. I’m building my army.”
    “Why play if you can’t win?”
    “You win later. I need to build my army first.”
    “Of course you do.”
    The thought of losing Gabby kept forcing its way into Joe’s mind. He couldn’t even begin to think about what it would be like. He put his arm around his baby girl.
    “Get off me, Dad! You just made me go in the wrong door. . . . Now I’ve got to go all the way back around again. Thanks a lot.”
    “Anytime, baby.”
    Joe thought for a moment about the case with the missing immigrants. He could leave that for now; he would look into the fishing accident first.

C HAPTER 15
    T he next time Sturman got drunk, he wouldn’t do it the night before a rough day at sea. Although it was a beautiful Sunday morning, the heaving Pacific swells were much larger than they had been recently. Some storm in the southern hemisphere had sent them up overnight. Well, at least the surfers would be