Page 306 of Hidden Depths

But we didn’t tell him everything.

Not yet.

We didn’t mention Grandpa.

Or Dad.

Or the Blackwater Trench.

I wasn’t sure why I held it back.

Maybe because Grandpa had protected the secret for decades.

Maybe because someone had known the exact vehicle sent by Frank and Rose’s hotel.

Until we understood how far this organization reached...

Trust had to be earned.

The Coast Guard searched the grounded vessel.

The three attackers were gone.

No weapons remained.

No papers.

No identification.

Not even fingerprints that could be recovered quickly.

But they found blood on the deck.

And something else.

One of the crew members returned carrying a small waterproof metal case.

“There was a hidden compartment beneath the helm,” he told Lieutenant Akana. “This was inside.”

My heart began pounding before he even turned it around.

Three letters had been scratched into the lid.

JDS.

James Daniel Sinclair.

My grandfather.

Calle reached for my hand.

“What is that doing on their boat?”

“I don’t know.”

Lieutenant Akana looked at us.

“You recognize the initials?”