Free Under the Moon Gate by Marilyn Baron Page B

she chided. “But we’re different, there’s no doubt. The past is like a link in a chain. It often holds secrets to the future. It cannot be ignored. Sometimes the bond is strong, forged of steel. Sometimes it is faint and spidery, like a golden thread of the finest lace, or elusive, like a whisper. But still the tether that ties us to the past holds. It echoes through time, but no matter how tenuous the bond, the link stays strong. And I believe we are all bound together.”
    Nathaniel stood, seeming spellbound, as he watched her speak and gesture. Then he shook himself. “How about that dive?” he offered, looking away from her. “I’ve got my dive gear and some spare equipment for you. We can look around at the wreck site below. That is, unless you’re scared to go down.”
    If the alternative was to open the trunk, then she didn’t think she was quite ready. Maybe she’d never be ready. But she wouldn’t back down from a challenge.
    “I’d enjoy a dive.” She resented his tone but fidgeted with her hands and looked away from the water. Conquer your fears, she thought, taking deep, cleansing breaths.
    Patience donned the wet suit for protection against the coral and the coldness. The flippers fit snugly, and she tightened the goggles. Swinging on her oxygen tank, she grabbed the vest, checked the air in her tank, and adjusted her regulator for the deep dive before she picked up the knife Nathaniel had provided in case she got tangled in seaweed or needed to cut herself free from a rope. Nathaniel’s equipment included a computer that could analyze how much bottom time they’d have. In this depth, they’d be down no longer than fifteen minutes. With all this gear aboard, Nathaniel was obviously an experienced diver.
    Sensing her hesitancy, Nathaniel grabbed Patience’s hand and pulled her along with him as he jumped into the water.
    Once submerged, Patience began to appreciate the silence and the beauty, the changing play of light on the water. They came face to face with the creatures of the deep patrolling the wrecks, skimming along the reefs—a moray eel, an orange starfish, a sergeant-major, a bright blue tang, a blue angelfish.
    She felt natural with Nathaniel, and she liked the sensation of holding hands in the deep. Her hand felt right in his. She wanted to do more than hold hands, but she knew her strange desires put her in dangerous waters.
    When the dive was finished, Patience climbed up the ladder, with Nathaniel right behind her.
    “Good thing we didn’t run into any sharks,” Nathaniel laughed as they shed their equipment.
    “It’s more likely we’d get nudged by some lumbering sea turtle.”
    He reached for her hand again. “Are you ready to take a look now?” he prompted.
    “It’s kind of like opening Pandora’s box, don’t you think?” Patience shifted her weight back and forth on the deck. “You already know what’s in there. Why don’t you just tell me?”
    “Because I think you need to see for yourself.”
    Patience followed Nathaniel down the steps to his cabin, where she saw the locker—the elephant in the room. Then it was real, after all. But that didn’t necessarily mean it was her grandfather’s. She would prove that it wasn’t, or get Nathaniel to help her prove it. After having read most of the journal entries, she had little hope left, but who knew what she might find in the box?
    “Go on, Patience, open it. Unless you’re afraid of what you’ll discover.”
    Again she rose to the challenge and lifted the lid. Conquer your fears .
    “It’s just a rusty old locker, you see. It has nothing to do with my grandfather.” Patience looked away from the Nazi swastika marked on the trunk.
    “Look closer,” he advised, rifling through the contents of the trunk, searching. “Here. This is a picture of the owner of the trunk. Is this man your grandfather?”
    She forced herself to look at the passport. Yes, it was her grandfather, but this name was unfamiliar.