Chapter 6 - The Search Below
By 2:00 PM, the industrial park behind Maple Street had transformed into a staging ground for emergency services. Two bright orange search-and-rescue trucks blocked the access road. Men and women in heavy rubber wetsuits, equipped with oxygen tanks and tethered safety lines, prepared to descend into the murky, churning waters of the drainage basin where the concrete canal emptied into the wider river.
A small crowd of local residents had gathered near the perimeter fence, watching in uneasy silence. The woman in the yellow raincoat who had previously branded Andrew a monster now stood near the front, her arms tightly crossed, her expression shifting from righteous anger to deep, creeping unease as she watched the rescue divers prep their gear.
Natalie stood near the edge of the concrete retaining wall, holding a heavy pair of binoculars. Her radio hissed with static as the lead diver, call sign Diver One, checked in.
"Command, this is Diver One. We are entering the primary outflow basin now. Visibility is near zero. The current is still running at about four knots. Moving slowly along the eastern support pylons."
"Copy that, Diver One," Miller spoke into the base station microphone. "Watch out for trapped debris. Look for any sign of dark clothing or personal effects."
Natalie lowered the binoculars, her stomach twisting into knots. She thought of Ashley lying in that sterile hospital bed, clutching Buddy, asking every ten minutes if her daddy was coming back. The weight of the truth—whatever truth lay at the bottom of that dark water—felt heavier than any uniform she had ever worn.
Ten minutes ticked by in agonizing slowness. The rain had finally stopped, replaced by a humid, oppressive fog that rolled off the river, wrapping around the industrial park like a damp blanket.
"Command, this is Diver One," the radio suddenly crackled, the voice tense and strained through the underwater comms. "We’ve got something."
Natalie stepped closer to the base station table. Miller’s hand hovered over the mic. "Talk to me, Diver One. What do you have?"
"About fifteen yards south of the primary bridge pylon, wedged beneath a massive tangle of fallen timber and corrugated tin," the diver reported, his breathing heavy over the line. "It's a body. Male, wearing a dark brown cotton jacket and blue jeans."
A collective murmur rippled through the onlookers gathered at the fence.
Natalie closed her eyes for a brief second, a sharp wave of sorrow washing over her. He tried, she thought. He went out into the storm to save his little girl, and he never made it back.
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"Is there positive identification?" Miller asked, his voice steady, masking the professional grief shared by everyone in law enforcement.
"Affirmative," Diver One replied after a brief pause. "A silver wedding band on the left ring finger. And... command, you need to see this. He’s still clutching something in his right hand. Even in death, his fingers are locked tight around a plastic grocery bag."
