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“Bailey!” His heart thudded as fear clawed at his throat. She surfaced before him.
“Jesus!” He grabbed her. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“I s-saw a shirt floating, and then a c-cap,” she stuttered. “I thought it must be Elijah’s so I dived in, but he’s dead, Joe. He’s d-down there, I saw him as I went under the falls. You have to get him!”
“Stay here!” Joe dived under, and swam down. He found Elijah on the bottom, wedged under a ledge. Needing air, he returned to the surface.
“It’s him, isn’t it! Elijah N-Neil?”
He caught her as she launched at him, and moved to the ledge where he could stand.
“He has a family, Joe, and he’s dead.”
“I know, baby. But we need to get him out of the water now. To do that I need you to get out, then go and use the radio in my pack to call Fin. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded, her damp hair brushing his cheek.
“Good girl. I’m gonna boost you up, and you run round and under the falls, okay?”
“But I should stay and help you, Joe?”
He eased her face out of his neck, and cupped a cheek.
“I’m stronger physically, Bailey, so I can bring him up. I need you to radio Fin for me now. It’s important.”
She nodded.
“H-he’s dead, Joe.”
“I know. But let’s get him home now, Bailey. We owe him that, okay?”
She sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. He kissed her, just a soft brush, then turned and boosted her out of the water. She scrabbled onto the rocks, and then was up and running along the narrow path.
“Be careful!”
Joe watched her go, then drew in a couple of deep breaths himself, before diving back under the water to get Elijah.
Chapter 29
He tried twice to get the body up, but it was on the third attempt he managed to get Elijah out from under the ledge and float him up to the surface. Bailey stood above him, looking scared, with Buzz. Her fingers were in his fur, and the dog stood silently at her side, watching him.
“Thank God, Joe, I was worried when you didn’t surface!”
Joe hauled in several breaths before he could speak.
“Did you get hold of Fin?”
She nodded, keeping her eyes on him and not the body he held.
“Look away now,” he warned Bailey. “Dead bodies that have been in the water for a while are not something you need to see.”
“But you’re looking.”
“I’ve rescued a body before from here, I know what to expect. You don’t.”
“Let me help you, Joe.”
“I got this, you go and put on my jacket and stay out in the sun, and I’ll stay with him.
