The Seventh Secret

Chapter 20 — Cracks in the Hull

Upon scrutinizing the relic Crystal had found in the wreck, even Nina had to agree that the plaque the diver had recovered was indeed the emblem of the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee. It was regrettably all Nina had to go on for now, but the insignia was unmistakable.

“Glad Crystal was down there with me. I filmed the bloody thing and had no idea it could be a clue,” Sam flattered the German salvor, who rested her hand affectionately on his upper back with a gentle smile. Nina stiffened. Purdue noticed her reaction and quickly took the historian’s hand, “Now tell us, Nina. If you look at the footage, is this going to help you identify the ship beyond doubt? We have to be very sure.”

Nina nodded, slightly distracted by Purdue’s hand over hers. “I would have to see the vessel for myself to determine if it was a German cruiser and not one of the many ships of the allied forces that were sunk in this area. South Africa did fight on the side of the Allied Forces, but they did not have their own navy as far as I know," she said.

Billy Malgas looked decisively worried about the recent developments. Sam picked up on it but said nothing. He planned on having a word with the archeologist as soon as he got the chance. Mieke and Cheryl looked happy with the item Crystal had found, both for different reasons, of course, and Purdue was ecstatic.

“I cannot wait to start looking at the footage! Sam, did you get some dimensions for me?” he asked the journalist who had all female eyes on him when he peeled the top of his suit down to his waist to reveal his chiseled physique.

“Aye, but it was a bit of a bitch to get, I tell ya,” he replied. His wet black hair was tousled, and his skin glistened in the sun. Crystal could not take her eyes off Sam. She zipped down her suit to reveal the valley between her breasts, pressed toward the middle in ample mounds and untied her hair to fall over her shoulders. She slid her arm around his waist and spoke in her husky voice, “I’m sure you got everything, Sam. After all, you certainly know your equipment. No worries there.”

Sam caught his breath when she pressed up against him in the feigned hug. He felt his blood rush at her obvious double entendre, and it excited him that she even bothered to employ it in the first place. Nina tried not to care since a few days ago she had decided not to. Purdue was a far better catch, she made herself believe. Like a schoolboy Sam was too easy to whip, Nina decided, and he deserved to be with a woman who treated him like a subordinate. It was Crystal's way to treat men with indifference and condescension unless she needed them or needed their attention to reinforce her status of Queen Bee, especially in the presence of other women.

Naturally Sam did not even notice what he had just been part of, as it had always been a man’s prerogative not to detect the complex psychological manipulation of competing females, so he gave her a peck on the cheek. In Sam’s mind he was being friendly with a stunning woman, while Crystal had just rubbed her power over the hottest man there in the faces of all females present.

“Sam!” Nina broke the spell between them. Sam waited for a snide remark or a catty insinuation, but to his amazement, she did not scold him. "Can you please download your footage onto my laptop as soon as possible? I think you realize, as Crystal stated before, that she has a salvage tug on the way, and we are a bit short on time. Would you be a dear and just do that for me?” she asked sweetly, with absolutely no trace of her true feelings coming through.

"Uh… aye, of course! As soon as we get to the beach house I'll get to it," he smiled, naively happy to assist her. Crystal noticed but did not reveal her annoyance with the equally calculating historian. Having underestimated the petite historian, she was taken aback by Nina’s resourcefulness. It was a welcome challenge since it didn’t matter to Crystal if she could secure the affection of either Sam Cleave or Dave Purdue, both of whom Nina was very proprietary about.

Back at the beach house, Cheryl made sure that she stayed in the company of Dr. Malgas and even Mieke, just in case she had gotten Zain so mad that he would abandon his zeal for the treasures of the sunken vessel and seek revenge for her well-placed insults. Dr. Malgas was appreciative of her company, since as much as he wished to speak to Sam, the journalist was preoccupied with the footage he had gathered. Purdue was watching the recording with him while Nina and Crystal were in the kitchen with Zain and Sibu.

“I’m starving,” Sibu whined, looking through the fridge. “Who is in charge of buying food anyway? We are dying of hunger but that guy doesn’t seem give a shit.”

Crystal gave him a stern look. “Usually that guy paying for everything feeds and houses the crew. But seeing as all members of this excursion already received an advance for their services, Dave Purdue provides accommodation and meals.”

Nina added on to Crystal’s statement as if the two had rehearsed their loyalty speech, “And since we already have our meals provided, any gluttony or emotional eating should be the responsibility of the whiner.”

Sibu looked annoyed. Zain scoffed and chuckled on his way out to the patio at the disciplinary double-teaming his partner just received from the two women.

“Aow! Good one, Dr. Gould,” Crystal smiled and lifted her hand in the air.

"Not too bad yourself, Frau Meyer," Nina winked with a mouthful of shrimp and high-fived the lawyer.

"Right, the salvage crew will be here in less than 18 hours. I just spoke to their skipper, Ali," Crystal announced as she hung up the phone. "So Nina, do you have the footage to confirm the find? I mean, we have the plaque, but I would feel better if you and Dr. Malgas could prove beyond any doubt that this is the Graf Spee.”

“I agree. Yet I can’t just confirm that it is the Graf Spee by one relic. Another ship could have carried it… like a keepsake maybe one captain gave another, you know. Pretty much anything,” Nina affirmed.

"I am pretty sure it is authentic," Dr. Malgas said. "We have seen it before and as an archeologist, I can assure you that with my knowledge of historical items I deem this wreck genuine.” His tone was confident, yet his profusely sweating face and the hesitation in his choice of words betrayed to any sharp-minded person that something was amiss. And in this case, unfortunately for Dr. Malgas, that person happened to be Nina Gould.

“With all due respect to your illustrious career in Archeology, Dr. Malgas, your historical knowledge in this context is perhaps more of a superficial nature. This is why there are people like me who specialize in particular eras,” Nina clarified. The feisty historian proposed to put the faltering archeologist in his place for his half-assed approach to a field, which she held in such high esteem.

“Indeed,” he attempted to joust with an insuperable opponent. “Which makes my expertise invaluable and indisputable.”

Sam cringed. Purdue held his breath. Mieke and Cheryl wagered silently. Nina leaned forward with her elbows resting firmly on her thighs. “The only thing undisputable here, my dear colleague, is your lack of interest in determining if your find is indeed of historical significance, perhaps born from a lack of knowledge on the subject of modern German history, specifically World War II and the armament of that period.”

Dr. Malgas was insulted. He looked to Sam for support, but Sam knew better than to come between Nina and her quarry. He simply shrugged and played dumb to Billy Malgas’ plea, implying that he would be of no use in such an argument, which in part was true. Sam certainly did not know which navy let alone which class the vessel belonged to.

“Now, if you are so convinced that this is the Graf Spee, I assume you won’t have to join me in reviewing the footage?” Nina asked evenly.

“I respectfully decline, yes,” he muttered. “Sam, I cannot believe you brought someone with you, who second-guesses my findings and on top of that tries to disprove everything I assert.”

Sam was taken aback. “How can you blame this on me? Purdue always employs Dr. Gould to…”

“Yes, I can guess why,” Malgas remarked suggestively as his eyes examined Nina’s body. She went ashen. Nina was livid, and knowing that she was no stranger to taking things to a physical level, Sam took a stance between her and Dr. Malgas to finish his sentence.

“No, because she is the best, when it comes to German WWII history, Billy,” Sam asserted forcefully. “And if you feel threatened by the idea of your find being investigated by internationally revered professionals, it makes me feel that there might be something you’re keeping from us.” Nina had no desire to confront the archeologist anymore, who was highly unprofessional in her eyes. For once she felt completely vindicated. Mieke shifted uncomfortably. Dr. Malgas was stunned to silence from the words that had hit way too close to home. His eyes stared past Sam's impressive body at his assistant, but she only looked on in suspended shock.

“Apparently you think I am out of my depth here,” Dr. Malgas finally said and rose to his feet. “Such a pity you had to come all the way down here, Sam. Had I known where your loyalty lies, I would have asked another journalist to get the exclusive on my find. Unfortunately, as things stand now, we would have to work together to conclude this salvage.”

“Precisely. So we should try to all get along, right?” Crystal suggested light-heartedly, clasping her hands together in nervous anticipation.

“I agree with that,” Mieke nodded. “We might be on the brink of something amazing that would benefit us all, so let’s not screw it all up, hey?”

Billy Malgas cleared his throat, waiting for Sam to step aside. The archeologist disappeared into his room and closed the door. Sam relaxed and sank down next to Nina, exhaling hard in relief.

“What a prick,” he said softly. “If we hadn’t gone through all this trouble already, I’d say let’s pack up and leave him to find his own sponsor and team; see how far he gets on his contacts and bankruptcy.”

Purdue looked up. “Bankruptcy?”

Sam regretted his comment the moment he uttered it. Mieke bit her lip anxiously, praying that their plan would not fall apart. Hoping that their secret would not be discovered, she thought of a way to keep things even and calm for the rest of the excursion. A lot of things needed to be patched. Otherwise, the plan would sink too. Too many things were threatening the success of the project and in her opinion, there were too many people involved.

Sam Cleave knew too much about Dr. Malgas’ situation and she feared that he could very well steal the project’s glory from her boss. Still, she dared not say anything and retired for the evening although she knew very well that she would not get any sleep while the meticulous Nina Gould’s eyes were studying their hoax.